Members will be pleased to hear that the 'Original Sound Track Identification & Transfer Procedures' booklet, formulated, devised and produced by the Association, is being well received by the industry.
Not only has there been an enthusiastic response from our own production sound mixers and sound transfer operatives but the Cinema Audio Society of America have requested permission to publish the text in their Journal. They too realise the great need for standardisation in the US.
There has also been an order for 10 copies from Steve Buckland, chairman of the New Zealand Guild of Film Technicians. He considers it 'a thorough guide to sound transfer identification' and intends to promote it as a standard in the NZ industry.
Copies are being sent to Film Schools where it is hoped that tutors will point out to students the necessity of clear report sheets encouraging them to adopt the terminology and standards outlined in the booklet.
It is good to know that all the effort and time put in by the people of the two working parties that produced the final document is appreciated and paying off.
With a view to encouraging production mixers to use the recommended type of report sheet (as in the Original Sound Track Identification & Transfer Procedures booklet), the Council are hoping to make arrangements with a printer that would be beneficial to mixers when ordering self-carbonating pads. The basic artwork would be the same for all orders but individual mixers or companies would supply their own logo to individualise their report sheets.
Because of the large choice of Film and Media courses now available and the numbers of students in them, the Council considers it important that the Association should keep in touch with what is happening in that field. With this in mind, the Council thinks that it would be wise to institute a Student membership grade. It is of course for the membership to decide and in due course an Extraordinary General Meeting will be called to discuss and vote on the matter.