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respect...


rcoronado

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90% of the time in my professional life, I'm a post guy.  I deal with the audio that professionals (and non-pros) in the field record and edit into their projects. 

 

10% of the time I go out and do production sound myself for various jobs.  I've never dealt with the harrowing 12 mic reality tv situations.  I've never dealt with the high profile film gigs.  I'm not to that level yet. 

 

I have good equipment.  We charge appropriate rates.

 

I went out on a job yesterday, and it just served to remind me how challenging the production audio job is, and how much work goes into getting it right in the moment. 

 

This was what would be considered for many of you a typical Tuesday, but for me it was a full on workout both physically and with regards to production skills. 

 

12 hour day - 633 in a bag on a harness tied to a camera chasing around various people at a premiere event for a 22 minute special to air in a few weeks.  Sit down interviews with the creators of the event (lav and boom) a walkthrough of the event with the production designer (lav and boom) a red carpet reception (wireless handheld and boom) and man on the street interviews after the event (wireless handheld and boom)

 

easy right?

 

Well, fortunately I got it all done, and got it done well.  But I'd never call that type of gig easy.  Prep was meticulous and 100% needed.  Call the DP, get his camera model number.  Look up the manual and make sure I have all of the appropriate audio and TC I/O built into the rig.  Build and test the rig.  Build in wireless redundancies.  Bring connector contingencies in case I got something wrong.  Bring expendables (batteries, gaffer tape, etc)  Re-package to reduce weight and clutter. 

 

I get to the gig and we're inside the giant inflatable domes that reflect all sound back down to the ground 1/2 second later.  They're all filled with 360 degree surround sound setups cranked up, and are being continually inflated with giant generators and fans, and no one has the authority to turn anything off because the entire production of the event is being held together on a technical level very very delicately.

 

At one point I found myself with 3d glasses on, a shoe untied, cables running to camera, and a shouldermounted cameraman whip panning from one side of the dome to the next while simultaneously getting commentary from the creator.  I have no idea how we didn't fall down.

 

I had a blast.  I got waay better audio than I though was possible given the environment.  I got along great with the rest of the crew, and I called job a success.  I'm crazy sore this morning from carrying a bag and boom for that length of time. 

 

I still made mistakes.  I should have brought one more NP1 than I did (only brought 2 of the 4 I have)  I should have brought more storage (used up 13 gigs of a  16 gig card).  I got away with those mistakes, but I recognize them as mistakes.

 

I greatly respect those of you that do this well. 

 

 

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so to uncable myself, I would have had to run 3 more channels of wireless (L/R/TC) and I wouldn't have a return monitor feed in that setup. 

 

That's certainly a possibility, but the problematic thing about that is that the camera man in this shoot wouldn't have been monitoring his audio either (he's just the type that doesn't do that - don't ask me why) so I'd have less confidence that everything was running OK on his end throughout.  (Unless I'm missing something - please enlighten me if I am)

 

We WERE on sticks doing sit downs for 50% of the shoot, though to be fair I were were going very run and gun for the rest of it.  It was a lot of "hey, this guy is giving us some of his time, lets mic him and walk through the event since he built it" kind of thing. 

 

All that said, I never really considered just hopping wirelessly back to cam for this one, and I certainly should have.  Thanks for bringing that up.

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so to uncable myself, I would have had to run 3 more channels of wireless (L/R/TC) and I wouldn't have a return monitor feed in that setup. 

 

 

Make sure you have a timecode lock with the camera via a sync box and then your good to go even if he doesn't listen. As long as your recording your good to go.  Most of us don't run a wireless return it just isn't needed. As a side note in 14 years of using wireless hops ( 210D first then 211 then Zaxcom Stereo Line and now a LMA/SRB hop) I have NEVER had a major issue. 

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