An NBA MVP in Las Vegas...
James Harden, the bearded-master of the between the legs crossover - fadeaway.
Las Vegas in July means three things: massive 4th of July fireworks shows, inhumane daily temperatures, and the NBA Summer League. While the Summer League has wrapped up, we're still excited about having filmed with the reigning MVP of the league. James Harden, in all his bearded glory (second best beard, behind Charlie Blackmon of the Rockies), came through town, and as such, had a bouquet of events to attend. One event, which we were a part of, was a photo and video shoot. One interesting challenge we faced, was keeping the lavalier microphones on the basketball players, even while they were running and jumping around. Mixing levels was also a fun challenge, as there was a big difference between their speaking voices, and their in-game yelling and hollering.
We can't go into the details of the shoot, as those NDAs are no joke, but it was a great experience. Harden showed off his amazing on-court skills, and his fun, easy-going personality. We certainly hope that we have future opportunities to work with him and all the other NBA stars next year. If your Long Beach or Las Vegas video production calls for the best, look no further than FiveSix Productions.
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!?
This Will Save Your Video Shoot!
This is going to hurt me more than it'll hurt you: clean, usable audio is as important as a great image.
I know... I know... that was rough. We all know that the audio department takes a little "guff" on set; and, justifiably so. I mean, those guys and gals are usually the best looking, smartest, and coolest on set; how can the camera department not get jealous? Well, I say, let's let egos and tempers cool, and discuss a vitally important subject that needs to be addressed. Recording audio into the mixer along with the camera is the smartest and best way to ensure a successful video shoot.
Ever since The Jazz Singer went and messed everything up for us, people are just gaga for "talkies". Now, there have been some brave and stalwart warriors who have tried vigorously to get audiences to let go of their desire to have audio and dialogue, but it's been in vain. This said, we must live with this nuisance and trudge on, begrudgingly or not, and give the people what they want.
The best tools to do that with, especially with the video productions we find ourselves part of in Long Beach and Las Vegas, are the Sound Devices 664 and 633. These recorders are compact, lightweight, and functional! The 664 offers six XLR inputs and six additional mini-XLR inputs, for an astounding twelve isolated tracks, left and right mix tracks, and two additional output tracks to send to the second camera, or your grandma, or whoever. The 633 meanwhile has half of that, with three XLR inputs, three mini-XLR inputs, left/right mix and two additional outs to donate to charity. The great thing about these mixers is the ability to control and direct which audio sources you send to which tracks, and then what you do with those tracks. If your camera operator is a "DP" (last I checked, a DP doesn't operate a camera, they're too busy lighting the scene) and they don't care to watch audio levels in their cameras, you can be sure to have a perfectly mixed isolated track to hand over to post. While the "DP" will swear it's not their job to do their job, and they totally mess something up, giving your in-camera mix a crunchy or hollow sound, you know that you did yours and delivered excellent iso tracks.
Untether Your Production
High end film production demands consistent results, from both crew and equipment. I recently wrapped up a 5 week feature film shooting at various desert locations around southern Nevada. The production took place mostly out doors, so we experienced high temperatures during the day and low, near freezing temperatures during the night. It was a challenging shoot due to a low budget and a rather short schedule, shooting mostly available daylight during the short winter months.
F11 rentals supplied the production with a brand spanking new Sound Devices 633, with Sennheiser wireless Microphones. This mixer/recorder allowed us to record in a double system setup, thus keeping the sound department from having to be tethered to camera. As a DP, my camera usually ends up having so many accessories and cables hanging off of it, so the less things that have to be plugged in to my camera the better! The whole production was very fast paced, and most of the film is shot hand held. Not having to have a mixer plugged in to the camera really helps to keep the set moving. The equipment and service provided by F11 was second to none, the gear was well maintained and we never experienced any downtime due to the equipment.
Whats the one thing a director always wants more of? Time. During a typical day on set, saving a little time here and there can add up to an extra take, or an extra moment to get the lighting and blocking just right, or even an additional setup you might otherwise have missed. One of the easiest ways of saving time on set is making sure you have good quality equipment. With F11 there’s never a question that you will have the latest and greatest at your fingertips!
-Clayton Moore (www.ClaytonMooreDP.com)
