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Killer Recording

9 January 2009 3 Comments

Here’s a little gem that got a lot of play on HBO in the early 1980s in between movies.  It was a student-produced film short called Recorded Live about a man who applies for a job at a television station and quickly learns that something is very wrong inside the building.

Many of you will remember this one.  I’m glad I found it on YouTube, where you can find a little of almost anything!

YouTube Preview Image

When I first started in television, my first station still used one-inch videotape, which is one of the “stars” of this film.  I haven’t worked with one-inch (a reference to the width of the tape surface — VHS was a half-inch wide, for instance) in years, but I still remember how to thread an old one-inch deck.

It’s like riding a bicycle!

3 Comments »

  • Woody said:

    This film reminds me of the first time I tried to thread a one-inch machine.

    # 10 January 2009 at 9:46 pm
  • Axl said:

    Note that the audio engineer here is Ben Burtt, the guy who did sound effects for Star Wars shortly afterward. When you hear “Darth Vader” breathing ominously, that’s actually Burtt breathing through a ventilator underwater.

    # 11 January 2009 at 9:38 am
  • Patrick (author) said:

    Interesting, Axl…I did not realize that. Thanks for the trivia.

    Woody, I actually had to thread a one-inch reel not long ago to pull in some old archive footage. It was quite an experience, but it really is like learning to ride a bike…you don’t forget! :)

    # 11 January 2009 at 6:20 pm

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