Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/914212
53 Q4 2017 / CINEMONTAGE "We defined our system's needs during ADR sessions for the animated feature Finding Dory [2016] with [voice actor] Ellen DeGeneres," Kane reveals. "And we first used the motorized boom on director Roland Emmerich's Independence Day: Resurgence [2016] to record a large number of group actors, who varied in height from five-foot eight to six-foot five. As they lined up in front of the mic, I simply used the remote control's up and down buttons to raise and lower the two mics I use until I got the result I was after. All in all, I estimate that we save around 45 minutes per eight-hour ADR session using the new system." ADR Stage B's custom innovation has been christened PAMS, for Precision Automated Mic Stand. Another enhancement for the ADR stage is a performance, or "efforts," bar that voice actors like to use while delivering lines during a dramatic scene. By being able to interact with a horizontal bar, they can reconstruct the physicality of an on-set action sequence. "We came and watched several actors at work, and took measurements of the bar layout that Doc was looking for," says Broggie. Quiroz elaborates: "We decided to use a large flat sheet of aluminum beneath the stand, so that the actor's weight would hold it in place." "I opted to use a U-shaped handle made of round bar wrapped on the horizontal section with black, non-slip rope," Broggie explains. "We added moveable clamps down each side to provide vertical up-and-down adjustment." Rowland adds, "To hold the horizontal handle firmly in place, we designed a pair of A-shaped side braces from aluminum extrusions. The system took us a couple of weeks to design and fabricate." "The efforts bar works very well, and has been used by many actors," admits Kane, who received the Cinema Audio Society's Career Achievement Award last year. "During ADR sessions for animated features, in particular, young actors can develop their voice character while leaning against or interacting with the bar. It's been a major advantage." The crew also was involved with the design and fabrication of a custom platform for two laser projectors needed at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood for a 3D premiere last December of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and this summer for the premiere of Cars 3, held in another location. "The four large projectors — two main laser units and two DLP (data loss prevention) backups — needed to be mounted on a removable platform at the back of the auditorium across several rows of seats on a terraced surface," Broggie says. "Our rig also had to be transportable, and all the components needed to fit through a standard 32-inch door frame," explains Rowland. The completed rig, built from aluminum plate and extrusions, features fully adjustable legs to compensate for different seat heights. "We had two weeks to come up with a design and deliver the final version," Broggie concedes. "Sound proofing was added to eliminate projector-fan noise for the audience." The team is reported to have met both its budget and tight deadline. "The entire assembly is held together with just 12 bolts, making it easy to assemble and take down," adds Rowland. "We included sliders so that the projectors could be moved apart, as well as locking pins to align them on site." The locking pins also prevent the projectors from moving off the platform. Other machine shop custom projects around the Disney lot include a 20-foot video monitor rail bolted to the rear of the AMS-Neve DFC digital console in Stage C, to provide flexible positioning of the dozen or so picture and sound workstation screens needed during a re-recording session. The shop also fabricated custom brackets for the stage's various surround-channel loudspeakers mounted on the walls and ceiling as part of the room's Dolby Atmos immersive sound system. In many ways, the machine shop is rather like a big Erector Set, with access to stocks of metal and plastic plates and rods, as well as assembly parts. "We have a large selection of different materials," Broggie confirms. The shop also features several lathes, mills and fabricating equipment. "We can turn our hand to just about anything," the foreman claims — "including the restoration of two animation camera stands that eventually will be used for historical displays." f Many of the machine shop's day-to-day fabrication projects are initiated in response to on-the-lot developments, and in close collaboration with the studio's artists and engineers. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 50