7
The number 1 thing i want from a location recordist (apart from good, clean dialogue coverage, of course) is room tone. It's very important that you record this with exactly the same mic set up that you've been using to record the dialogue, and the same mic positions too. A slight change of angle can alter the character of the sound, so try to keep things as ...
6
Having been on both sides (sometimes on the same project) of production and post, here's what I like to see:
Of course good clean dialog. If good clean dialog cannot be had, then good clean wild lines taken immediately after the setup is finished. Take this with the same mic you have been using - shotgun, hypercardoid, lavs, etc - so the tone can be ...
5
I'm not sure I understand if you mean fix it in post or on set...
If it's in post:
I'd start by setting the levels so that they match somewhat. If the BG noise is too high in one scene I'd try and de-noise it. If the de-noising don't sound good, just forget about it and try to cut around it. Setting the levels and using EQ to match the previous clip can ...
4
At those speeds drafting is probably going to yield the best results. You'll probably gain a lot of latitude by placing the mic in such a way as to not have it come into direct wind contact.
This usually means placing it on the rear of the vehicle in the jetstream it causes, but you could potentially rig up some other kind of wind shear with another ...
4
Hi, Serge
Don't use or sell ambiences that contain music. It's just asking for trouble later. Find a new location without music to record in. Sometimes (usually) I have to try a couple of different locations to get away from the music that is everywhere nowadays, but it beats getting sued.
Check out Paul Virostek's blog post here http://www.jetstreaming....
4
I'll vote for the COS-11.
That with proper placement can really handle a lot of intense situations and always sounds good. I used those mics on a shoot recently where I had a grill cooking, lawnmowers going, and some kids about 150 yards away cheering and ended up with much better audio than I had anticipated given the challenges.
4
If it were me, my first approach would be to ensure that you get room tone for noise reduction; funny how on run-n-gun corporate shoots, I've sometimes seen that totally get overlooked. The success of this will depend on if the subjects are moving; I'd get room tone for each shooting angle/location to be ultra-safe. Since that's all focused around fixing in ...
4
A well boomed actor with a hypercardiod shotgun can sound just as good if not better than a lav (and more natural sounding) in less than ideal shooting environments. Experiment with booming from below the actors as well or under a desk etc..
Plus one for DPA 4060s for lavs though if booming is completely out of the question.
Another thing to consider is ...
4
Best sound rolls I ever got came from Teddy Haleron at FJH Studios in Houston for the film All She Can (formerly Benavides Born)
I've never met him, but the stuff they turned in was so good I had to look him up and let him know how much I appreciated it.
everything was slated and file named appropriately. Some things were tail slated but nothing went ...
4
One of the best sounding period dramas in recent years IMHO was the King's Speech. Here's a great video interview with the production mixer. He specifically addresses the issues of recording period dramas outside.
Usually period pieces have a pretty decent budget to pull off the production design, sets, costumes, car rentals etc.. Some shoot exteriors on a ...
4
Hi Auddity,
I have a 722 and there's a few cool features I turn to that are helpful:
you can record simultaneously to hard drive and compact flash (menu setting 6: Rec: Media Select). Recording media rarely fail, but capturing on both media at once covers your bases
if you are recording stereo, you can gang/combine the pots for easier level control (28: ...
4
Such a great opportunity! I encourage you to record the everyday hustle and bustle of life…you probably won't need to travel too far to find really interesting material. Try settling in somewhere for a couple of hours; once people forget you are standing around with a microphone they will return to their normal behaviors, much like nature recording.
And ...
4
Sometimes I ask that the Director to wait a few seconds after frame is called by the cam operator. If there's not enough time there. I ask for 15 seconds to 30 seconds of quiet before cut is called on the 'final' take of a scene.
The truth is room tone is mostly used from the takes themselves.. not from the separate room tone recording. The only time you ...
4
Assuming it's a "standard" sort of scene... Two Shot (won't really get wide in a car), OTS, OTS and a couple of CU's, then the most important thing you can do is to make sure you get LOTS of room tone (ie background sound) for each setup. Inevitably the noise is going to be different from one side to the other, and an editor(you or another) will need that ...
3
You might find some interesting/helpful mic'ing techniques in this video.
[youtube]sY7KhvdtB9I[/youtube]
3
I absolutely LOVE my DPA 4060s. I used them for the first time on a shoot yesterday and I can't believe how great they sound. Had almost no issues with cloths rustling, they were easy to hide, and with the concealer they are super easy to attach. Don't buy the film kit though, it's a rip off. But buy the high frequency boost grills and concealers.
Maybe if ...
3
I like the DPA 4060 more than the Sanken COS-11, because I think it sounds better and for me it is easier to hide under clothes with less cloth noise than the Sanken.
If you have the possibility to remove noise afterwards with Izotope RX, I wouldn't worry too much about recording room tones, you'll probably get loads of clean tones between sentences for ...
3
Value-wise, this seems like a smart series of buys. It's also modular, as you get better mics and preamps in the future. Besides headphones, though, you'll also want cabling and a stand or boom; for lightweight portability and cost, I use Manfrotto 001B Nano light stands with 1/4" to 3/8" adapters for pistol grips. You can always use a painter's pole or make ...
3
.One extra thing apart of the already mentioned above. As sound dudes we are very aware (much more than mortals) about the sound quality of our recordings. To add consistency to your recordings a trick is mach your best (cleanest/driest) recordings to your crappiest one (after you have done everything you can to improve this bad recording) People tend to ...
3
If it were me, I would have asked the director:
"Why isn't the lighting the exact same on the beach as it is in the hallway? Why didn't you place the key light in the exact same spot and have the same exact exposure and backlight as you had from the sun on the beach than the florescent light in the hallway? Lighting guys I know would have lit the scene to ...
3
Desert ambiences and open-air markets spring to mind. I have a friend who grew up there; let me ask her what else to go after.
Addendum: @Rob - She says,
"We went to a small city called Al-Khobar all the time to go shopping, and there's some hustle & bustle of cars, buses, people walking & talking, etc. Except for the language, though, it's
not ...
3
Generally when recording you're looking for the best signal to noise ratio possible. If you record something too low then need to turn it up later in post, you're also going to be turning up all the unwanted noise.
Personally I try to record as hot as possible without clipping or activating limiters. This may mean initially backing off the gain a little in ...
2
Medical tape. Now, I am a bit newer to production audio than many here, but I've used this a few times to get a wireless mic onto an actor. It's been pretty much the only way I could figure how to do it when all they've got on is a thin t-shirt. Incidentally, you may also want to have a razor and shaving foam handy :D.
They also make little holsters for ...
2
Two (well actually three) essential pieces of kit that are pretty non-technical:
Tape essentials: Gaffer and Sparky
alt text http://www.tools-supplies.co.uk/ekmps/shops/sjhowardwork/images/dt201.jpg
Multitool (mine's a Leatherman Wave)
alt text http://www.leathermans.co.uk/images09/Leatherman-Wave/Leatherman-Wave.jpg
2
Packing blankets. My god, these are a lifesaver when the director or cameraman says "WOW, LOOK AT THIS AWESOME FRAME I CAN GET FOR THE INTERVIEW INSIDE THIS GLASS BOX OF PARALLEL WALLS!!!"
A pair of nice work gloves - I got mine at home depot for $14.
A nifty wind foam built for a blumlein pair. I have one that fits two MK6 capsules. They are awesome.
...
2
Hmm theres a lot that comes to mind. Nice one with the Baitcaster!!! Thats exactly what I need!!
I carry a cap-gun in my kit. I use this to trigger the reverberative qualities of a space to create an impulse response.
Condoms! For dunking mics underwater or recording in the rain.
A basic makeup kit has come in handy on shoots to reduce shininess when ...
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