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June 1, 2015 11:43 pm  #1


VTR Productions / Eastern Sound

Dana Lee has recently acquired some original "demo reels" from VTR Productions Ltd. Some good history on VTR and Eastern Sound Studios.

Great stuff !!!  

1960s Demo Reel



Tape to Film transfers



25th Anniversary Reel







 

 

June 2, 2015 1:14 am  #2


Re: VTR Productions / Eastern Sound

Awesome stuff.  6 channel ADO

Great to hear Len Carlson on the 25th. Anniversary video.

Well done.


Madness takes its toll.  Please have exact change.
 
 

June 2, 2015 8:35 am  #3


Re: VTR Productions / Eastern Sound

Ah, the VTR/Eastern 25th anniversary reel brings back fond memories.  I worked at Eastern Sound as a freelance engineer/producer from 1977 til 1983.  Worked with some of the greatest voice talent.  I recorded the voice tracks for "Racoons On Ice" - the Kevin Gilles CBC TV series.  Voices were Carl Banas, Len Carlson, Nick Nichols, Michael McGee and Sharon Lewis.  

"Fraggle Rock" was being shot next door at VTR.  At the time, I was dating a woman who had a 10 year old son.  I scored major brownie points by taking her son on the "Fraggle Rock" set.  

I didn't work on "Fraggle Rock", but since Jim Henson and his Muppet gang were in Toronto most of the time, I did re-recording of voices for the Henson/Frank Oz picture "The Dark Crystal".  Seems they'd created a language for these evil skeksis, a grackle type bird (only human size), and the translation was up on the screen.  Problem was, test audiences showed that parents had to read the text to their kids, thus making it very noisy in the theatre. Henson and Oz decided to make the birds actually speak English, so most of the actors had to fly from England to re-record their dialogue, then fly right back.  We worked from 6PM on (after "Fraggle Rock" filming was completed for the day) usually until midnight for a solid week as I recall.

Also I worked with Frank Oz recording a Miss Piggy promotional audio for Air Canada.  Not long after, Henson hired me as 'Sound Design Editor' for the 1982 ABC Network one hour TV special, "The Fabulous Miss Piggy Show" shot at CFTO (now CTV) in Agincourt. We worked on that one for two weeks straight. Henson had the 'laugh machine' guy flown in from Hollywood.  Those were fun times.  Frank Oz and Jim Henson were both a dream to work for.  Wonderful human beings.  At the end of our audio mixing sessions for the Miss Piggy TV special, Martin Baker, Henson's right hand man, brought in two huge Miss Piggy and Kermit posters, signed by Jim and Frank. One was for mixing engineer Peter Mann...the other for me.     

Last edited by Doug Thompson (June 2, 2015 8:44 am)

 

June 2, 2015 9:38 am  #4


Re: VTR Productions / Eastern Sound

Thats Bill Stephenson hosting the Red Kelly Hockey School.

I was fortunate to have a tour of VTR Productions shortly after the arrival of the Vital Squeezoom DVE.  It was the first  one in Canada, if not the first unit sold in North America.  CBS Sports used it extensivley in the production of their 1979 open package for "CBS Sports Spectacular"

VTR also had just installed the Rank Cintel MKIII  Flyng Spot Scanner for 35mm film to tape transfers

CBS Sports Spectacluar



 

     Thread Starter
 

June 2, 2015 7:16 pm  #5


Re: VTR Productions / Eastern Sound

Mr Thompson, you have certainly had a varied career.

I remember reading somewhere that  your early work included being The Disembodied Voice on CHUM FM from 1968 to 1969 on Saturday nights I think. Phil In ( Geets) did Sunday night and I did catch him and from what I remember even before Pete and Geets his wit came through.  Never heard the Disembodied Voice as I was still a  CHUM bug ( AM) at the time. Would sure be nice to hear some air checks from the very early CHUM FM. There's almost none around as far as I have searched.

Last edited by Fitz (June 2, 2015 7:26 pm)


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