Wu-Tang

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 Crew

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!?


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New shoulder rigs coming soon!

Every once and a while, you get that spark of imagination, the creative juices begin to flow... and suddenly, you have created something totally righteous. That's just what we're doing here at FiveSix Productions. We realize that to expand and improve upon what we can offer to our clients, and to continue to push the limits of what FiveSix Productions is capable of, well, we need to never stop expanding on our gear and skill sets. That's why we're building a pair of sleek, dynamic, and versatile shoulder-rigs that will allow us to push beyond what we've been able to do with our older shoulder rigs.

Now, don't get too excited, we didn't opt for the edition with the sparklers and mini-fridges, but we are pretty sure these will work just as well. Coupled with our new Tilta Nucleus-M follow focus system, and our upgraded power-distribution solution, anything from our Canon C300 Mark II's to our RED Epic Dragon will be set free. We are excited to announce that our new DJI Ronin 2 will also benefit from our Nucleus-M follow focus system, and between that and our shoulder rigs, series of sliders, jibs, and tripods, we've completely set our photography free.

Make sure to ask about our new shoulder rigs and DJI Ronin 2 when booking your next Las Vegas or Long Beach video production project with us.

Zacuto Shoulder Rig

Nuclueus-M

Tilat Nucleus m


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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.

PropertyMap12216

FiveSix Productions is a Las Vegas video production company.


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FiveSix Productions: Jib Connoisseurs

Every classy person knows that you don't shake a martini, you stir it, a top hat, monocle, and cane are fashionable for any occasion, and San Diego is the epicenter for all things truly classy.

Well, we here at FiveSix Productions strive for classiness, and consider ourselves connoisseurs of a great many things such as leather bound books, the Nebraskan Countryside, and beautiful jib shots. We have our own jib, two, in fact, but when we want the best of the best, we look no further than our friends over at Jib Tek. With their bountiful experience, we know that we will be able to deliver just what the client wants. We recently got to collaborate with our counterparts on a recent shoot for the NBA Summer League, and, as expected, everything looked phenomenal. If you find yourself in need of, oh, let's say a fully modified and rigged-out Hummer H1 for your awesome desert shoot, hit up the folks at Jib Tek, and for all your other Las Vegas video production needs, you know right where to look... FiveSix Productions, if you didn't actually know- call us.

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FiveSix ProductionsFIVESIX Productions