Re sync sound

I just happened to run across this forum and saw your comments about the Nagra and the I Spy TV show.

As to your questions about how the sound recorder and the camera were kept in sync, both the camera motor and the recorder motor had a quartz crystal that was used to keep the motor running at a consistent speed. This is the same process that keeps a quartz watch running accurately for years.

First the director or assistant director would yell "roll camera". The camera would be started and when it came up to speed a light on the motor would come on indicating that it was running at full speed. The camera operator would then yell "rolling".

At the same time the sound recorder would start his machine, he too would wait for the light to indicate that the machine was at sync speed, he would then yell "speed". At this point the camera and the recorder are both running at a regular consistent speed and will stay at that speed until switched off.

Now the 2nd assistant cameraman takes the slate or clapper, holds it in front of the camera to the information about the particular shot can be read on the film. He then slaps the top part down so it makes a loud crack on the sound track. There are markings on the top of the slate so that when you are looking at the individual frames of film, you can tell visually when the cracking sound is made. In the editing room that crack on the tape, and that frame of film are matched up in the editing machine.

That is a somewhat simplified explanation of how sound and picture sync were maintained.

As to Stancil-Hoffman, I’m not sure what they did for I Spy. I know that I Spy was one of the first filmed entertainment programs or movies to use radio microphones. In one of the first season episodes One Thousand Fine, you can clearly see a wireless mic taped to Robert Culp under his t-shirt. I know that these radio mics were custom made, but I don’t know if Stancil-Hoffman was the company that made them or not.

Doug

Edit: After doing a little research I think that Stancil-Hoffman may have supplied the recording equipment for the studio filming and also the post production mixing. The Nagra was very new at the time and was most likely only used for location filming.