AudioMedia - July 2008 - (Page 32)

Time And Place On Location With Doctor Who ALISTAIR McGHEE couldn’t believe his luck when he was offered the chance to spend a day on set with the Daleks. Bringing a spare pair of pants, Alistair didn’t need asking twice. remember Russell T Davies (the man who brought the Doctor back to our ever wider screens) emphatically stating in the early days of Doctor Who that the new series had to have humanity at its core. So while the exotic monsters and blazing CGI make Doctor Who fantastic eye candy, I’m sure it’s the show’s human heart that delivers audiences right up there with our most iconic national soaps. Eight million people is not a niche audience, Russell was spot on. Of course big audiences equals success and success equals pressure and pressure is no respecter of departments: everyone working on one of TV’s biggest hits has to be at the top of their game. And in the sound department, Julian Howarth is captain of the location sound team. And I was lucky enough to spend a day at Doctor Who central with Julian, Jeff Welch, and Bryn Thomas, who together captured the sound of Doctor Who Series' Three and Four. Walking on the Doctor Who set is a definite buzz, especially when the Daleks come out to play. With Dalek dialogue booming out over the smoke shrouded set, small boys and aging Who fans did their best not to wet their pants with excitement. i But as the mists cleared for a moment, a glimpse of a sight almost more exciting (if that were possible) behind the wall of the spaceship/temple/galactic superstore (give me a break, it was obscured by smoke) lurked the mythical Zaxcom Diva V. It’s a shame really that with such a great name that the Diva is only a multi track recorder – it could have had a great career as a Doctor Who baddy, or it could have featured as a control element in the Tardis that would still look cool twenty centuries from now. But more of the kit later, first let’s meet and greet. Crewing The Tardis As I chatted to Julian Howarth about the nuts and bolts of recording location sound for Doctor Who I thought it telling that the first thing he wanted to talk about was his crew. His very words, “I’m only as good as my team”. Jeff Welch is the First Line Boom Op and runs the floor for Julian with Bryn Thomas, hardened Doctor Who veteran from Series One, looking after the radio mics, swinging a boom, and playing the sweeper role keeping everything tight at the back. Julian was most insistent that as the Location Sound Recordist, the quality of what he delivered was as a direct result of having a top team on the set. “It’s a shame really that with such a great name that the Diva is only a multi track recorder – it could have had a great career as a Doctor Who baddy, or it could have featured as a control element in the Tardis that would still look cool twenty centuries from now.” It’s probably too early in an article to indulge in philosophy, but I can’t resist it. I found an interesting symmetry between Russell’s vision about what makes TV watchable and Julian’s conviction about the importance of the crew, both asserting that at the end of the day it’s people that matter. I think that’s most telling as there’s always a temptation to put our faith in technology to the extent of overlooking the human dimension of broadcasting. But of course I digress. Julian Howarth started his love affair with sound as a musician of no great distinction (well, that’s how he described it) before taking that most well worn of paths to recording bands, and on to the high seas of dabbling in pirate radio. After university he fell for the bright lights of Manchester’s Palace Theatre, and went on to tour a couple of shows before getting his break > 32 AUDIO MEDIA JULY 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AudioMedia - July 2008

AudioMedia - July 2008 Contents Recording Post Broadcast What's Up UK Geofocus: France For the Record Special Report: Develop Preview SE Electronics 4400 Sennheiser MKH800 Twin Tubetech Club Final Cut: Wanted Smart AV Tango Doctor Who Made in America DSP Roundup Product Sampler: Summer Hits Edirol R44 Video Guide AMSR Fame - Le Musical Waves MaxxBCL Yamaha AD8HR Special Supplement

AudioMedia - July 2008

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