One of my past directors used to use the term "Set" instead of "Ready" when he wanted a dissolve. My Director on Wheel uses two terms..."Take" (for a cut) and "Effect", which is literally everything else...I get to decide which type of transition it's going to be.

I think that's what really can set a good director apart. It's the ones that have some idea what's involved with us getting things to air. For instance, with EVS, and DDRs there are now like 4-5 different ways to get there. I'll even ask a director before a show, "how do we get to EVS pkgs?" So I'm not caught off guard when they want to dissolve to packages with front ends.

Haven't heard anyone use this in a long time, but I used to work with a director that when he said "Ready" he always meant CUT and whenever he said PRESET (preset 1), he always meant he was going to DISOLVE. Made it easy. Many times wish he was back. RE

I didn't watch the Derby myself, but NO dissolves? Wow. I'm also of the mind that many directors tend to over-dissolve. Here's a funny story: I TDed the Pre-Race show for the 2000 Daytona 500 for Fox. I'm sure most of you know that Fox discourages dissolves on their shows. This comes right from David Hill himself. Being the kind of show it was, most of the cameras in my switcher weren't mine and the numbering was all over the map. At the very end of the show, the director gave me a "ready 30, dissolve!". 30 was the blimp and I had it mapped under shift-20 (I was on a 4K). I missed the shift button and preset and dissolved to 20, which was just black. I punched the right thing up, and the director let out a shriek. Then, from the back of the truck, David Hill said to the director (imagine the thick Aussie accent) "that's God punishing you for dissolving!" By the way, it really bothers me when directors don't differentiate between a cut and a dissolve. There are plenty of ways to do it. "ready 1" for a cut and "set 1" for a dissolve is an old, effective method. Or you can simply say "ready to dissolve 1". Personally, when I direct it's this: If I say "ready", it's always a cut. "Standby" is a dissolve unless I specify "standby to effect to..." I started that a long time ago when I was directig news and it's always worked well for me. "Ready 1, take 1" or "Standby 1, dissolve 1"

So I take it it's been this way for awhile. This is the first time I've actually watched the live broadcast. Actually, we were watching in the truck while waiting out a weather delay on a golf show and everyone was commenting on the cuts only show. Everyone thought that something was wrong, but of course we're all "in the biz." Most viewers probably didn't give it a second thought and I've seen nothing but positive press on the derby coverage so I guess what's considered "right" and what's considered "wrong" depends on who you ask. I agree with Dan, it's good to see a variety of styles... many of the shows have become so cookie cutter.

I too for years, have wondered if it was cut on a tx router, and the TD was keying stuff through the DVEous. Even a simple dissolve off a sponsored backend of a pkg not to make it look like a mistake! Granted I'll take over cutting vs. over dissolving any day.

[quote="bspragu1"]Believe it or not, that is the director's creative decision. He claims there are not "dissolves" in real life. Go figure![/quote] Without being too cruel here, isn't the phrase "Director's Creative Decision" generally an oxymoron?

No dissolves, that's "the director's creative decision"... I'm fine with that. I work with some directors who over dissolve, I'm fine with that. I think it's great when there's a variety of styles out there with each director thinking for him/her self. Otherwise it'd be boring, and we wouldn't be here discussing it. Is one way better than another, who cares, it gets on-air, and you watched, and you saw the race, isn't that most important. I'm sure we've all created effects that others thought were ugly, or you've seen effects that others have created that you hated. The most important thing is that we are all trying to be creative in our own way. Everyone has their own brain, use it! --- Dan

An editor friend of mine once told me that "a dissolve was just a cut a cut waiting to happen". If this guy thinks there are no dissolves in real life then he has never awakened on the floor of an airport, after his room got cancelled, and wondered where exactly here was. The next five minutes was one long dissolve. Scott

interesting. There aren't lower 1/3 graphics that go over people in real life either. Thank goodness, I'd be afraid of what mine would say. JH, keep your ideas to yourself.... :-) Plus, tequila can make the world around you dissolve in and out. Just curious, who directed and td'd the derby? I've done plenty of shows where the director was very "anti-dissolve", but we would at least mix out of a tease or package or national anthem, etc. I saw ZERO dissolves on the derby, out of a re-tease they cut to Costas on camera. Actually, I did see dissolves between replays after the race but that was it...

Tiffee, I've said the same thing for the last 10 years! Why no dissolves??? With all of the beauty, pageantry and spectacle it absolutely SCREAMS for dissolves. Yet someone feels that they aren't real life? You should ask your former director why that's so. I know he did it for years and years ... all cuts. JH

Ha!

Believe it or not, that is the director's creative decision. He claims there are not "dissolves" in real life. Go figure!

I heard it was ND-3, with Sony being the primary truck. Of course, an A2 told me that, so he might have been in error. If it was a Kalypso, you mean there were NO spare parts in the compound? No one had another switcher mapped and setup "just in case"?? Anyone know where SS-24 is this weekend?