audioluideo

BY FRANIK LOVECE

NEW YORK The technical labors involved in briaging the seminal 1968 rock documentary "Monterey Pop" to videoeassette were almost as great as those encountered in making the film in the first place, says director D.A. Pennebaker. Just a few of the extraordinary video to market were painstaking cleaning of the original negative,

viewed it with Don, and he thought he could do better.f'

films was originally recorded, the

The accl'aimed precursor to "Woodstock" and other concert

duction-spelled with a capital "D"-generally isn't used in digita,l recording. It also wasn'tused, says
Pennebaker, in 1967 when the documentar5r was filmed. The Sony package bears no official Dolby logo. According to Bonnie Resniek, Sony

6l-year-old Pennebaker recalls, on'a bonowed 8-track tape machine. "We borrowed one of the Beach Boys'tape recorders," he says. "To

creative services manager, the phrase was printed word for word
from a letter written by FYazier Pennebaker, the director's son and collaborator on the video projeet. Pennebaker himself isn't sure how the term "dolby" crept in, although he says he suspects it was because "we did use Dolby noise reduction on the'original analog version," In any event, says the younger Pennebaker, "We were in Europe when Bonnie sent the test packaging over for us to look at, so
-

hassles encountered in getting the packaging foul-ups, and-most crucial-getting an,acceptabJe audio remix put together. Says Pennebaker: "We remixed the [film's] soundtrack and spent

us at the time, 8-track was some

fantastic possibility." For the movie's 1968 theatrical re-

lease, a four-channel soundtrack

was used. This included.a rudimentary surround channel that Pennebaker, upon reconsidering the audio capabilities of most theaters, used only for two or three minutes of the film. Dolby encoding wasn't added until 10 years later, when fresh prints

about six months trying to get an acceptable analog master made. Sony kind of sniffed and said, 'Is this the best you can do?' So, we went back and did a digital remix, which Sony accepted." Pennebaker Associates, which acquired the rights to "Monterey Pop" af,ter original producer Leacock-Pennebaker folded in 1970, absorbed the
additional costs.

we didn't stay as much on top of

things as we should have."

were struck. For the videocassette

soundtrack, Pennebaker eliminated the surround track and mixed the

The Pennebakers are also less

than happy with the fluorescent

,ed me

center dialog track into the front left and right channels. No Dolby
was used. The cassette packaging, however, bears a curious phrase that reads in part: "This program has been enhanced with a remixed digital dolby (sic) soundtrack . . ." Dolby noise re-

paisley cover art. r'People have chid-

about the cover," says Fra-

zier Pennebaker. "For one thing, the picture of Jimi Hendrix makes
him look bald." The packaging is being redone, say the Pennebakers, in

Recalls Sony Video production

manager Stephanie Shalofsky: "We 'checked out the'analog master, re-

A bi-weeklg colurnn spotli,ghting equipment'relatad. neus ,in the

production, and duplication in.dustries.

audio and tidea production, post-

Ltd. of lsleworth its wholly-owned sub,sidiary. DDA, a manufacturer

of audio

consoles seems a good investment for signal processor rnaker Klark.Teknik, As Philip Clarke,

preparation for a re-release later this year. Although the film, shot in 16mm, was blown up to 35mm for theatrical reldase, the videocassette, like the TV version, was mastered from the original 1.6mm negative. Pennebaker used an expensive teehnique,called "wet-gating" to elean it up. This involves applying to a print or negative sponges filled with a fast-drying chemical that

"Monterey Pop" director D.A. Pennebaker was captured on looation during the 1967 lilming of the festival. (Photo: Jill Gibson)

fills in scratches and removes lint

and other particles.

Pennebaker had three one-inch video maSters struck from the wetgated negative, he says, with Sony getting two. He also supplied Sony with a one-inch digital audio submaster. Post-production was completed at VCA Teletronics here.

be out 'on videocassette, Among them are "Don't Look Back," the acclaimed 1967 cinema verit6 doeumentary 'of Bob Dylan's 1965 British tour, on Paramount, and '1Jimi," a new film based on largely unseen Hendrix footage from the Monterey festival, from Sony.

Other Pennebakel fhns.will soon