AndyB

Hi all! I was at the annex of the National Air and Space Museum near Dulles Airport last weekend. I took loads of pics of the incredible aircraft they had on display, of course. However, while going through a special exhibit they were running about the evolution of space suits, I saw this old space suit helmet with the communication connections clearly visible. My audio geek took over, and I got a closeup pic. My family got a chuckle out of that... Does anyone know what type of connection this is?

Yes, I am aware of that now. The production company just wanted to be sure I was packing within reason.

Unfortunately, this shoot was postponed due to a tropical depression in the area grounding the helicopter. A bit bummed, but sounds like they are rescheduling for early September. At least I've had a test run of packing the gear. Production did ask me to weigh myself and my gear, and when I gave them the numbers, they thanked me for packing light.

The H4n would just be a small thing to pack as a last resort if for some reason my main recorder died. I could put it in a pocket of my cargo pants and have at least something to record to, if everything else hits the fan.

PM'd you, Al!

The headphones crapping out is always the thing I fear the most. I have the utmost confidence in the other gear, but I never really feel that confident with headphones for some reason.

This will all fit in my Petrol 601 bag and one back pack, plus boom pole. Good idea about packing a decent pair of headphones for one of the Comteks as a backup pair. I had thought about just sticking a pair of earbuds in my pocket as a last resort, and will probably do that anyway.

Good thing I weigh 170 wet...Seriously, trying to get the contact info for the heli company so I can work this out with them before hand. I don't want any surprises!

Yeah! About 30 miles off the coast of North Carolina. Barracuda, tuna and wahoo fishing straight from the platform. I hope they cut audio early so I have time to fish before we fly back!

Reached out to the platform owners to see if they could put me in contact with the helicopter company. I really want to hash it out with that crew...

This was a former Coast Guard light platform which was decommissioned and sold at auction to a guy who turned it into a B&B! They normally do boat transpo out to it for guests, but helicopter is an option, and that's how the crew is doing it. I can only assume that the heli crew is used to tourists with luggage, but I'm looking forward to what production has to say about this. If they don't have a solid answer, I will get the info and contact the heli company myself. I want to be covered as far as my gear goes, but I don't want it to be a problem that keeps us sitting at the airport while I re-pack my gear. In fact, I think I will be proactive and contact the heli company myself.

We will be on a platform 80 or 90 feet above the water, so spray and such shouldn't be an issue. If it is, we have bigger problems! Jacob, with this company, its usually me and the DP and a producer, so small crew for sure. Might be a PA/ camera assistant as well, but that would be it. I think from what I'm hearing my packing list is solid. All cables will be in the back pack until after we land. Jozzafunk, I don't really know yet if they will power down or drop and leave. I know we will do a solid touch down, skids on the deck. My pole is a Vdb that collapses to 3', call it 3'6" with the mic in blimp on there. Maybe I will pack the main mic and blimp until we land as well. Other thant that, I think I have a solid plan, but any other input would be invaluable. Thanks!

Hi all! I've got a gig next weekend that will involve a 20 minute helicopter flight to the location. No audio being recorded on the flight. What I'm wondering, since I've never taken a helicopter to work before and will be out at sea with whatever I bring, is what amount of gear can I reasonably expect to be able to bring on the helicopter? I've asked this question of the production company, but they won't be in until tomorrow, and I don't know if they really have an answer for this. Keep in mind this is for a one day shoot, no more than 10 hours. My plan is to bring my regular Petrol bag and harness, loaded out with 442, DR-680 and 4 channels of wireless (probably only need 2 channels). Boom pole with zep as well. This would do what I need to be done while at the location. In addition, I'm thinking that I can get by with a back pack holding my laptop, spare batteries (9v, AA and an NP1), softie (in case the full zep isn't needed), backup shotgun mic and interior hypercardioid mic, breakaway cable (just in case!), one spare XLR cable, and a couple of Comteks for production. Oh! Also a Zoom H4n for shits and giggles if there's room. Anything else I'm missing? Of course every piece of gear will be tested before packing, so there should be no surprises, but one never knows, and I like to have my bases covered. Thanks for any input about this!

Hour and 20 from Charlotte. Sorry I missed this one.

Whoever did that was a genius!

So sad to hear of his passing today, but so moved by your story, Laurence. Beautiful, man!

Yeah, I'd think if talent is wearing life jackets, you could probably get away with exposed (or semi-hidden) lav mics.

Working as A3, the cart was sort of a bag cart, shooting scenes at this "State Fair" set at night. Good fun, and ran into quite a few people in other departments I've worked with before. Best part, 10 minute drive home at 4 AM. (That's the mixer in the shot, not me, BTW).

Looks bad ass!

That shirt makes me glad I don't use an Ambient boom pole...

Not something I would ever wear, much less wear on set. I have a sense of humor, but also a sense of professionalism when it comes to what I wear.

The one time I had to mic a LEO, yeah, it was no problem putting the Tx on the belt in an "official" looking pouch. The problem I ran into (well, not really a problem, just time consuming) was getting the lav and cable on him. Took a while to strip off enough gear to get the cable routed and mic in place. This was for narrative, not reality, but the officer was real, and showed up in full gear.

I did some stuff for a home show in a customized RV. Walk and talks with the owners mostly. Lavs definitely did the job on interiors, but I was booming as well. The tight quarters made it challenging but doable to boom. Low ceiling was the biggest hurdle for booming. If you're going to have exterior shots up next to the vehicle, definitely go boom. The aluminum exterior of the RV was giving me issues with RF hits on lavs when we were up close to it.

I figure if they're willing to accept the danger, then why not?

I like this guy! Cool products and an informative video. I'm thinking (as a sound guy) that one of these would be great to stow cables and adapters in, plus you could easily attach a Quickfist to hold a boom pole. Carry stuff, have someplace to keep the boom and something to stand on for extra height. I like it!