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Shooting Inside a Limousine


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Within a couple months I'll be working on a feature and it involves a couple days of work inside a limousine with 2-5 characters through various scenes.

 

EDIT: This will be shot in studio. No trailer rig or follow vehicle needed.

 

Aside from wiring everyone up, I'm wondering what kind of plant mics or interior boom positioning that I could implement that has worked for people in the past to get a more natural sound.

 

I believe I saw an image of a crew shooting in a limousine a while back, boom was from the front of the cab, and a couple of plants to ceiling. Any neat tips and tricks?

 

Thanks in advance!

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Within a couple months I'll be working on a feature and it involves a couple days of work inside a limousine with 2-5 characters through various scenes.

 

Aside from wiring everyone up, I'm wondering what kind of plant mics or interior boom positioning that I could implement that has worked for people in the past to get a more natural sound.

 

I believe I saw an image of a crew shooting in a limousine a while back, boom was from the front of the cab, and a couple of plants to ceiling. Any neat tips and tricks?

 

Thanks in advance!

 I think equally important is getting production to either support you being there, or pay for the wireless rig to keep you in the follow vehicle.

 

It seems a frequent problem for me when I'm not privy to pre-pro; they'll think of everything EXCEPT sound. After actors, shooter, camera, both ACs, director and driver, they will look at me dumbfounded and say, "Where should we put you?"

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Most of what applies to car shoots in general applies to limo shoots too.

A few CCM 41 mounted to the ceiling (safety pins...) etc. - others seem to prefer Sanken CUBs.

Where to mount them, and how many: It Depends. Whatever works. There might be a few more cupholders or other gimmicks one can mount stuff to.

If it's shot in a studio, there's way more options for booming than in a car that actually is driving. Again, CCM 41 in a good boomer's hands.

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" working on a feature and it involves a couple days of work inside a limousine "

it makes no difference, everything will be the same as if it were a short movie...

 

" I saw an image of a crew shooting in a limousine a while back,  "

it depends...

every situation is different, this is where your years of experience will be valuable.

you will need to see the vehicle, of course, and the rehearsal.

On epicodic television we rarely see the vehicle until "the day", along with the rest of the crew. 

we watch the rehearsal, and devise the plan of the day, which may be different for different scenes, or even for different shots!

plant mic's are typically possible, and preferred.

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People rarely seem to use seatbelts in limos, so lavs are possible in some situations. Green screen is far more doable than a live limo rolling down the street. I've encountered several unpleasant surprises with changing RFI issues on certain blocks in moving cars. 

 

When I did a scene in a limo a few months ago, I almost started wiring up the car ceiling until the DP said, "oh, we're starting off the shot with a tilt down from the ceiling, so nothing can go there." Of course, that shot never wound up in the finished film.  :o

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Three of the key questions are (and Marc brought one of them up):

 

1) What are the camera shots?

2) What is the action?

3) What is the wardrobe?

 

If the camera wants to shoot everything in sight (all too common in these days of less-than-ideal planning), you're looking at where things can be hidden and how you can orchestrate the informal dance of cam and boom.

 

If the lead actress is in a wedding dress, complete with layers upon layers of crinoline, and will be moving about the interior and wrestling with her wedding party, you'll be tempted to set your hair on fire in protest, and talk to the producer about the marginal guide tracks he's going to receive.

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For the "hero" back seat, there are usually controls overhead which you can easily hide plant mics behind. You can boom through the sunroof. Plant mics big and small. Acoustically limos are usually better than cars. Almost too dead sometimes. In a recent scene, my boom op shot-gunned with a 50 from way further than he needed to be for the frame in order to have it sound nice.

I did a scene with 10 people in a limo. A combination of plants and lavs. No room for a boom op or a boom.

I also did this.

Although it sounds in this clip like it was recorded from a TV in someone's living room.

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For the "hero" back seat, there are usually controls overhead which you can easily hide plant mics behind. You can boom through the sunroof. Plant mics big and small. Acoustically limos are usually better than cars. Almost too dead sometimes. In a recent scene, my boom op shot-gunned with a 50 from way further than he needed to be for the frame in order to have it sound nice.

I did a scene with 10 people in a limo. A combination of plants and lavs. No room for a boom op or a boom.

I also did this.

Although it sounds in this clip like it was recorded from a TV in someone's living room.

I like the overhead control system spot as well. I know in this situation we're talking about a poor man's process trailer, but if you are using the overhead controls in a moving limo, just be careful not to block the access to the air conditioning or the actors might complain (if the camera operator doesn't complain first). 

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