Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1469942
hours of life. After testing these on our setup days, the crew moved into a routine where the batteries were charged and added to the belt packs first thing in the morning and first thing after lunch. I was in no danger of ever losing a belt pack due to a battery, and we had many hours left by the time we wrapped every day. Network Ability The FS II really shines when networked together with console and other transmitters. Peter and I were able to quickly formulate a workflow that included role assignments, battery and range health indicators and gain structure. Logging into the Static IP address was a convenient way to make changes and monitor the different aspects of the belt packs while in use. On our Splinter+ Unit, the stunt actors all had the FS II wireless belt packs assigned by their roles to be Force Talk and Listen. This allowed all of the stunt personnel to freely talk and listen to our stunt coordinator at all times. As the day moved on, certain stunt actors not in the setup were quickly assigned to Force Listen. The off-camera stunt actors were kept in the chain of communication and allowed to listen to the conversation, but with their microphones turned off, clearing that line of fan noise, breathing, and chatter for everyone else. All changes could be achieved on the hardware unit on set, but being networked turned this into a few clicks of the mouse and did not hold production up in the slightest. We could work from the behind the curtain stage position at the carts without having to go onto the set itself and keep in line with the COVID protocols. Clarity and Expandability The FS II provided the clarity and level that was always sufficient and quickly adjustable by the network ability to change the levels on the fly as each actor or AD's requested. Not once did I notice the dialog or direction from our AD was in danger of being misunderstood. The preamps were clean and headphone outputs were more than loud enough for all various earpieces and headsets. In short order, our 1st AD desired a bit more control from her belt pack in order to quiet everyone trying to communicate through the system. Our solution was to have the AD's FS II belt pack trigger a GPI on the Yamaha QL 1, turning on or off the Actor's Mute Group. The implementation of this mute group trigger allowed the AD to stop all side chatter and gain the attention of everyone in the system. This was particularly important working with excited teenagers or when a little focus was lost as the day grew long. Deeper in our schedule, the actors and stunt personnel would move from main unit to splinter+ unit, and the belt packs were very quick to drop the base station that it was initially linked to and join the network of the new base station once it was in range. This worked seamlessly and almost became forgotten about in the workflow. Over to Ledford's side of the cart in pure production recording world… I got a raw feed of each actor from the Shure Axient receivers for the iso tracks and the comm feed to monitor the Clear-Com FS II channel for on-set instructions. I got slates and did a mix of our capture on my board for dailies. I could also talk back with our AD via my board to her belt pack, if that was needed. My crew of Zach Lancaster on Boom, and Colin Beyer, our Utility Sound, loaded up the spacesuit backpacks with the comm gear and guided the helmet on and off routine with the Legacy crew and Costume Department. Actors got a transmitter and an The 1st AD's beltpack—she can separately talk/listen to actors in space suits, the Director, and stunt people. The "Child Quiet" button triggered the "mute" switch for the corresponding actor channels on the QL5 desk