I will be using radio microphones to record dialogue as swell as a boom microphone. This is for a couple of reasons. That being because i am the only sound recordist thats going to be on set its good to have a secondary recording method rather than just one boom. If i made a mistake with the boom i have a back up. It also records good quality audio, and can record close to the subject when sometimes i might (depending on the shot). However one issue i have is being able to hide the microphone and reducing cloth noises. In previous works the radio mic audio has been almost unusable because of movement.

This video: 7 ways to hide a lavalier microphone explains some ways of hiding the radio mic and reducing movement noise.

The video starts by explains the best quality audio will come from an exposed mic. However usually a mic will need to be hidden. Obstacles include material noise and cable noise.

A lav microphone can be hidden on the back of a tie, in the knot of a tie, on a shirt collar , on the seem of a shirt, on the chest. The best sound will come from placing the mic on the middle of the chest. Therefore hiding it on a female subject’s bra could also be a good idea. This video uses an interesting method of using tape to form triangles and sandwich the mic in-between two triangles and stick to the subject. This will keep the microphone in one place and reduce clothing noises. When sticking to subject tie a loose knot in the cable to stop strain relief in the wire. Also because the polar patterns are usually omnidirectional the microphone can be pointing downwards.

There is also other products that are made for this.

Invisilav: http://www.rode.com/accessories/invisilav

Hush Lav: http://www.canford.co.uk/Products/53-468_GARFIELD-HUSH-LAVS-Black-pack-of-15

Other products can be self made with small bits of foam/fabrics, tapes etc.

Because i’v had the problem of clothing noises before iv purchased the product invisilav. Therefore when i comes i will test out the difference with and without it.

This video: How to get the best sound with your lavalier microphone, talks about different factors that affect the overall sound quality of the lav mic.

This includes:

mic you use

recorder you use

placement

manage wind

management of movement

There are 2 main polar pattern lav microphones, Cardiode and omnidirectional

Cardiode is directional therefore useful incases when working in a noisy environment- but is less effective at picking up full spectrum of sound around. Omnidirectional mice pick up sound from all directions. Therefore records a fuller sound and picks  up sound in a wider range of the spectrum. Mic placement is typically in the middle/upper part of the chest. You can record directly into the camera or use a handheld record e.g. zoom. Field recorders record better quality because it can record in 24bit. As explained before there is option and products available to help removed movement noises.

Related to LO1

This video talks more about the different positions of holding a boom.

Notes from video:

Its not okay to pass the job of a boom op to anyone, its not just a case of just pointing a microphone at the general direction  of someone that is speaking. 

Traditional boom position- The pros: up nice and high with little chance of getting in the frame. It can be moved very quickly. plenty or reach and easily pivot. The cons: not going to be able to hold it up for very long as it can get heavy.

Shoulder position- The Pros: similar advantages. The cons: sacrificing height, which is a disadvantage for someone who’s a little shorter. If you don’t need to move an apple box is a good idea. Sacrifices mobility, you have to move whole body instead of just arms. More for stationary subjects as it will be hard to follow movement. Another issue is clothing noises when moving. Use a gentle touch.

Down low- The Pros: Easy and comfortable to hold. The cons: The microphone is being pointed towards the sky/ceiling. This will pick up buzzing lights, and plane sin the sky. This position also limits the actors movement as its easy to trip over the boom.

Pelvic position- The Pros: can hold for a very long time, this is more of a balancing position rather than a holding position and can be done one handed which is useful if you need to make notes or adjustments on the mixer. The cons: you need to stay on axis with the camera man and you are very restrictive of movement. This is usually for times where you are stood still for a while e.g. documentaries.

Pistol grip-  lower profile, good for tight spaces, going through crowds, shooting in cars etc. Doesn’t draw attention, more for on street recording.

Keep boom pole on axis- microphone is a lazer beam pointing at the subjects mouth as close as possible without being out on shot.

Try and anticipate movement of subject by reading their body language. Back off boom if you anticipate hard volume levels, if its a soft level, then move in a little tighter.

Related to LO1

Sites like youtube can be a great place to find research on tips and tricks on field recording. Therefore i have used a few videos as my research material. This post is about the video below: Film Craft 107: The location Sound mixer- operating a boom. Operating a boom is going to be a big part of this project so i felt i needed to do some research on it.

Notes from the video:

Sound quality will diminish the further away the microphone is, therefore you need to get as close as possible to the actors mic.

Need to keep a constant distance from the subject, otherwise the quality and volume will vary.

Point tip of microphone at the mouth, not in their general direction.

The mic needs to be pointing at the subject before they start speaking otherwise the volume and quality will vary.

To boom properly we need to know exactly who’s going to say what and when, therefore its essential for the boom op to practice during the rehearsals and possibly examining the script. (Therefore i will need to examine the script once i receive it and ensure that i am practicing the position when rehearsing)

Moving boom around silently is also difficult. Running fingers on pole can create audible noise, also if the cable is swinging around it can create noise. Using  high quality boom pole with internal cable will help.

If using an external cable, (in my case i am) you need to wrap you fingers round it gently to keep it it place while you record.

Rock it gently as moving the pole, in the crock of your thumb and forefinger. By rocking your hand you can move in from one subject to another without making unwanted moving noise.

This is something that i will need to practice when taking out the equipment before shooting.

Keep mic, boom pole, yourself, shadow out of the shot. You will need to work with the camera to know when you are in shot. Dip mic in as close as possible and back it out until cam op says its okay. Look as a reference on the wall to so you know where to keep the pole. It is also a good idea to hold the boom mic parallel to the floor rather than an angle, as its easier to keep it out of shot.

Where you should stand,- the further away you are the longer you need to extend your pole and the heavier its going to be. An apple box may be useful for shots where i will need to get higher. (especially as i am short.)

May need to boom from below, but need to be careful of picking up unwanted noise from air vents or the sky. 

Its not always possible to get great sound on every angle, especially in big wide shots. It could be a good idea to record a wild tape to give the editor additional options.

Related to LO1

The Sound Effects Bible by Ric Viers, has a chapter on building a field recording package. The chapter goes through 3 packages of a typical set-up, depending on the professionalism you want and you budget. The pages included a basic recording package, standard recording package, and professional recording package.

Because I want to record high quality and highly professional recordings, I want to get as close to the professional package as possible. This includes:

A field recorder

Profeshional grade batteries

Compact flash card

Headphones

Stereo microphone, wind protection and shock mount

Shotgun Microphone, wind protection and shock mount

Microphone stands and adaptors

Boom pole

Cables

Carrying bag

However this equipment can be very expensive. Therefore i am somewhat limited to what i can use. I personally own a zoom h4, (which is a highly recommended handheld recorder) and a rode NTG2 shotgun mic (quality budget microphone.) Therefore I will use this equipment as a backup and use the facilities from media loans as a primary set-up.

The setup will include:

Sound devices 633 Mixer recorder

This was highly recommended by Grant Bridgman. The product highlights include:

• Three High-Bandwidth XLR Preamplifiers
• +12, +48, and +10V Digital Phantom Power
• HP Filter, Pan, Fader, Trim Controls
• AES3 and AES42 for Digital Microphones
• Digital Mixing
• Records to SD and CompactFlash Cards
• USB Computer Keyboard Metadata Entry
• Multiple Simultaneous Power Sources
• Built-In Save Battery and 2-Second Boot
• Lightweight Molded Carbon-Fiber Chassis

Because it has phantom power, it means i don’t have to worry about sourcing power to the microphones that need it. It records onto SD cards, which means its easy to transfer the data onto a computer for editing. The multiple inputs and bag it comes with means i can connect multiple inputs (in this case would be a boom mic and 2 radio mics and a stereo mic) and mix them live.

Sennheiser MKH416 Rifle Mic

This was also recommended by grant Bridgeman

Rode NTG2 Shotgun mic

zoom H4 recorder

Rode Stereo Videomic

For a more atmospheric recording, rather ran specificity for recording dialogue.

1-2 boom poles

2-3 radio mics

A backup one in case one breaks or stops working.

Headphones

Batteries

Duracell Industrials, cheap and disposable. I found through previous projects that the equipment eats batteries fast, therefore I purchased alot of industrial batteries in preparation.

The next step is to loan out some of this equipment for primary research into using this equipment in practice. I have booked it for Tuesday 27th of October, and will have some test recordings to post.

Viers, R. (2008) The Sound Effects Bible. Michael Wiese Proudctions: US

Grants Past workshops

Related to LO1

Last year we had a number of guest lectures from Grant Bridgeman, an industry expert with regard to sound for visual, and specialising in location sound recording. Therefore it seems a good idea to refer back to the lecture he gave last year. He is also holding a refresher course on the 11^th of November, of which I am booked on to participate. (If the shooting dates don’t conflict.)

The link to the presentation is as followed: Location Sound 2 – Revisit

Grant started by explain the definition of location sound: “The art of capturing sound on location (generally dialogue) without compromising the image.” (Bridgeman, 2014)

Grant then explains the importance of concentrating more on recording the dialogue than everything else. This is mainly because any other sounds made, can be recreated. However the actors voices can’t, (unless they use ADR, which isn’t time or cost efficient) therefore it is important to get clean quality dialogue.

He then explained the importance of the location you are recording in. His slide asked the questions:

• Is it quiet ?
• Is it controllable ?
– Why is this a problem ? – Editing
• Planes, Trains & Automobiles
• Reverberation
– Why is this a problem ?
• Wind Noise – can be prevented

These are all issue i will need to consider with regards to recording the audio. I will need to liaise with the media production group to insure that I have a more controllable location. The group also mentioned a tunnel scene. This would be a issue, regards to reverberation, therefore ADR may have to be put in practice if it is bad quality.

Grant then went into the features/details/things to think about with regards to some of the equipment.

“Equipment 1 – Shotgun
• Shot gun (or short gun) Mic and Boom
Pole
– Sounds Open (Natural)
– Very sensitive
– Directional – (on axis)
– Wind Protection
– Phantom Power (+48V)
– Handling Noise

Equipment 2 – Personal Mic

• Personal Mic’s. (Tie Clip / Lavaliere / Wire)
– Sounds “closer” (too close?)
– Wires can be restrictive to movement
– In View / Hidden ?
– Clothes Rustle / Movement Noise
– (Radio mic’s too)
– More prone to wind noise…

Equipment 3 – Recorder

• Sound to Camera or Separate Recorder
• To make the best of having two microphones record
them to two channels.
• Allows comparison
• Stops a single problem ruining both audio tracks.
• Place the personal mic at the sternum
• Keep the boom mic pointing at the dialogue
• (aim the mic ‘at the chin’ of the person speaking)
• Don’t play back both mic’s at the same time!
• Phasing – Picture editors often don’t know this. ”

After considering these points, it might be a good idea to consider using a boom microphone and personal microphones. In post production I can then use the better quality sounding microphone, or a mix of them both. The boom mic is effective if the actors are moving around alot, as personal mics will pick up clothes noise. However in big wide shots, it might be difficult to get a boom cloth to the mouth of the actors.

Grant also talks about sound levels. Sound levels are really important because if levels are troo quite, there will be alot of background noise, however if it is too quite, it will be prone to distortion. The pictur below demonstrates the perfect levels for certain loudness of sounds.

Grant also mentioned a technique of using a boom microphone pointed away from the actors, and a personal mic blended together, so that the sound of the radio mic doesn’t sound like its so close. However i do not remember the details of this technique so will research more into it.