Christian Spaeth Posted May 5, 2015 Report Share Posted May 5, 2015 Has anyone watched the latest episode of Louie? There are some very intimate scenes towards the end of the episode where a steadicam or something alike circles around the two actors in their living room, and boy does that floor creak! There is just some intimate dialog, close ups, and they don't move, but these creaks! The show has really good sound IMO, so I one can only imagine how upset that steadicam must have made the sound crew in those scenes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pindrop Posted May 5, 2015 Report Share Posted May 5, 2015 Do the creaks happen across dialog? Might it have been possible for the creaks to be largely painted out with skilled use of Izotope RX4 spectral repair for example, even if over dialog? Assuming the motivation and budget of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg sextro Posted May 5, 2015 Report Share Posted May 5, 2015 floor creaks tend to occupy the same sound range as the human voice. so probably not completely removable if it's on the dialog. lots of creaky floors here in NY, and not much you can do about it outside of hammering nails into it (which...will doubtfully happen) Wyatt Tuzo mixed the most recent season of Louie. He does post on here from time to time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundpod Posted May 6, 2015 Report Share Posted May 6, 2015 Some possible fixes that sometimes work, sometimes not Pour some of water over the creaky spots. Pile of shot bags to weigh it down and stop the movement. Get the grips to lay a dance floor if out of shot. Sometimes you just have to curse... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henchman Posted May 6, 2015 Report Share Posted May 6, 2015 They should have removed that in post. I've done it myself on the dubstage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyatt Tuzo Posted May 6, 2015 Report Share Posted May 6, 2015 We had a few difficult scenes this season that were compounded by the addition of Steadicam. I'm not sure which episode you're referring to, but there were two in scenes in particular that I remember giving me a few new grey hairs. I should shed a bit of light on how we handle things on Louie. He is a really thoughtful guy, with a very clear aesthetic. That said, we sometimes have to find a happy medium between what he wants, and what will work for air. At the end of the day, the show bears his name (and he has more awards than I do). Honestly, It's a really fun exercise that I assume will make us stronger in the long run. We genuinely have to re-think what would be the common approach every day. This past season was my first with the show. It definitely took an episode or two to find my footing. For the most part, we "block shoot" the entire season. That is to say, we do not shoot individual episodes out, in sequence. While this is the case, we definitely finished and delivered the first episodes for the season while we were still in production (everything moves very quickly). There are a few aesthetic choices that Louis is fairly firm on... The biggest of which: He doesn't like the sound of body mics. In addition... No carpets, almost exclusive use of practical bulbs, no marks or blocking rehearsals, and mostly handheld camera work. As Louis is the director, lead, and editor, he choses the performances he likes first and foremost. My Boom Ops this past season (Chris Fondulas [and Bret Scheinfeld for ep501]) are saints. If you can explain the particular scene, I'd be happy to try to recall our production day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solid Goldberger Posted May 6, 2015 Report Share Posted May 6, 2015 I was just on a "soundstage" here in NYC that had a very creaky floor. It was just for a corporate video, and was a walk and talk addressing a locked off camera, so not exactly a circling steadicam, but annoying nonetheless. We had very good luck laying a sound blanket underneath a sheet of 3/4" plywood. It eliminated a lot of the creaking altogether by distributing the weight across several joists, and dissipated the remaining sound with the ply and cloth. I was pretty proud of my little rig, and I would think with enough prep time something like that could be done for an entire room. e. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrd456 Posted May 6, 2015 Report Share Posted May 6, 2015 For creaky floors--have the grips screw it down--also,lay furniture blankets down with dance floor over that. J.D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason A Posted May 6, 2015 Report Share Posted May 6, 2015 I've done this as well in a few old craftsman style houses in Seattle. We cut a series of boards that could be moved around the problem areas pretty quickly. When shooting in those areas, the blankets/boards wend down first, then set dec, lighting etc. The director was concerned about getting good sound of course, so that helped. When the precedent is set on day one, no one gripes moving forward. It's just part of the day. We also braced up some of the floor from below in a few cases. That helped a bit, but the blankets/boards worked best for us. I was just on a "soundstage" here in NYC that had a very creaky floor. It was just for a corporate video, and was a walk and talk addressing a locked off camera, so not exactly a circling steadicam, but annoying nonetheless. We had very good luck laying a sound blanket underneath a sheet of 3/4" plywood. It eliminated a lot of the creaking altogether by distributing the weight across several joists, and dissipated the remaining sound with the ply and cloth. I was pretty proud of my little rig, and I would think with enough prep time something like that could be done for an entire room. e. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bauman Posted May 6, 2015 Report Share Posted May 6, 2015 For creaky floors--have the grips screw it down--also,lay furniture blankets down with dance floor over that. J.D. good advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted May 6, 2015 Report Share Posted May 6, 2015 I often request dance floor for Steadicam. Grips usually get pissed off, and say it won't work. When it does work, I make the point to genuinely thank them for the effort, and let them know how much better it was. Hopefully then they won't give the next sound crew a hard time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bash Posted May 6, 2015 Report Share Posted May 6, 2015 on a sound stage floor - I would water the floor - maybe even the night before!!! It ought to be quiet anyway !!! Kindest, sb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Spaeth Posted May 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2015 Hey Wyatt, nice of you to give some insight. Really good work on the season, especially the scenes outdoors in NYC sounded great in spite of the background. The two scenes that gave you grey hairs are probably the ones I noticed. Both with Pam and Louie, him with special make up, I think both of them in her bedroom. I guess since Louis is the editor he just decided that the creaks shouldn't be "painted out" but they really distracted from the dialogue. I can understand that carpets aren't every director's best friends, but had he allowed their use they probably would have taken care of those creaks. But in general the look and sound, and of course the contents make the show one of my favorites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyatt Tuzo Posted May 6, 2015 Report Share Posted May 6, 2015 I figured that was the scene you were referring to, but wasn't aware that episode had aired yet. Unfortunately for us, it was a sensitive practical location. Our steadi Op was working very hard to help us with the situation. Shoes were removed, floors were covered (yes, the odd case of carpets being allowed!),etc. Dance floor would have worked nicely, but we are a no dolly show. We lobbied for (and got) static shots, as well as plenty of room-tone... I haven't seen the episode yet, but unfortunately, it doesn't sound like they were put to use in this case. Thanks for the kind words. It's a very unique and rewarding show to be a part of... despite the occasional need for compromise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olle Sjostrom Posted May 6, 2015 Report Share Posted May 6, 2015 Great, great show. Great work. I didn't hear any creaks so I guess the action of the scene was stronger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johngooch Posted May 6, 2015 Report Share Posted May 6, 2015 I think part of the issue is the style of the show. Many long scenes that play out in masters only. Not much chance for coverage and i'd have to imagine too much improv dialogue to be useful to pull wild lines from other takes. Great job wyatt. Love the show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyHaze Posted May 6, 2015 Report Share Posted May 6, 2015 It's a great show. I just finished Season 4 on Netflix, so I'll be anticipating even more exceptional "dramedy" next season. And hello to Greg Sextro! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg sextro Posted May 7, 2015 Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 Hey John! Nice to see you on the board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traut Posted May 11, 2015 Report Share Posted May 11, 2015 on a sound stage floor - I would water the floor - maybe even the night before!!! It ought to be quiet anyway !!! Kindest, sb Dear home owner, Sorry about your floor. We had to water it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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