Digital Video - December 2007 - (Page 27) the action—you need to maintain a clear line of communication with your soundman. You try not to make too aggressive moves, knowing that you’re tethered to another person via cable. It’s a delicate balance, but after working with someone for a while you develop the non-verbal communication and fall into the delicate ballet of camera choreography while following the live subjects. WILD STYLE When you’re shooting scripted work, it’s obvious that the dialog and major action needs to be recorded. What aren’t always obvious are the necessary additional recordings that are essential to having all the pieces you need in post: like room tone, wild lines and wild effects. When you’re going through a busy shoot day, nothing can seem more wasteful and annoying than having to stop everyone dead in their tracks to record room tone, but that two minutes of “silence” can save hours of headaches later on. Every location, every room and every configuration of that room (including the number of people, props, set dressing, wardrobe, etc.) results in a different sonic landscape. Recreating that unique blend of aural elements some weeks or months later can be nearly impossible. Taking two minutes to record room tone can solve many problems in postproduction. In addition, consider wild lines—dialog that is off camera or yelled or communicated through other means—as part of the day’s shooting schedule. Even if you’re 100 percent sure you’ll be recording these lines elsewhere, at some other time in post, it’s safest to get them with the actors on the location where they’ll If you’re doing your own sound, get the best mic that you can afford. Azden offers a range of on-camera audio solutions, like its new 320UPR UHF wireless microphone system (starting at $995). See page 25 for more recording gear. that you chose another location or plan to acquire your sound in a different way. Having your production mixer with you on the scouts is the best way to prevent significant problems later on. It’s also a good idea to scout the location prior to the shoot on the same day and time that you intend to shoot there. Knowing that the café next door has live Mariachi bands every Tuesday afternoon can save you tremendous headache later on when you’re scheduled to show up on a Tuesday to shoot. SHARE YOUR SHOTLIST It’s important to communicate your general shot list with your sound mixer ahead of time. If there is a particular sequence that you plan to cover only in a master wide shot, the sound crew need to know ahead of time so that they can bring in lavaliere microphones or plan to plant a mic near the talent to get the best sound. The more you communicate with them, the better. The same holds true while you’re shooting. Keeping your boom operator and sound mixer apprised of changes in shot size, camera movement and overall blocking before they happen will save a lot of time and improve overall quality. GENERAL AUDIENCES WILL FORGIVE POOR IMAGES, BUT THEY WILL RARELY FORGIVE POOR SOUND. play, if for nothing else than just a scratch track to work with later. It may save you an ADR appointment with an actor or two. Wild effects are something that most filmmakers don’t think about, but they can make life a lot easier in post. Do the characters slam something down? Break something? Push something? Rip something? Try to take the time to record these effects in the real environment and you’ll be surprised how many times those effects fit perfectly in post. As difficult as it is for a former cinematographer to admit, sound is a considerable part of the experience of a film. General audiences will forgive poor images, but they will rarely forgive poor sound, especially if they can’t clearly hear what the subjects onscreen are saying. Obtaining good sound just takes time, consideration and a willingness to get it right—adding artistic talent to the mix can then make it great. DV DV Technical Editor Jay Holben was a director of photography for eight years before turning to produce and direct full-time. dv december 2007 KEEP AN EYE ON THE SETTINGS As a cameraman, I’ve done a lot of live-event and documentary shooting where I’m working handheld in an unpredictable situation tethered to a soundman. At the beginning of the day, I will always turn the camera over to sound and let them set up the configuration as they need. Some DPs and operators are very touchy about this, but it’s important to let the sound professionals get in there and configure the camera according to their needs. Once they’re done, I will always ask about their settings and note the setup so that I can keep an eye on it throughout the day. It’s certainly not my primary focus, but I do keep it in the back of my mind when we change locations, come back after a break or get jostled through a thick crowd. WORKING THE CAMERA BALLET When you’re shooting live events—moving around and following www.dv.com 27 http://www.dv.com
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