Congratulations to Terry Sorensen who has been selected as the MCA-I Sales Manager. Terry will be working with sponsors who offer valuable services to our members -- in exchange for capital which funds MCA-I services like the website and PSA project.

An organization like MCA-I moves forward with dedicated people who have a vision to make things happen. Like Stevan Pope and the website committee for their work in creating easier navigation for nationwide Producers who need easy access to our member database. Clay Stubblefield and his Road Crew committee are planning to take the MCA-I video to organizations in the valley to increase MCA- I’s presence among those who have hiring opportunities. Heidi Capriotti is coordinating the PSA project, which has five different PSA teams in the association who are dedicating their time to strengthen organizations in the valley. And I appreciate the work of Skip Neeley and his committee for coordinating the upcoming Holiday Awards Festival on December 4th -- recognizing the best production in Arizona. For applications, go to www.mcai- az.org.

On the national front, MCA-I is integrating www.producti onhub.com into the benefits, and integrating MCA-I into a national trade show.

MCA-I has tremendous people. I hope you take the time to talk with other professionals in the organization – networking and continually improving your craft. MCA-I is one of the only local organizations dedicated to ongoing education & training combined with networking.

I also want to introduce you to two production business owners, Ned and Bob. Both are producers in the Valley. Both have the daily responsibilities of finding new business, building production teams and delivering finished products for their customers. Ned doesn’t network, doesn’t attend educational training, nor does he make the effort to meet others in the industry. Bob, on the other hand, invests his time giving back to the community through PSA projects, meets new professionals who move into the valley and up-and-coming talented students. Bob is also an active with MCA-I and chairs a committee. At the end of ten years, who would you imagine is better adjusted in the industry - is Ned or Bob more up to date with technology, has more friends within the industry and is ultimately more valuable to their customers? Obviously this is overly simplified, but personally, I’d prefer hanging out with Bob and learning more about him - and he’d probably have more to offer than Ned.

I hope to see you at this months meeting on September 27th at AVR featuring Sony’s innovative AnyCast system and plenty of time for networking.

- David Haneke, President, MCA-I AZ

You know the old saying, “Sound only enhances the picture”. For so long, many have considered audio a secondary concern when planning their next shoot on location - yet when the project reaches post–production, how often do we hear complaints about how bad the audio was recorded on tape? Sound familiar? (no pun intended!)

How much consideration are you giving your project from an audio perspective? Do you actually plan for your audio needs or mainly focus on the video production itself?

Coming from an audio background myself, I can tell you that I drive my colleagues insane when it comes to planning the next project. Audio in my book is crucial – it can make or break your project, but it often gets overlooked.

Try going over this checklist before you head out the door to your next shoot:

• What kind of microphone do I need? Omni- direction, uni-direction, perhaps a boom?
• As simple as it is, do you have enough batteries and the right assortment for your mics? Not all mics take the same size batteries.
• What will my talent be wearing? Some clothes tend to produce more mic noise than others.
• Bring small pieces of foam and gaff tape. You can use this to create a “sandwich” or buffer if you are experiencing wind noise or rubbing from clothing.
• Is the talent wearing clothes to easily mount and hide the microphone, wires, or transmitter?
• Do I need a field mixer for my shoot? Not all mixers are the same, what best fits my needs?
• If renting audio equipment, have you used this equipment before? Are you familiar with how to operate it?
• If you are taking an audio feed from a venue, is it line level, or mic level? Do you have the appropriate connectors and cables to take a feed? Don’t rely on the house to provide them - many times they simply do not have the time or resources to comply with your request.

- Joe Reynolds, Vice President, MCA-I AZ

10. What is a Super Techno Crane 30 and what can it do?

9. How to make inexpensive shiny boards

8. What is a 'Joker 400'?

7. How to create an interesting background for a 'talking head' using a 'squirrel cage' or 'twin spin' with a Source 4

6. What is a 'Pocket Par'?

5. Who were those people in the matching white shirts?

4. Why would you use a black silk instead of white to cut direct sunlight?

3. What is California Bounce and why are they making 'kites'?

2. Who has a better 'soft box'?

1. Who are the REEL MEN, what do they do, why do they do it and where you can find them?

- - Matt Barcellos

Yes, another pro bono thingy. But this one is even cooler than the MCAI PSA project you just wrapped. This one involves music, entertainment and Arizona history.

- Scott Pfister

The Arizona Chapter of the Media Communications Association - International announces its 20th Annual Video Awards Festival. The festival will culminate with the presentation of Awards of Excellence, Merit and Special Recognition at the Chapter's annual Holiday Celebration on December 4th.

- Skip Neely

---that the MCA-I national website (www.mca- i.org) provides some great resources for members?

For example, go to the "members only" section to access the "Production Forms & Templates" section. You'll find a wide variety of forms & documents contributed by other MCA-I members. Most are in Microsoft Word Format, so they can be easily customized to suit your needs. Perhaps you have a useful form of your own that you can submit, and help make your colleagues' lives a little bit simpler!

"I have a very simple bit of marketing wisdom that I would like to pass along for those who intend to be in the game for the long term."

"This might be a little hard to swallow for some but it pays long range dividends and is so very easy to do."

John Jantsch is a marketing coach and creator of the Duct Tape Marketing system. His blog at http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/weblog.php was chosen as a "Forbes Favorite" for small business by Forbes magazine.

In the August issue, the links from our article on Steve Pender & Family Legacy Video were formatted incorrectly. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

The Arizona Daily Star article can be read online at: http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/allhea dlines/80874.php

The EventDV Magazine (July issue) article is available online at: http://www.eventdv.net/Articles/Re adArticle.aspx?ArticleID=10150

- Diane Taylor, Editor