Catherine Zeta Jones and Queen Latifah perform a number from Chicago. © AMPAS.From the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, CA, the 75th Annual Academy Awards delivered a landmark broadcast, using both high-definition video and high-resolution 5.1 surround audio. I believe that we did a great job in presenting the superb material of the Motion Picture Academy to the high-definition (HD) and standard-definition (SD) audiences in a way never seen before, remarks Tad Scripter, E.I.C. (Engineer In Charge). Particularly for the viewers able to experience the 5.1 and HD format, it was an unprecedented telecast.
With over 15 years experience on the show, Scripter has been the E.I.C. for the last five years, and this years groundbreaking broadcast came with added technical responsibilities. Scripter explains, This year we produced the show in 720p resolution and 5.1. 720p is a production format that has seen relatively limited use until recently so we broke some new ground as to its use and also with the complex presentation of multiple-screen aspect ratios to an audience of both SD 4:3 viewers as well as HD 16:9 viewers. As our viewers saw, our playback material represents just about every aspect ratio possible. He concludes, Our use of 5.1 was aimed at re-creating the theater audiences experience for the home viewer.
Behind the Scenes
Set up outside the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood and Highland, longtime broadcast veteran David Hewitt had a whos who of engineering talent lined up in his Remote Recording truck, which is fitted with a Neve VR-48, a couple of Studer sidecars, and a digital Studer multitrack. Engineer Tommy Vicari handled the orchestra mix, Dan Vicari engineered the orchestra systems, and Hewitt was the chief engineer. Hewitt has been pulling up his truck for the prestigious awards telecast since 1991, but this would mark their first 5.1/HDTV Oscar broadcast.
Oscar Audio/ Production Credits
Tad Scripter Overall E.I.C.
Ed Greene 5.1, domestic and foreign Stereo broadcast mixer
Tom Vicari Orchestra mixer
Robert Douglass Audience augmentation
Pat Baltzell House sound designer and FOH mixer
David Velte Stage monitor mixer
Kevin Wapner Orchestra monitor mixer
Scott Harmala, Alexander Yuill-Thornton II House sound systems engineering
David Bellamy RF systems engineer
Murray Siegel, Rick Teller, Jeff Fecteau, Debbie Fecteau Stage systems engineers
Dan Vicari, Mark Webber Orchestra systems engineers
Robert Brogden, Rick Bramlette House systems engineers/font>Toby Foster VO recording engineer
Larry Reed Audio playback engineer
David Hewitt, Phil Gitomer, Sean McClintock Remote Recording truck engineering
Hugh Healy, Tim Kubit Denali Audio systems and transmission engineers
Eric Snodgrass Head sound, Kodak Theatre
Gil Cates Producer
Louis J. Horvitz Director
Michael Seligman Associate Producer
Bill Conti Musical Director
Roy Christopher Production designer
Bob Dickinson Lighting Director
Danette Herman Executive in charge of talent
John Field, Rick Edwards Technical Directors
So what adjustments did Hewitt make to accommodate the format? I like to say we were high-definition before they were, states Hewitt. Audio has always been high-def if not surround. In this particular case, after discussion between Tommy (Vicari) and Ed (Greene), they came to the conclusion that the orchestra as an image really just wanted to be where it is in the image, thats a stereo orchestra and the surround elements come from the audience and ambience miking in the house. Unlike some of the trickery that goes on in movies and DVDs, this is simply trying to present a picture of what it actually sounds like out there. In this case were only delivering stereo orchestra with some LFE. Tommys sending Ed some bass elements to reinforce that for the 5.1.
Seven-year Oscar veteran, Tommy Vicari elaborates, We have about 65 people in the orchestra and we pre-record ins and outs, bumpers, and underscores at Capitol Studios. We also record and mix all the song nominees with the artists there. Then we go to the truck on site and do it all live. From our truck we send Ed (Greene) a stereo orchestra mix with LFE, which includes rhythm section, horns, and woodwinds. For the Chicago number with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Queen Latifah, the only thing on that performance that isnt coming from us is the vocals Ed handles those microphones. Basically anything on stage goes to Eds truck and then we would augment. A perfect example was during U2s performance Greene handled the band on stage and Bonos vocals while Vicari augmented it with the orchestra underneath.
Greene Light
(l-r) Tommy Vicari, Phil Gitomer, Dan Vicari, Karen Britton, and David Hewitt.Just a month earlier Ed Greene was SD broadcast production mixer for the 45th Annual Grammys Award Show at Madison Square Garden. He helped plan the 5.1 Surround Broadcast, mixed by Randy Ezratty, and sent production and audience stems to the 5.1 truck. This show garnered high praises and reviews for its 5.1/HD telecast. As audio director for the Oscars, Greene planned the overall audio paths from stage to Denali Main production truck and handled the final 5.1 and stereo broadcast mixes, both domestic and foreign. The fact of the matter is that to make the audio for productions of this magnitude successful requires a highly specialized crew all doing the same show, Greene humbly states. I cant stress enough how much of a team effort it is. [See sidebar for full credits.]
Because it was not possible to have the nominee playbacks in 5.1 this year, ABC chose not to publicize the 5.1 broadcast. The Oscars is primarily a proscenium show. As a result all I attempted to do was to try to place the 5.1 listener in the 10th row of the Kodak Theatre, shares Greene.
Last years music director, John Williams, had Shaun Murphy mix the orchestra in 5.1 for the house only. I used his orchestra mix and made a 5.1 production mix, but the broadcasts were in stereo.
Greene summarizes, The Kodak Theatre is an acoustically very dry room. This year the audience was not as responsive as in 2002 (probably due to the war). The result was that I felt the 5.1 wasnt as spacious as last year and nowhere near as ambient as Madison Square Garden. Some rethinking of the hall miking may be necessary. In all, about 200-to-250 microphones were used on this years Oscars. [See audience mic list sidebar.]
Technical Tour de Force
Oscar Audio/ Production Credits
Front Audience Plane (roughly at the front of the stage)
Camera L…………………………………………………..Sennheiser 416
Camera LLC…………………………………………….Radio Shack PZM
Camera LC …………………………………Countryman Hypercardioid
Camera CLC ………………………………Countryman Hypercardioid
Camera CRC……………………………… Countryman Hypercardioid
Camera RC ………………………………..Countryman Hypercardioid
Camera RRC…………………………………………… Radio Shack PZM
Camera R ………………………………………………….Sennheiser 416
Rear Audience Plane (roughly at the front of the first balcony)
Camera L (1st balcony) ………………………………Sennheiser 416
Camera LC (under balcony) ……………………..Radio Shack PZM
Camera RC (under balcony) ……………………..Radio Shack PZM
Camera R (1st balcony) ……………………………..Sennheiser 416
Rear Wide-Spaced Omnis
Camera L (by PA desk) ………………………………..Shure KSM-44
Camera R (by PA desk) ………………………………..Shure KSM-44
With such high-profile performances by U2, Paul Simon, and Queen Latifah with Catherine Zeta-Jones, each would seem to have their own set of challenges given the new technology being employed. Greene calmly says, The greatest of these was to adjust on-air to any changes from their last rehearsal. The most unpredictable was U2, but even they settled down on-air. With the exception of the song from Chicago, all the groups had a technical representative in the truck for their song. They were all very helpful, he praises. All the bands were fed through a Mackie Digital 8bus console and their individual settings recalled from memory during the show. This console sounds marvelous and performed flawlessly on-air. The analog Calrec main console also sounds wonderful.
With everything so well planned, rehearsed, and in-place, apparently only one incident during the broadcast could have turned critical if it werent for Greenes quick technical reflexes. There was a strong wind noise during Steve Martins opening monologue that had not been present in any of the rehearsals, remembers Greene. I thought it only affected the front audience mics, but it was also present in his primary RF mic (a Shure cardioid). It took me about 10 minutes to locate and deal with it (on-air, of course). It meant that I had limited use of the audience mics during a very critical period of their use. After this was isolated and corrected, the rest of the show went smoothly.
