Spring 2011 Volume 23 No. 1 BATTLE: LA Mixer Paul Ledford & DP Lukas Ettlin Conquer Alien War plus: Shameless Parks & Rec. Off the Map The Mentalist Joe Michalski Steve Morantz, CAS Walter Anderson, CAS Daniel Church After 40 years in business, we look back on the advances in technology that make up a modern wireless transmitter. And it’s simply wonderful. • Compandor-free digital audio quality • Miniature size with AA battery power • External powering with auto restore • Adjustable power output • Adjustable low frequency rollo • Servo bias microphone input preamp • DSP controlled, dual envelope limiter • Splash and moisture tolerant housings • Compatibility modes for use with other models and brands • Audio coupled remote control Authorized Lectrosonics Dealer SPRING 2011 VOL. 23 NO. 1 Sound & PICTURE FEATURES 06 SHAMELESS A JOE MICHALSKI MIX 08 PARKS & REC. ON SET WITH STEVE MORANTZ 08 12 RISING FROM THE ASHES NOTES FROM SEAN MCCORMICK 18 BATTLE: LA PAUL LEDFORD BATTLES ALIEN WARFARE 22 BATTLE: LA DP LUKAS ETTLIN LEADS THE FIGHT 26 BATTLE: LA 10 QUESTION WITH JONATHAN LIEBESMAN 28 THE PROJECT FILES OF DANNY MICHAEL 30 OFF THE MAP WALTER ANDERSON IN HAWAII 32 THE MENTALIST DAN CHURCH’S MIX 36 BIG LOVE THE FINAL SEASON WITH STEVE MORROW 40 AVATAR: REVISITED THE PRODUCTION MIXER’S CUT 44 AWARD WINNING LESSONS WITH CHRIS NEWMAN DEPARTMENTS 2 Editor’s NoTE 4 SNIPPETS 16 48 TECH TIPS ZAXCOM BODYPACK CHEAT SHEET 50 MARKETPLACE 51 CONSIGNMENT (SPRING COUPON) 52 GEEK GEAR RUIGE, CL-WIFI, CINEFORM, HD2USB OTHER ARTICLES 11 CAS DIGITAL SEMINAR 16 THE 47TH ANNUAL CAS AWARDS 17 THE 83RD ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS 18 Sound&Picture is Online! Be sure to check out www.soundandpictureonline.com to read exclusive web content Click the “Issues” link to download previous publicatons including The Coffey Files. ON THE COVER: BATTLE: LOS ANGELES PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES, INC. 30 Sound & Picture Spring 2011 1 no traffic going home. The bad part is SPRING 2011 VOL. 23 NO. 1 you know why. You get home at 9:45. Editor’s Note Sadly the kids are already long asleep. You open your son’s door and kiss his Sound & cheek and it makes you remember why you do what you do. From the moment you open PICTURE VISIT US ONLINE AT the door, you can feel time ticking to WWW.SOUNDANDPICTUREONLINE.COM get to sleep now or pay the price tomor- row. However, you need some time to EDITORIAL unwind first. So you browse the mail, EDITOR IN CHIEF JOHN COFFEY, CAS chat briefly with your wife, watch a MANAGING EDITOR DARON JAMES few minutes of TV and don’t actually EXECUTIVE EDITOR STEVE WOLSTRUP fall asleep until after midnight. TECHNICAL EDITOR ROBERT KENNEDY ASSISTANT EDITOR JACK MORAN TUESDAY: 8:00 am set call CONTRIBUTING WRITERS downtown. As the alarm goes off at John Coffey, Daron James, Robert Kennedy 6:30 am, you tell yourself you will go Merrel Davis, Sean McCormick to bed early tonight. At least you will fi- OTHER CONTRIBUTERS nally see your kids before you leave to- Kristie Moran MONDAY: Your set call is 6:30 day. You go in and wake them. Starved for your attention, they climb all over ART DEPARTMENT am in San Pedro. You can never CREATIVE DIRECTOR DARON JAMES be late, in case they get a first shot off you. You wonder how you will send quickly. You get up at 5 am in order to them to college when you can’t save ADVERTISING DEPT shower, drive, park and shuttle to the enough money as it is, but it makes you ADVERTISING DIRECTOR DARON JAMES set. You are tired because your body remember why you do what you do. As email: [email protected] clock didn’t let you fall asleep before you drive the gridlocked freeway, you ADVERTISING DIRECTOR STEVE WOLSTRUP 11:30 pm because it hadn’t adjusted are glad you don’t live out in Valencia email: [email protected] back from the all-night work last week. anymore. or call 323-876-7525 You feel lucky you got a full 5 ½ hours Wrap is called at 8:30 pm. So of sleep in. You are careful not to wake it’s a rare “easy” 12 hour day. The elec- CIRCULATION DEPT your wife as you dress in the dark. You tricians grumble about the early wrap, CIRCULATION DIRECTOR STEVE WOLSTRUP quietly open the door to your daugh- and you wonder how they would feel CIRCULATION MANAGER DARON JAMES ter’s room to take a peek. It’s always the if they had an eight hour day, like your highlight of your day as you gaze at her neighbors do. You hurry to put the gear sleeping angelic face. Then you open away and be transported over to your car, but you realize that you’ll just miss Coffey Sound the next door and take in a glimpse of 3325 Cahuenga Blvd. West your son, before dashing out. You need your kids going to bed, so you call them Hollywood, CA 90068 those moments to remind you why you to say good night. Thank God for cell Wexler Video phones. Since you have no free time 1111 S. Victory Blvd. bust your ass every day. You can al- Burbank, CA 91502 ways catch up on sleep later. during the week, your mind drifts to Post Works - Orbit Your show uses that extra hour thinking about your precious weekend 100 Avenue of the Americas of summer sunlight to shoot till magic plans. Your son’s soccer game begins 10th Floor at 8 am and you had signed up to set up New York, NY 10013 hour ended, around 8:30pm. That ends Hula Post day one. Just another average 14 hour the goals, so you have to be there early. 11233 W. Olympic Suite 134 day to start your week, but at least the After soccer, there’s a birthday party Los Angeles, CA 90064 at your in-laws and on Sunday, your Laser Pacific grips are happy with the OT. You then 809 N. Cahuenga Blvd. take twenty minutes to gather the gear daughter is having her swim meet at 9 Hollywood, CA 90038 up and wrap it back to the truck. You am. No sleeping this weekend, you’ll turn in the dailies and are handed a re- catch up next week. So you begin to Sound & Picture is published with postage paid in vised call sheet as you leave. It says wonder if they will shoot into Saturday the State of California. This publication may not be morning again and cut into your week- quoted, reproduced or reprinted in any form without tomorrow’s call will be 8 am down- the express writtten consent of Coffey Sound, LLC. town. Good you think, the drive will be end “free time”. If it’s anything like last Printed in the USA. All images and text are copyright shorter, but then you remember that it’s week, you are screwed. You take a peek © 2011 by their respective owners. Subscription in- at the shooting schedule for Friday. It quiries or changes in address can be made by calling rush hour, so you will still have to leave 323-876-7525. We welcome any ideas for story or home by 6:45 am. After the van takes says you are on stage. You make the fa- contribution, please contact us via email at daron@ you back to your car, you start to drive tal mistake of thinking for one fleeting coffeysound.com or telephone 323-876-7525. home at 9 pm. The good part is there is moment that you might get out early. 2 Spring 2011 Sound & Picture You realize that you just jinxed any of you at 7 am. Your wife hastily herds screwed no matter what. Yes, it’s an- chance of an early wrap. them out of the room, but you are torn other 14 hour day and you wrap at 4:30 because you really want to see them. am. You feel grateful it was only a 70 Wednesday: 7 am set call at Leo Not exactly quality daddy time, but hour work week. Those poor bastards Carillo Beach. The alarm goes off you’ll take what you can get. You are on stage 10 are working long hours. On while you were dreaming that both re- really groggy this morning. The wine the drive home, you try to concentrate corders malfunctioned and you had to didn’t help either. You doze off rest- by reminding yourself that Brent nev- tell the director you missed the shot… lessly and get up by 9 am because your er made it home to his wife and kids. or was it a dream, you’re not sure for body clock won’t let you sleep in. You You dive straight into bed without even a moment. You feel great because you say to yourself that you will miss lunch checking in on your kids because you got a full six hours sleep last night. It today and squeeze in a nap, even though want to fresh for them tomorrow, or to- helps you to believe that only sissies you know you are not the napping type. day. Of course then you lay there for an need more that. You have your first one-on-one face hour, too wound up to fall right to sleep You dread beach days because time with your wife in days. She tells at 5:00 am. that means you are lugging your gear you she’s feeling neglected and rais- over sand and it’s a pain to get sound ing the kids alone.