[Tig] More memories please

[Rob Lingelbach]

On Dec 18, 2007, at 3:31 AM, Bob Festa wrote:

> That switcher was the Grass Valley 1600. I remember we used to build
> up multiple layers by using the ADDA framestore as a read write
> buffer.

that's right, the ADDA held the frame in buffer and accepted input for
a "refreeze" so you could build up your effect, the one hassle being
the minor H-shift with each refreeze. That's how we built those slates
I believe. There were a few unused buttons that you had wired to
phantom Client Eject functions.

> How come we did so much more back then with so much less.

that thought often occurs to me too. I really miss soft-edge wipes
from multiple sources; but to take it further what I really miss are
routing switchers, with the ability to assign crosspoints for them.
You could look around the plant at various other sessions.. grab what
you needed.. I even miss title cameras, as a capture device, though
come to think of it one could bring one's Nikon CCD camera in and do
some cool things, we just don't have all the tools in telecine any
more, they've moved over onto the desktop at the offline editor's.

> I still get a kick out of the Budweiser Clydesdales spot they trot
> out every holiday season for national ad buys. We transferred that
> optical gem in 1982, on one of the first Rank mark IIIC's. It goes to
> air replete with optical layer film dirt and gate weave from hell. I
> think it still holds up quite well since it probably went from B to C
> to D2 to D1 to Digital Betacam. Rob, you and I did a great job on that
> one, obviously had some lasting value.

thanks for including me in the credit. Was that Dailey and Associates
out of St. Louis? ....One of the first sessions I remember with you
was the Ridley Scott Macintosh commercial, maybe the most famous
commercial of all time, for 1983 or 4.

> How many other spots have people worked on that have outlasted the
> technology? The Toyota "Line of Scrimmage" spots I'm finishing now, go
> to air exactly once, then we re-use the tape. I dont think I have to
> mention that the campaign is sourced on DVC Pro....yuck.

We have to make adjustments, don't we. Not long ago I was introduced
to the idea of occasionally mastering my film transfers to DVcam and
miniDV. Because (I believe) the protocol for the deck isn't recognized
by the particular version of TLC I was using, I had to do some running
back and forth for proper syncing (pressing edit and then pressing
play on the TK). At some point later I made the error of referring to
DVcam as a Consumer Format. I had to eat those words a few hours
later, when they came back to me.... which reminded me of a time,
several years ago in LA, when I was working with an excellent LA film
editor, (a very funny guy, NY sense of humor, who would bring a
finger-mounted whoopee whistle to sessions) and when his client asked
for a particular isolation trick that I knew would be difficult, I
said, while preparing to think my way through it, "that might be
tough." Every subsequent request from the client was preceded by "this
might be TOUGH, but do you think...." In retrospect, I learned a
lesson.

> Happy Holidays from Santa monica.

Happy Holidays from the beaches of Brasil.

Rob

--
Whenever people agree with me I sense I must be wrong.  [Oscar Wilde]
Rob Lingelbach   rob at colorist.org
http://www.colorist.org