Silly Talent, I can still hear you!

[stevegrider]

I always tell civilians "You are wired now, don't say anything bad about the director". This is a semi-serious warning that usually works. For those who sell their souls to reality, when I wire them up I tell them they are "live", and I show them the switch or how to unplug for bathroom breaks. One young lady on a reality show looked at me with wide eyes when I told her she would be wired all day every day. I sheepishly grinned and said "It is in the contract you signed". I do my very best to protect professional actors, yet some talk smack so often it spites my best efforts to keep it off mic.

[pindrop]

I always tell civilians "You are wired now, don't say anything bad about the director". This is a semi-serious warning that usually works. For those who sell their souls to reality, when I wire them up I tell them they are "live", and I show them the switch or how to unplug for bathroom breaks. One young lady on a reality show looked at me with wide eyes when I told her she would be wired all day every day. I sheepishly grinned and said "It is in the contract you signed". I do my very best to protect professional actors, yet some talk smack so often it spites my best efforts to keep it off mic.

Good idea about humor to alert people because it might make them think, without unnecessarily alarming them, but this bathroom break thing that crops up quite often is odd and not really thought through, as why would anyone want to listen anyway, unless they're pretty strange? I know it takes all kinds, but really?

 

I don't know how the Christian Bale rant on T4 got out, but a scenario of that nature could lead to some pretty heavy litigation (in that case Christian Bale apologized maybe to avoid adverse publicity, I don't know) and then the sound department could end up being required to obtain signed release forms for radio mics, explaining that although every step will be taken to protect privacy, you are by wearing one consenting to everything, everywhere, throughout the known universe, and that could raise the alarm levels a little......

 

Another dimension to the privacy issue is punters / journalists etc. tuning in to radio mics, which isn't that difficult, but that's something Zaxcom have got well covered not only with digital transmission but an encryption choice as well. Obviously it depends on the type of production you work on but anyone use the encryption choice by default?

[johnpaul215]

I can see how in unscripted work, you'll always have all lav tracks armed, and need to listen to out-of-sight folks regularly to make sure their lavs are ok should they jump into the shot.

In doc/unscripted work you do often have to check in on subjects and make sure you aren't missing something. Plenty of times we have to be the ones to tell camera and the producer that something crazy is happening around the corner. Not really in the spirit of the OP, but the jobs like that are where you might hear crazy stuff. Narratives, I don't want to hear anything when they are off set, like maybe during some coverage of a scene.

[Boomboom]

I like to employ the ''audioman version'' of the Miranda warning... usually makes people laugh and works well ...

 

''you are now officially mic'ed, you have the right to remain silent, anything you will say might be used against you...'' and usually from there either they're already completing the sentence with me or crack it with a laugh and show they're aware and appreciate the reminder...

[John Blankenship]

I like the Mirandizing approach -- I may try that one..

I sometimes tell people that I'm wiring, "I can now hear your every thought.

[Boomboom]

 :-D

[Production Houston]

One show I worked on the director requested 2 IFB feeds, one for my mix...and the other with all the wires up pre fade. He wanted to be able to switch back and forth and "spy" on contributors to the show. I charged for another IFB transmitter and took the paycheck...I might have sold my soul

on that one.

[bigmaho]

In narrative land, I consider keeping wireless down between cut and action a sacred trust between me and the actors.

 

As Mr. Sharman wisely suggests, car work is different and worthy of a reminder that mics remain open for comm purposes. Still, when something personal comes up, I bring the faders down for a time.

 

I would have had a bit of a moral dilemma in the situation you describe, Malcolm, and probably would have informed the actor of this should I have succumbed to the director's request.

Seconded!  I've had the very rare request to open a mic of an actor off set and it won't happen on my watch.  Even my crew knows if I leave a pot open (usually when a 'going again' turns into a new set up), If I'm at crafties they'll pot everything down. 

 

In narrative land, I consider keeping wireless down between cut and action a sacred trust between me and the actors.

 

As Mr. Sharman wisely suggests, car work is different and worthy of a reminder that mics remain open for comm purposes. Still, when something personal comes up, I bring the faders down for a time.

 

I would have had a bit of a moral dilemma in the situation you describe, Malcolm, and probably would have informed the actor of this should I have succumbed to the director's request.

 

Seconded!  Even my crew knows if I accidentally leave a pot open (usually when a 'going again' mysteriously becomes a new set up, they'll pot down my board if I have stepped away.  I've had the extremely rare request to keep a pot open when an actor is off set and it won't happen on my watch.  As Jan said, the one exception is a car rig where I keep a plant mic open for communication.

Billy

[OmahaAudio]

One show I worked on the director requested 2 IFB feeds, one for my mix...and the other with all the wires up pre fade. He wanted to be able to switch back and forth and "spy" on contributors to the show. I charged for another IFB transmitter and took the paycheck...I might have sold my soul

on that one.

You shouldn't have charged for one more IFB transmitter. You should have charged per-feed INTO that extra transmitter.

If you're going to sell your soul, charge a lot.

[pkautzsch]

Good idea about humor to alert people because it might make them think, without unnecessarily alarming them, but this bathroom break thing that crops up quite often is odd and not really thought through, as why would anyone want to listen anyway, unless they're pretty strange? I know it takes all kinds, but really?

It might have to do with that scene from "Naked Gun".