Audio Recording. Don't let the noise monster get you...
Let's talk about Audio Recording.
No, let's talk about money. I believe RZA and his Wu-Tang Clan said it best in 1994, when they taught us about C.R.E.A.M. Cash rules everything around me- that's a lesson that applies far beyond the confines of the 36 Chambers of Staten Island. What does this mean here in the world of video production? It means the same thing it does in the music industry, and the same thing as it does in the world of professional sand sculpting. Money moves, and money rules. Nothing is cheap in this world- especially producing beautiful sounding and looking motion pictures. That being said, what's worse than your expensive video being ruined by unexpected and uncontrollable noise? The answer is having a rabid grizzly bear loose on set- but, after that, it's the noise. Now how to have a good audio recording session.
When you film on the Las Vegas strip, you're thinking "Oh, gee, this will be so dope! We're going to have so much fun and make so many nice pictures, and everything will be perfect, and nothing will distract us!" That's 99.9% correct- with a large margin of error. While much can be done to control the environment in the local hotel rooms and conference rooms, there are some things that just come with the territory. There is an airport of international proportion nearby- in which, airplanes fly. Airplanes make noise, so- if you are anywhere on the strip, chances are, at some point throughout the day, those metal birds will make their presence known. There are also a lot of folks in loud sports cars and motorcycles cruising up and down L.V. Boulevard- you'll hear those too. There's an Air Force base here in town- those brave men and women who defend our liberties practice swooping, rolling, and diving in their jets from time to time... believe, you, me, you'll hear those too. Let's say you go and hide down in the very back corner of the back corner of the convention hall... SERVICE HALLWAY!!!! Hahahahaha!
Now, before you give up and call it quits- remember: with a little patience, and a little trust- we can work around those noises, and your audio recording will sound amazing! You may have to wait thirty seconds or so, every hour, on the hour, for some bells, but, then it's all good. Also, remember the fine folks, the good hearted folks, folks like our good friends at Dog & Pony Show here in Vegas can do miracles in their studio for production and post-production. Oh, sound blankets work too... also- silent films.
Good luck!
Video production on the famous High Roller at the Linq.
While only a few years old, the High Roller at The Linq has quickly become a very popular attraction for tourists and cameras alike. Whether you're hitting Sin City for some fun, or, filming a commercial, television show, or the like, the Linq provides excellent views of the world-famous Las Vegas Strip.
It's not just a matter of stepping into a pod with your crew and talent and hitting record though. First, of course you'll want to contact the fine folks over at the Linq (they're nice folks) and make sure it's cool to film; here's where you'll not only get permission, but you can also see if they can make any concessions for you. Once you get into your pod, you'll note that there is no power available- so, bring batteries. Second, there's not a ton of room- while you're not in the coat closet, you won't be able to put that jib up. Next, depending on what time of day you're in there, you may have quite a battle on your hands with the sun. During the day, your view is less than stellar... while Vegas tries valiantly to make everything look nice when the sun is out, we all know this city looks best bathed in neon. So, you may be thinking to yourself, "Okay Jim, no problem there, we'll shoot at night.", well, after availability, you'll want to remember that those pods do reflect something fierce, so you'll need to get creative lighting your talent. Once the sun goes down, and the strip lights up, it's absolutely stunning (for about 15 minutes at the top).
I can go on, but, you're probably bored to death if you've made it this far. So, instead, go give it a shot, or, let FiveSix Productions do it for you- no fuss, no muss. Put your beloved video shoot in the hands of the best Las Vegas video production company!?
Orange County video production
In an effort to reduce confusion, we're changing our official description from Los Angeles Video Production Company of Orange County to simply Orange County Video Production Company of Orange County.
Southern California, if you haven't noticed, is a big place, and there's never a shortage of video production work to be done. It's not just big budget films in Hollywood with explosions, lasers, beautiful movie stars, and all that- there is production everywhere. From Irvine to Thousand Oaks to San Bernardino, and all points between, there's a bountiful bouquet of commercials, corporate work, web videos, short films, documentaries, etc.
While we dream of Hollywood stardom like the next guy and gal, we here at FiveSix Productions love what we do, and where we do it. Producing industry-leading content, while striving to become the best Orange County video production company is what we're all about.
Our team and network of professionals have decades of experience in every aspect of the production process. From nurturing and developing your initial idea, throughout the final edit, we work relentlessly to deliver beyond your expectations. From our office in Long Beach, we're centrally located in the Los Angeles/Orange County metroplex, and we're excited to work with you on your next project!
Video Crew Positions
A guide to video crew positions.
We here at FiveSix Productions greatly value all the hard work and expertise that so many of our crew members bring to set everyday; from pre-production through the post process, our crews are the best. One of the character/work traits that we value the most is the ability for our team members to excel beyond the traditional, basic job requirements, and give more on set. For instance, our P.A.'s (Production Assistant in the U.S., Runner in the U.K.) may be asked to have basic knowledge in camera, audio, or footage management; while we don't typically ask our P.A.'s to do file transferring, some crews expect it. We have a great network of cinematographers, Directors of Photography, and camera operators, but some of our very skilled camera operators wouldn't go out as a D.P.; some crews/clients require that their "A Cam" or "Camera 1" operator is in fact, a D.P. Audio mixers and audio technicians are also two different things. An audio mixer may be expected to have a more thorough knowledge of audio, mixing, and maybe even the post process, where an audio tech may or may not have an advanced knowledge beyond the convention floor or basic interview audio. Also to consider, our grips, gaffers, and electricians occasionally find themselves on a set with a client from Philadelphia or London, where the gear may have different names. What we out west call our light dimmers, a gaffer from the U.K. most likely will call it a squeezer, so having a broad, extensive knowledge of your position will make the production run smoother.
From director of photography, to gaffer, audio tech, P.A., grip, producer, makeup, and the many other positions, we push ourselves to have the broadest and most extensive knowledge in our field. We at FiveSix Productions expect the best, and thus, we provide the best video production crews in Southern California and Nevada.
Caesars Palace Las Vegas: Tips from the Pros
Often times, we find ourselves working at one of Las Vegas' many hotels and resorts.
From convention and meeting spaces to restaurants, pools, and suites, there are numerous opportunities for videos to be shot. Whether big or small, we are always ready for a new adventure, and we here at FiveSix Productions would like to share some of our knowledge of specific properties. Today, we’ll talk about Caesars Palace.
Caesars Palace (it's the real Caesars Palace, but he never lived there- so, that's kind of false advertising), is located at 3570 S Las Vegas Blvd, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Parking is easily accessed via LVB just north of Flamingo, or, an easier way to beat the traffic on LVB is to take Frank Sinatra to Jay Sarno (west side, behind the Palace). Parking is free for up to 24 hours for Nevada residents (even folks from Reno!), and for everyone else, it's $10.00 per day. Pushing gear in is easy via the elevators, however, if you park on level 6 or higher, you'll be taking two separate elevators. Once in, if your heading to the convention center, you have a bit of a push past the food court and restaurant row (there are elevators by the pool and spa (at least you'll get your steps in for the day.). If you're heading to the Colosseum, or restaurant row, it's a quick push. If you're shooting in one of the suites in Octavius or Augustus, the villas, or wedding chapel... you may as well valet on that side- unless you ate too much pizza, and are looking to lose some weight. You’ll end up pushing gear through a variation of the lobby, casino, and/or restaurant row, but the folks at Caesars are pretty cool if you're not bugging the clientele.
The convention/meeting space is located in the center of the property, and our friends at Encore, handle in-house audio/lighting services. There’s not always communication between the client and the house, so make sure to bring enough power and audio cabling, just in case it isn’t always set. We’ve also gotten into the habit of bringing a lavalier kit, XLR turnarounds, XLR to 1/4 inch, and various other cables for when we run into various and differing audio boards, we’ll be set.
The suites are often used for interviews.
Sometimes we’ll use the room itself as a background (hence renting a visually attractive suite), and other times we’ll use a green or white screen. Space can be an issue, but just discuss that with your client ahead of time, and everything should fall into place. The ceilings in most of the rooms, and definitely the suites are not low in this property- so get that backlight up high!
This location has quite a few restaurants that are located near the Colosseum/Sports book, and there are a lot more in the Forum, so again, you may just valet if you're shooting in the forum.
Lastly… Caesars Palace is a huge property, but the folks there are generally happy to help however they can. Oh... most important: Two Starbucks (not counting Forum), one in the food court, and another by the elevators to the wedding chapel near Augusts tower. The one in the food court goes quicker than the August Tower one, as everyone grabs a coffee on the way out from their room.
FiveSix Productions is a Las Vegas video production company.
Golden Men!
On this day in 1929, the first ever Academy Awards ceremony was held at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, CA. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was concocted by then head of MGM studios, Louis B. Mayer, as an NPO for the advancement and improvement of the film industry. Well, leave it to Hollywood to be fancy, and, within two years, they were giving out golden statues. In the beginning, things were a lot different; the winners were announced before the dinner/ceremony, which was only attended by about 250 folks, and the 15 statues were handed out in a quick, five minute ceremony after dinner. Actor and Academy president Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., presided over the ceremony, and presented awards such as best picture to the $2M blockbuster WWI picture Wings, and best actor/actress awards to Emil Jannings and Janet Gaynor.
F11 Rentals would like to point out that the revolutionary and ground-breaking film The Jazz Singer, the first ever "talkie", was not awarded best picture, as it was seen as an unfair advantage since it had sound. F11 Rentals completely agrees with wardrobe and craft services, that sound on film is an unnecessary nuisance, and they got just what they deserved. (FiveSix Productions doesn't agree with those sentiments.)
In 1942 secret ballots entered the picture, making the ceremony much more exciting. Mix secret ballots, fancy dresses and tuxedos on a Red Carpet, and all the glitz, glamor, and lights of Hollywood, and... announcing the wrong film as "best picture", and we've got quite an exciting event on our hands each February.
Check out History Channel for more on this and other old subjects. And make sure to tell all your friends about FiveSix Productions, the best Las Vegas video production company!
Audio Odyssey pt.1: Sigmund Freud will see you now #audiodepartment #lasvegasvideoproduction
Larry Ellison, Jack Dorsey, Craig Newmark, Jeff Bezos. These names may be familiar, or they may not. Oracle, Twitter, Craigslist, Amazon; these names are very familiar. These are examples of people who may have been considered nerds and may have been picked on growing up, but are now successful, billionaire founders of these companies/websites.
The point being: you never know which "nerd" you're picking on will become rich and successful. Don't pick on the poor folks in the sound department, they're people too, and they're important to the success of the production.
Often, the "cool kids" in the camera, production, grip... really, every other department will look down upon the audio crew. They blame all their problems on the audio crew, and probably even say mean and hurtful things behind their backs- or, to their face for the full, bullying experience. A camera operator forgets to role: audio's fault. The actor forgets her lines: audio's fault. Craft services is out of creme cheese for the bagels: audio's fault. Your dog used your living room rug as a restroom: yup, audio's fault.
Audio is a very difficult position that requires hard work, concentration, a plethora of experience, and most importantly, thick skin. In this two part audio odyssey, we will explore the challenges and intricacies of the audio department; and shed a bright, happy, non-judgmental light upon this misunderstood and scrutinized world and those who inhabit it.
To get started, watch this video, which takes an awesome look at sound production on a film set. https://vimeo.com/116200417