On 10/18/16 5:06 PM, Tom Van Baak wrote:
Hmm.. there's probably film footage of things with a running counter in
the scene counting tenths or hundredths of a second (sporting events,
nuclear bomb tests, etc.) I wonder if you could see that difference by
single framing something like a filmed 100 meter race where they have an
onscreen timer.
You don't have to go back very far and film cameras used mechanical
governors for speed control.. "quartz lock" is a relatively recent
addition, and as recently as 20 years ago, you had to pay extra for it
when renting camera gear.
Hi Jim,
I recently happened to view the Director's cut of Woodstock. On the bonus disc there's a
piece called "Synchronization" with amazing information about the extreme
effort it took to sync 3 days of footage of 12 cameras and 8-track audio tape in an era
before quartz timing. 60 Hz hum played a role.
Since I know none of you are going to spend 9 hours watching the DVD, I found
at least one page on the web with part of the story.
Go to https://www.editorsguild.com/V2/magazine/archives/0107/news_article04.htm and skip
way down Chuck Levey's part, or just text search for the word "sync".
He mentions the wristwatch trick:
"In 1969, we shot the performance material using AC power in
order to stay in sync. It was clumsy. There were cables. The motors
were heavy and became very hot. In the rain we kept getting shocked.
And don't forget our primitive 'get a shot of your wristwatch'
attempts at time code.
We've all done that... And an analog watch is easier to read in a fuzzy
out of focus (too close to the camera) shot than a digital watch.
The last sentence wins a prize:
"With a laugh, Levey compares the new syncing technologies to those
of the original film. "We were glad when it came to the footage
of The Who, because Pete Townshend's trademark windmill guitar
technique made syncing that passage a little easier," he recalls.
who knew that the who was thinking about time-nuts..
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