Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1515068
10 PRODUCTION SOUND & VIDEO – Spring 2024 Cine-COMM was founded in 2021 by Local 600/695 members Simon Jayes and Eduardo Eguia. The impetus for its inception came when Simon found himself working as a Camera Operator on Wonder Woman 1984 and needed to remain in communication with multiple departments at once. To facilitate this, he was forced to wear two traditional intercoms with a headset on each ear, a Comtek, and a walkie, ALL at the same time. With two ears and four devices, this obviously posed a problem. And it wasn't a unique problem. Conversation with other department heads across multiple productions revealed that this was becoming a systemic issue on set, especially as members of the crew needed to communicate with remote workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Somehow, communication had become more of a hinderance than a convenience. PL and communications work has long been within the jurisdiction of Local 695 and our members have done this work consistently in live broadcast, sports, and TV studio-based productions for decades, but narrative and episodic productions present unique communication challenges. Shooting on location or sound stages that weren't designed with comms in mind can make it difficult to set up point-to-point systems, and not all locations are equipped to provide consistent AC power supply. This is why walkie-talkies became the standard in the first place. When setting out to create a better communication system, Simon and Eduardo found that there was really only one product available on the market that met the needs of modern productions: The Riedel Bolero wireless intercom. This unit serves as a portable, all-in-one communications tool that can be custom programmed to distribute up to seven audio feeds to a single beltpack, eliminating the need for multiple pieces of equipment per user. What's more, the Bolero Standalone System can support up to one hundred uniquely programmed beltpacks in a single networked deployment and, if used with Riedel Artist, it can support up to two hundred and fifty, meaning anyone and everyone on set can have a customized communications device to service their specific needs. Today's productions move faster than ever before. With larger budgets and pre- determined release dates, efficiency is the name of the game like never before. That is why a centralized communication system is essential. Gone are the days when a simple walkie-talkie setup will suffice. With so many moving parts on set, the average member of the crew needs to be able to monitor several feeds and discussions simultaneously in order to do their job well. That is why PL/Comms Technicians in Local 695 have turned to Cine-COMM Inc. and the Riedel-powered Bolero systems in order to facilitate advanced communications throughout the production process. "Copy That"- by James Delhauer Cine-COMM