Thursday
Began dubbing tapes of the John Darr interview in Boston. Did a little research on tape stock. Something anyone should know with the Panasonic DVX100(A) camera (the one we’re using) is this: use Panasonic tape stock. We were gifted a bunch of Sony DVCAM tape stock and were warned that the tapes my damage our heads, but it was hard to resist such a durable and quality stock. We actually received mixed opinions on the subject and we used some of them anyway. And although we haven’t noticed any degradation, the following advice from Digital Media guru, Robert Goodman, came from the D-word website:
Sony cameras use magnetic heads with a different formulation that works best with a more abrasive tape. DVCAM tapes in a Panasonic or Canon camera will significantly reduce the life of your heads. These camcorders use a softer head formulation and require a less abrasive tape. The worst thing you can do is to switch between different manufacturers tape stocks because they all use different lubrication formulas. Sony and Panasonic's lubricants react badly to the other's lubricant.
So there you have it. A little advice that can make all the difference.
Wrote an initial approach email to a big, no huge, production company of documentaries in hopes of getting their attention/interest. We had a good reference and hopefully will open the door to a great relationship.
Spent much of the afternoon and evening discussing my anxieties about returning to work. My leave of absence is officially over tomorrow and I’m due to return on Monday. We have come so far in the 3 months and aren’t at a stopping point. If we put the production on pause, it may be 9 months before we can restart. Scary stuff.