Michael P Clark Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 A job needs to have the director capable of talking to the camera people, but does not need the camera people the ability to talk back. I immediately thought of a proper PL, but it was suggested to see if I am able to "pull" something together with what I have. So I started to think of a Comtek situation with a 302 and a dynamic mic on a small stand in front feeding the Comtek. But I was also thinking of an inline ON/OFF switch. So the camera people won't have an open mic in their ears. I found one on Ebay, but was wondering if anyone has their favorites. I am looking for something that won't blow the camera peoples ears off when switched. I could just have him ride the fader, and forget the switch, but I foresee issues with not opening the channel up consistently and driving the camera people crazy. This is my first stab at the situation, so I am open to any other suggestions. Thanks Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curleysound Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 It's been my experience that unless the mic is a PTT mic, the operator never turns the mic off, and the camera guys go crazy and ultimately blame you. Any Push To Talk mic should work, as long as it is a regular microphone. Many of them are designed for HAM use, and won't have an XLR connector. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael P Clark Posted August 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Pretty much need a reverse cough box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 He will NOT remember to turn off the mic ever. And on top of the annoyance factor, there should never be a broadcast open mic at video village. BAD idea! The show on which I've been doing second unit, the DP wears a walkie with earpiece. He communicates the director's wishes to the camera department. If the director wants his own thing, I'd suggest a walkie with headpiece or surveillance kit at video village to communicate to headphones the camera people will always be wearing and listening to. He doesn't have to wear the walkie or headpiece if he doesn't want to hear back, he just needs to engage the walkie and talk into the mic. On top of this, you won't have to be responsible for the gear. It becomes production's problem, and you can concentrate on your task at hand, getting good sound. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergio Sanmiguel Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 What about using a Lectro Referee switch & IFB receivers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 Ever have production ask you for a "cough-to-talk"? :-) Gotham Sound makes what look like modified walkie PTT mics that terminate in XLR, or TA5 to plug directly into a Lectro TX. They make also an evil pop when switched, but they're appropriately low-profile. Or, if you're feeling adventurous... this http://www.callpod.com/products/dragon in conjunction with this: http://www.callpod.com/products/phoenix should offer 5-way (6-way including the base station) duplex communication at (if they're to be believed) a range of 300,000 sqf. Five dragons plus a phoenix should cost less than $1000. I know you don't need the duplex, but I imagine you'd find a use for it someday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 Have you seen how camera operators and assistants treat walkies and slates? You really want to hand out $600 receivers every day and trust they will not spend all day falling off their belts or the dolly? You are also assuming they will keep the headphones on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergio Sanmiguel Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 Have you seen how camera operators and assistants treat walkies and slates? You really want to hand out $600 receivers every day and trust they will not spend all day falling off their belts or the dolly? You are also assuming they will keep the headphones on. I'm usually not comfortable passing IFB's to director, producer, scripty & what not, sometimes I'm not happy either wiring actors who don't like to have an open mic at all times; but when production requires I deliver. There's a good reason for L&D's... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 We're not talking about giving Comteks or IFBs to clients for listening to production dialog, or wiring actors to record production dialog. We're talking about a simple one-way communication device. It seems to me they are merely asking for a solution, not a grand scale equipment addition. Assigning an extra walkie to the director seems like a really good option to me, and does not require Michael to purchase gear he might never use again. If the period is long enough and the additional rental worthwhile, and you are happy to risk billing thousands of dollars in L & D for careless below-the-line crew members, then all the the aforementioned options are great ideas. Call up the sound shop of your choice and hand over your credit card. It's fun buying new toys. My friend has a nice system for insert car rigs. It's Sony headphones with a microphone that plugs into a switch box. The box feeds the production track to the director's headphone hard-lined from the mixer. The director can press a button that engages the mic and feeds it back to the mixer and can be routed anywhere, Comtek system included. If you like that idea, Michael, I can get you the details of the product. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergio Sanmiguel Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 Whatever you say Robert. I really didn't meant to upset you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergio Sanmiguel Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 We're talking about a simple one-way communication device. BTW a walkie-talkie is a TWO way communication device. Right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 I didn't mean to sound upset. Sorry. And yes, two-way indeed, and will be underutilized :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 Correction: Range is actually 350 feet away from base station. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael P Clark Posted August 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 Walkie is not a bad idea, just having the cameras on their own channel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergio Sanmiguel Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 Walkie is not a bad idea, just having the cameras on their own channel. Brilliant! Sometimes the best solution is right before our very own eyes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisnewton Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 Hi Robert, What's L and D? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 Loss and Damage. A common production expense, but I like to keep mine at zero. Makes for happy producers. But I do bill for things that get damaged or lost by production. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FSBELLA Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 A job needs to have the director capable of talking to the camera people, but does not need the camera people the ability to talk back. I immediately thought of a proper PL, but it was suggested to see if I am able to "pull" something together with what I have. So I started to think of a Comtek situation with a 302 and a dynamic mic on a small stand in front feeding the Comtek. But I was also thinking of an inline ON/OFF switch. So the camera people won't have an open mic in their ears. I found one on Ebay, but was wondering if anyone has their favorites. I am looking for something that won't blow the camera peoples ears off when switched. I could just have him ride the fader, and forget the switch, but I foresee issues with not opening the channel up consistently and driving the camera people crazy. This is my first stab at the situation, so I am open to any other suggestions. Thanks Mike Mike, I have in the past on several shows rented the following with great success both for the clarity and the hassle free setup: and production if presented properly for this demand, usually pays for this rental directly. so you will not be responsible for any l&d. (obviously stay away from your talent and or hop freqs) 1-Lectro UM400 TX w/lav (tram & m152 backup)set to IFB mode 2-Lectro R1a's w/coiled earpiece you mic the director or DP (usually dp) and the keys & bestboys get the r1's. they have there production walkie in one ear and the dp's pl in the other ear. yes its true walkies would be economically better, but crew members really don't want to have 2 walkies on there belt. the lectro r1a's are as you probably know are smaller and less cumbersome than a walkie. and you can get bit more range, and they sound a bit better than a comtek (let the debate begin) later, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Toline Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Pretty much need a reverse cough box. Easy enough to get a CB ptt mic at Radio Shack and wire in an xlr-m. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 A vote for Mr. Sharman's method. I've tried all sorts of wanky lashups to do just this and except in a multicam video studio set up they all didn't work well. The camera etc crew is usually ALREADY wired up--with walkies. Get another walkie/headset/AD PTT dongle and give it to the director. Otherwise the DP has to wear 2 headsets or bugs, which won't happen since he or she needs to talk to the gaffer and key grip etc all the time on their walkie channel. Assign 2 channels to camera for the walkie that day. This allows the AD and 2nd to hear what's coming too. Philip Perkins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel McIntosh Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 I was on a TV show last year. The DP had bought this for his personal use: http://www.comtek.com/hh185.html And two of these for the camera ops: http://www.comtek.com/pr216.html and these: http://www.comtek.com/et4_smn.html He was very happy with the rig, there was no issue with freq co-ordination with the sound dept, and he took the kit with him to the next job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason porter Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 A friend of mine uses Motorola FRS walkies with low profile headsets...very inexpensive. Of course, they only need to cover a 100-200 ft radius for his needs. -JP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Mayer Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 If you want to go the Lectro route, it's pretty easy to build a push to talk adapter for any of the Lectro transmitters. I built on with a momentary puch switch from Rat Shack and a TA5F and TA5M. Wire the connectors straight through except for the signal pin (2 IIRC) which would be wired through the momentary switch. Quick and easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glen Trew Posted August 15, 2008 Report Share Posted August 15, 2008 If you want to go the Lectro route, it's pretty easy to build a push to talk adapter for any of the Lectro transmitters. I built on with a momentary puch switch from Rat Shack and a TA5F and TA5M. Wire the connectors straight through except for the signal pin (2 IIRC) which would be wired through the momentary switch. Quick and easy. Hello Matt, Did your method make a popping sounding when the button was pushed? Glen Trew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted August 15, 2008 Report Share Posted August 15, 2008 My experience with many momentary switches is that they engage very noisily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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