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A few tech etiquette procedure questions for what post expects.


jpb2

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Sorry I still learn every day.. forgive me if they are rudimentary.

 

1. Do you record a spoken word from yourself for "room tone"
on a separate track or on the boom mic track.

2. Similar question, Do you record a spoken word from yourself for "wild-track"
on a separate track or on the boom mic track.

3. Do you get room tone before or after a take/scene

4. Do you wild-track before or after a take/scene

 

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"Do you record a spoken word from yourself" ? I've never heard it phrased quite that why before. 

Are you trying to say, "Do you slate (or voice slate) room tone/wild tracks?"  Yes you do.  After telling the script supervisor, write it in your report too.

 

Room tone before or after a take, doesn't matter.  Sometimes you can have the 1st AD announce that the first 15 seconds of the take will be room tone before the director says action.

 

Wild-track probably works better after a scene/take so they have their performance fresh on their lips.

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I do personally slate any room tone takes with a fairly verbose header.  It might be something like (beep) "Kaimana beach exterior, faint traffic drone, moderate wind, and intermittent bird song, 30 seconds".  (beep). This lets the editor know where I am, possibly to match other similar or exact location shots in the future, if they bother to keep a metadata tagged database, and also why I'm rolling room tone.  I don't roll tone by default for every shot / location.  I only get it when I feel post is going to find it useful, that way people know that when I'm asking for it, it's for a specific reason and not just to satisfy some sort of routine.  I get very little push back whenever I ask for it this way.

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Same mics, tracks, relative position and mixer/recorder settings as the dialog. If there are long pauses during a scene/take, I notate in the sound report that it can be used for RT. Makes no sense to record a voice slate to a sepatate trk. If recording 'atmosphere' tracks, that's different and considered S/FX. The rest of the cast/crew is usually not around.

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I consider myself providing material for the dialogue editor rather than for the sound designer.

Of course there are exceptions like unique places or unqiue sound effects which are hard to get

for any sound designer. Assuming also there is no 2nd unit/or utility to record it another time.

To let post find these roomtones and wildtracks I rely on TC, my notes and a little trick by

diverting the circle function from its intended use. Every non-sync sound I am recording gets circled on my 

688, so that the file name starts with an @.

After wrapping a film I make a extra sound report containing every roomtone/wildtrack I recorded during

the project. Because it is rarely something that would end up in a sound designers archive, rather than

a noise needed to provide consistency in the soundtrack (i.e. wideshot two actors sit at table talking, 

third one is washing his hands, on the close ups, of course there will be no handwashing so you 

record handwashing as wild track for the dialogue editor...just random example) I don't really

record my voice to announce the recording, in contrast when I am recording a nice ambience.

 

So all files with an @, have the same take number like the scene it was recorded in, same shooting

day, same TC and in the notes I will write down exactly what it is. That is how I hope post

finds everything I recorded just for them.

 

I see how Tom is doing it and might consider it, but everything is in the metadata and I hope 

they bother looking.

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YesI It was thanks .. also, Do you record that "voice slate" on a separate track if you are at the cart not near the boom?

Assuming you are using a recorder with one, you would use the built-in slate mic. If not, I would default to the boom mic and make a note as to what track contains verbal slates for post in your sound report. Be consistent.


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Thanks for  the info all. I realized after reading some of your posts that my recorder had a built in assignable mic for slating. Doh! I loved all the suggestions of how often and what situations you all did room tone and wild tracking. ---- My next question is what is the weirdest thing you ever said on a slate? Ha!

JP

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17 hours ago, jpb2 said:

Thanks for  the info all. I realized after reading some of your posts that my recorder had a built in assignable mic for slating. Doh! I loved all the suggestions of how often and what situations you all did room tone and wild tracking. ---- My next question is what is the weirdest thing you ever said on a slate? Ha!

JP

 

I don't know his name, but I seem to recall the regular mixer on CSI Miami (Donovan Dear) used to crack jokes occasionally on the introductory slate and 1kHz tone for each day's dailies, and I thought it was hilarious. I have heard sound mixers introduce themselves and talk about the weather, what kind of day it was going to be, what they just had for breakfast, and all kinds of stuff. The dailies crew got a kick out of it.

 

Generally for slates, I would recommend routing it to all tracks just in case the ambience or room tone or wild track or whatever is just going to one mic, and that way they'll know where it is no matter what they're listening to. Ideally, a written sound log would have a note designating it as AMB or WLD or whatever, with the scene number. The editor can tell you how they want it labeled -- I think generally they go for SCENE NUMBER+WT, something like 89-WT. There are editors who would rather the letters come first, so it'd be WT89, and that way it sorts in the file folder or edit bin more quickly. Notes are helpful. 

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