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Greetings!
 Welcome to the November issue of the SOC Newsletter.
Please plan to bring your family and join us for the SOC Holiday Screening and Party coming up on Saturday, December 12th, at the Motion Picture Country House campus in Woodland Hills, California. You will receive an email blast soon with all the details. Keep an eye on the events page on the SOC website for details about this and other upcoming events.
If you have an idea for a short article or interesting photos related to the SOC, please let us know. We welcome your contributions.
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Tip of the Month: Riser to the Rescue
Camera Operating Advice
by Dan Gold, SOC
Over the years I've picked up numerous bits of information that make the job of operating the camera a little easier. This information has come from many sources. The generous advice from other operators, the specific suggestions of directors of photography, and the practical tips from experienced dolly grips have all helped me achieve some degree of success.
Each month in this column, I hope to hear from an operator who can pass on some bit of what he has learned to the rest of us. If you have a tip or an idea or an approach that you have made part of your bag of operating tricks, please send a paragraph or two and a photo if appropriate to secretary@soc.org
One of the most useful tips I learned as an operator came from a dolly grip. Dolly grips watch camera operators struggle with shots all day long. I find they often have great suggestions to help us execute a shot more efficiently. One of the best things an inexperienced camera operator can do is to work with an experienced dolly grip and listen to his advice. The dolly grip I was working with saw how I was having trouble with a shot that required me to climb over the arm from one side of the dolly to the other in order to make a 180 degree pan. We needed the camera to be fairly high so the arm was extended and I could not step over it smoothly. Each time I tried there was a change in the speed of the pan which was not acceptable.
The dolly grip suggested we put a 12-inch riser on the arm. At first I thought, why would we want to raise the camera 12 inches? But it soon became clear what he was getting at. By adding the riser he could then lower the arm by the same amount, 12 inches. Now, with the arm a full foot lower (but the camera lens still at the required height) I could easily walk over the arm as I executed the 180 degree pan unimpeded. I've used this technique many times since I learned it, with various heights of risers. It really takes the sting out of climbing over the arm of the dolly.
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East Coast Meet and Greet
by Alec Jarnagin
Here on the East Coast, we had our meet and greet on 10/24/10. I'm proud to say it was a
success. Twenty five people were in attendance at Josie Wood's Pub in Manhattan.
There is no doubt in my mind that we made the right choice in allowing non-SOC
members to attend so they could learn more about the SOC as more than half the people
present were non-members. Since the SOC is still struggling to establish a presence here
this is not a surprising number and I'd add that the event cost the SOC nothing
financially. I believe the event will be leading to several new membership applications
and on that note, I encouraged our active members at the function to sponsor the
interested parties at the event.
Jendra Jarnagin once again volunteered her time to photograph the event .
 | Pictured left to right Camera Operators: Doug Pellegrino, John "Buzz" Moyer, Dave Thompson, and Quenell Jones. Photo by Jendra Jarnagin.
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October General Membership Meeting
Breakfast with Arri and Dolby
 | | Mike Ferris, SOC, (right) and friends. |
 | | Michelle Crenshaw, SOC and Chris Tufty, SOC. |
Arri and Dolby, two Friends of the SOC helped sponsor this annual Fall SOC General Membership Breakfast Meeting. Members enjoyed a hearty breakfast at the picturesque surroundings of the Motion Picture Country House in Woodland Hills, California.
 
Bill Russell of Arri showcased the new Alexa. SOC members got a close look at the new digital camera and an opportunity to try it on in the hand-held mode.
 
Bill Admans of Dolby presented the new Dolby PRM-4200 Professional Reference Monitor.
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Membership Cards
New ID Cards
New SOC membership cards were given out to members that attended the recent General Membership Meeting The new membership cards will be used for admittance to SOC meetings and events. They will also be honored at certain special and sponsored functions including some industry screenings. Active and Associate members who did not pick their cards up at the meeting will receive them in the mail after the next dues payment is made.  The SOC has members David Allen Grove, David Mahlmann, and Brad Greenspan among others to thank for seeing this membership card project through to a successful conclusion.
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SAVE THESE DATES
Important SOC Events
SOC Holiday Screening/Party
Sunday, December 12th
Motion Picture & Television Fund
Woodland Hills, California
Details forthcoming in an email blast.
SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards
Saturday, February 5th
Details forthcoming in an email blast.
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New Sony Camera Unveiled
SRW-9000 PL Introduced
By David Tolsky Industry professionals gathered at the Burt Lancaster Theater, Sony Pictures, on September 16th for the introduction of a new kid on the block in electronic cinematography. Sony Manager of Production Marketing, Peter Crithary introduced the SRW-9000 PL, a compact version of Sony's popular F35 with some new modifications. The new camera boasts the same super 35mm imager (3200 * Kelvin) as the F35, can run from 1 to 50 fps, has 4:4:4 RGB on board recording, has an exposure index of 640 to 1000, 12 stops of dynamic range, has programmable ramping speeds, and has a future upgrade path to SR memory.
The SRW-9000 PL is technically identical to the F35, with a 12.2m pixel density (the highest of any camera on the market today according to Sony). It has a CCD imager so there is no rolling shutter as in other cameras. A 1 TB memory module is on the way which will run at 5 gb speed and will be complimentary to the SR workflow. Curtis Clark, ASC and Francis Kenny, ASC were on hand to show footage they had shot of night exteriors of Santa Monica Pier. Using only available light, they demonstrated how the camera handled neon lighting as on the Ferris Wheel, and the fast moving action of the roller coaster. Michael Goi, ASC concentrated on interior locations, using an African American and a Caucasian actor to reveal how the camera handled skin tones under different lighting conditions.
The SRW-9000 PL has a 3200* Kelvin sensor and has 12.2M pixel density. Lens files for different lenses can be set by the DIT. Satoshi Kanemura, Sony VP of Beyond HD Production Solutions, was on hand to reveal a street price that surprised everyone...$72,500.
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Put a Name to the Face
ID a Vintage SOC Photo and Win an SOC Blanket
Do you recognize the face under the
SOC hat shown here with SOC member Jim Etheridge?
If so you could win a genuine SOC blanket.
Just send your entry to SOC Vintage Photo Contest. The winner will be chosen at random from those entries with the correct response and will receive a cozy SOC sport blanket. 
Good Luck!
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