Tom Morrow Posted January 2, 2013 Report Share Posted January 2, 2013 Any tips for hiding a lav transmitter on a woman in a short evening dress? Here are some examples of the kind of dresses I'm talking about: http://www.google.com/search?num=10&hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1260&bih=840&oq=short++evening+dress&q=short evening dress If her back is not going to face the camera then I could use a pouch to secure it to her lower back under her dress. If the dress was long enough I could put the lav lower on her leg. And if the bottom poufed out enough I could take advantage of that to hide on the upper leg. But what to do if the whole body is going to be on camera and the dress is relatively straight and short? I'd love to try and hide between her legs (no jokes :0) but that seems unprofessional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zack Posted January 2, 2013 Report Share Posted January 2, 2013 It's not "unprofessional" if you make sure you don't act unprofessional about it. I've done this many times, it's just doing your job. Just make sure the antenna is pointed down if it's on the inside of the thigh, unless they request otherwise ( ahem). Depending upon a couple other things, if she has long thick hair that drapes down the back, it could hide the Tx while being attached to the bra or center back of the dress. This is where having a small Tx like SMv, or TRX900LT can come in handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Toline Posted January 2, 2013 Report Share Posted January 2, 2013 A tx pouch & belt in the back at her belt line under the dress. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Morrow Posted January 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2013 As a man with relatively thick legs, there's a bit less than an inch between my legs towards the top, which means the transmitter would brush the legs while walking. Is there more room between the skinny legs of a typical actress? Just trying to get a sense of how uncomfortable this might be for her. Also, I suppose this would be a case where you would have her attach the pouch, unless she invited me to do it for her. Seems like the pouch strap would have to be relatively tight to make sure it didn't fall down while walking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Toline Posted January 2, 2013 Report Share Posted January 2, 2013 Tape the strap in place around the leg with surgical tape. Fotunately women shave their legs so removing the tape will be painless. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Visser Posted January 2, 2013 Report Share Posted January 2, 2013 I've had to do this - NeoPax thigh rig sometimes antenna up or down, depending on exact placement. Sometimes its not exactly in between the legs, but rotated 1/4 way towards the back underneath the rump. Antenna down is probably safer, but depending on the shape of the actress, I've sometimes placed it up in order to take advantage of the fact that the undergarment is a good way to keep the antenna flush against the skin - maybe not the best for reception, but usually workable. Also check out her back - is she using a shelf bra, braless, or a traditional back strap? With a little bit of tape and some of the weight supported by fabric, the small of the back can a be a great solution too. You have to consider if the camera is going to see that during dialogue or any continuous shots, and if it does, whether her hair is long / thick enough to cover it - some help from hair people can be great here if it needs to be clipped down in place. I did have a worst case scenario where the dress was super short, white and sort of sheer, and I only had huge Sony ENG style receivers a couple of years ago. It was right in the middle and antenna had to go up, because the dress was that short. The actress understood and we placed it just long enough for the scene that required it, then moved to the back for the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Lewis Posted January 2, 2013 Report Share Posted January 2, 2013 I spent 3 months on a wedding show. Talent got Neopax waist belt place in small of back antenna bent and taped to inside of the dress. Bride got neopax thigh strap, antenna up, outside of the leg (SMa tx so bulge was not an issue) showed maid of honor the process so she could do it. Had her safety pin the neopax to the inside of the dress (didnt want it sliding down her leg in the middle of procession or nuptials). Just be professional. Introduce yourself, explain the process of what you are planning to do, ask if she feels comfortable having a female do it and explain it to that person if that is the case. Afterword, just check your final mic placement. All should be well, nothing to panic about. If you are kind and professional, most women will understand you are doing your job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander Burstein Posted January 2, 2013 Report Share Posted January 2, 2013 I was getting along really well with the head of wardrobe on my last show and she showed me how to hide a transmitter on a bikini. I haven't been able to try it yet, but in theory it works great. Most bra's have padding built into the bra but find out ahead of time if it's possible/practical (sometimes there's no way to find out). If the padding is decent, you can slip the transmitter into the lower right for the right breast, and lower left for the left breast. This way part of the transmitter sits closer to the armpit which helps hide it. Bra's usually have even more padding than bikini tops too. I'd recommend this technique if you can't do the legs or back. And if you're worried about being professional about it, with this technique she can place the transmitter herself and make sure it's hidden while you still get to find a good place for the microphone. There was one recent situation where the dress was very small and tight, and putting the transmitter on the legs did not work. Furthermore I was getting clothing noise and couldn't find a great spot. (Couldn't be on her chest away from clothing because there was a lot of skin showing and the cut was very low) So I put the lavalier in one of my favorite spots-above her ear hidden in her hair. I don't see this working on any reality show, but I was working on a narrative and had time and setups to move the microphone from one ear to another when needed. I got great quality sound and there's no noise that comes from the hair. You have to tape the cable down the back of her neck, so depending on the shot and how short her hair is you may not be able to do this either. But you might get lucky! I used transpore tape for her skin and bobby pins to keep the cable and mic in place in her hair. Wish I could provide pictures for this. Perhaps next time I'll take some if it's appropriate. Best, Alexander Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VASI Posted January 2, 2013 Report Share Posted January 2, 2013 http://www.neopax.biz/products.html Thigh-High SM Belt or Waist Belt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted January 2, 2013 Report Share Posted January 2, 2013 I see if the actress will wear Spanx, then I just put on the originally supplied with SM neoprene sleeve, and tuck it into the back of the Spanx. Virtually invisible. Or if the can't wear a lav, why not give booming it a try? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Mega Posted January 2, 2013 Report Share Posted January 2, 2013 Use Coban, a self adhering tape to strap onto thigh if you choose the leg option. It won't slip down like thigh belts usually do http://products3.3m.com/catalog/au/en005/healthcare/medical/node_HQNBS3VWBLbe/root_D58K9TX3VWgv/vroot_RB2X68D0SCge/gvel_SXJDGZDK2Lgl/theme_au_medical_3_0/command_AbcPageHandler/output_html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Kittappa Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 I had an actress with a really short dress and much of it see through. I ended up hiding my smallest pack (Lectrosonics MM400) into the side of her bra. When hiding mics in intimate places it's all about having a professional attitude. In the case of the girl above, she was awesome. As I was hiding the mic pack in her bra she just smiled at me and said 'Martin, next time can you please at least take me to dinner first'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old school Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 Get wardrobe in on it. It is both of your problem. I hope you have the many belt packs available to sound. This is a very recurring problem in my experience. Rest assured, there is always someway. It is called booming it. CrewC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmassey Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 AMEN!!! You may fiind it impossible to hide! BOOM IT!!! That said, I one time found there was no way to hide or even attach a SM transmitter. So I put the transmitter in the woman's purse, cabled up the back of her blouse and mic in the cleavage. She handled it like a pro, which she was not, by always carrying the bag in the same hand, sitting down and placing it beside her so the wire was not stretched or exposed, and the same when getting up and continuing the dialogue. Thank goodness for small miracles!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 I've found that experienced wardrobe people have seen it all in terms of TX placement, and know that the drill is coming. They expect you to have the gear to make it work (with their help), but it's kind of rare anymore that they would blow you off about it. Some talent, especially ladies who have done a lot of episodic work, seem to prefer placing the rig themselves, possibly w/o you present. Negotiate and instruct then let them do it. This has generally worked out well for me. The worst are wardrobe people who come from a purely stills BG--they are without clue re: wirelesses. philp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis Haggerty Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 I did a feature where the main actress wore the same tube top and mini skirt for almost the entire movie, and many scenes were shot very wide. I explained the problem to the director and it was agreed that the character would wear her over the shoulder bag as often as possible, which it turned out worked well with her character. The Tx hid in the bag, cable taped under the strap. For shots where she had to take the bag off, or if it didn't make sense for it to be on, I'd work out where the pack could go. If I could get away with the small of the back or brastrap I would, but a few times it had to be inside the miniskirt, antenna down, and even then I had to tape the antenna over so it wouldn't show. The actress didn't enjoy it, but she saw that I only asked if there was no option, and she was very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisH Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 If the actress is gifted enough and the cleavage is not too low I will put an smv upside down with wire clip in the bra and actually mount my cos 11 on the bottom of the smv. Sounds great makes a one package deal that the actress can just place and forget about. I call it the boob rig. Other than that inner thigh or small of the back like others have been saying. I have also done hair rigs with the whole transmitter and color matched b6 in her hair. Hair rigs sound great but require alot of help from hair department time and cooperation, much easier if they have wigs on too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 " Rest assured, there is always someway. It is called booming it. " er... sometimes not, on today's 'unscripted television' crap... " the boob rig. " good call... one time I added a dummy TX to balance... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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