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The following section includes recommended practices, procedures and tips for the crew when shooting with AatonCode.
Checking The Camera Diodes
As a preliminary measure, it is good to determine that the timecode LEDs are
operational and illuminating evenly in the camera gate. Aaton has provided a
simple means to do so during a routine inspection of the gate. With the
magazine removed from the powered body, put the camera in test position. The
shutter will rotate 180[infinity] to the open position for a gate check and the seven
diodes will flash in sequence for easy visual inspection. When cleaning the
gate, be sure to include a quick cleaning of the fiber bundle with a Q-Tip and
some lens cleaning fluid to insure that the LEDs are free of dust and debris.
The LEDs will light in test position whether or not the camera is initialized
with AatonCode.
Checking For Running Time
On "XTRprod", XTRplus (tri-phase / 75 fps) and Aaton 35III camera models with the
Aatonite feature, the yellow LED located to the right of the motor will flash
once per second on the second when timecode is running in the camera. Get into
the habit of looking for this flash as an additional peace of mind check during
the shoot. If more than one camera is counting time on the set, check that all
flashes occur simultaneously.
Setting the ASA
When changing magazines, make sure that the ASA/ISO setting of the camera
matches the film stock being used. This will insure that the timecode matrixes
will be exposed at the correct level.
Changing Batteries
Remember that any battery too low to run the camera will still have more than
enough voltage to continue to keep the cameraís internal time clock counting.
For this reason, get into the habit of having a fresh battery in hand before
preparing to remove the used one.
In the case of all cameras recommended on page 12-13, the camerasí timecode electronics feature an instantly recharged supercapacitor that serves to keep timecode counting during battery changes. This supercapacitor gives you a full minute to change batteries before timecode is lost.
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Ready-to-Roll Time
Get into the habit of writing the ready-to-roll time (that is, the date, hour
and minute) on the sound box at the time you load the tape on the recorder.
Using this ready-to-roll time, Keylink will inform the telecine operator which
sound box corresponds to the negative it is running and save him the time of
hunting for the right box.
The few seconds it takes to write down the ready-to-roll time will tremendously help the post production people in charge of handling and syncing audio tapes.
Audio Preroll
Unless you are certain that Aaton "InstaSync" or InDaw will be used for syncing
in post, it is recommended to start your recorder about five seconds before the
camera. This helps the chasing tape machine reach sync speed at the take start
at the end of the telecine preroll during traditional, non-InstaSync Keylink
transfer sessions.
New Day, New DAT
As a rule, it is adviseable to use a seperate DAT for different days of an
AatonCode shoot, even if the cassette is not entirely full. Changing the
cassette every morning will greatly simplify the job of those in post
production responsible for sync.
In the same vein, try and record your wild sounds on a seperate cassette whenever possible.
When in Doubt, Use GMT
Whenever there is a doubt about the stability of the internal clock of the
recorder you are using, it is recommended to use GMT as a SMPTE generator.
Its 1ppm ultra stability provides permanent and accurate timecode for
professional audio recorders that are not stable enough.
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