johngooch Posted July 26, 2019 Report Share Posted July 26, 2019 Taking on a scripted project with lots of horses- talent riding horses with dialogue, lots of horses in BG etc..... Being in the Northeast of the US, this sort of project does not cross my path very often. So i am asking the knowledge base here to share their experiences working on a narrative project such as this. I am still in prep... thx. j Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Reineke Posted July 26, 2019 Report Share Posted July 26, 2019 Most of the horses I've encountered in documentary projects get very skittish when the boom is in close proximity to them. I always try to get them accustomed to the boom (and boom op) ahead of time. I once hid a mic and Tx in a horse's mane when it could not be on the rider. (a Lady Godiva type scene). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted July 26, 2019 Report Share Posted July 26, 2019 My main problem in doing scenes with people on horseback was getting the boom op high enough in the air to cover the scene. It's a great situation for a Fisher boom if that's possible, far safer, less tiring and with longer reach than a handheld pole held by a boom op on a ladder. I tried micing saddles etc with mixed success (they are noisy), I read that Charles Wilborn used a pommel-plant with great success on many Westerns, maybe he had some way of quieting the saddle squeaks? Hat mics worked well too, (when they had hats and kept them on!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungo Posted July 26, 2019 Report Share Posted July 26, 2019 In my experience horses were quite scary when the boom made fast movements. Especially when the boom came from a lower height - someone then told me that they are quite aware of dangerous animals that are of lower level like dogs, wolves, snakes ... and so they react histeric to a furry boom at a dog's height. But "professional" movie experienced horses never cared which was impressing. As well as police horses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalton Patterson Posted July 26, 2019 Report Share Posted July 26, 2019 EQUUS Magazine "The horse sees a broad band of the world to the sides and back of his body, but it is narrow. His vision is poor above and below the level of his eyes. Sights directly to the horse’s side but on the ground or in the air are difficult to see unless he cocks his head. Equine vision also creates blind spots. A horse cannot see a person standing directly in back of him. Surprised from behind, even the sweetest horse can kick in almost any direction. That’s where that tenet of good horsemanship---approaching the hindquarters from the shoulder---comes from. You want to make sure he knows you’re there. A second blind spot exists in front of the horse’s face, from his eye level to the ground below his nose and out to about six feet. A hand suddenly raised will appear to him to come from nowhere. He cannot see the grass he grazes on, the bit he accepts, the fingers that stroke his muzzle. He uses the whiskers around his mouth to sense these objects. A horse whose whiskers are shaved is at a sensory disadvantage." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johngooch Posted July 26, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2019 Good start to the conversation thanks guys... saddle soap yes! I do not think we have budget, time or talent pool to use fisher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codyman Posted July 26, 2019 Report Share Posted July 26, 2019 Is it a contemporary or period piece? I have a feeling due to the height of the horses etc, you're going to be using a lot of lavs. I'd start befriending wardrobe now and see what everyone is going to be wearing. You're going to be dealing with a lot of wind, especially when the horses are moving so make sure you have a good solution to cover your lavs up for that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johngooch Posted July 26, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2019 Contemporary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valentine Posted July 26, 2019 Report Share Posted July 26, 2019 When I've worked with horses they got freaked out by the boom. It's actually kind of dangerous because they can freak out while the cast is riding them. I had to go full lavs on that one. The other problem was I couldn't get up there to fix a lav that was being ruined because cast adjusted their scarves constantly (winter scene). I dreaded those horse scenes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edward chick Posted July 26, 2019 Report Share Posted July 26, 2019 Having owned two horses myself the aforementioned advice of always letting the horse know you are behind it is mandatory, even a short kick is very painful. Get to the grocery store and buy up on Dominos' sugar cubes, some apples, and carrots. With the owner's permission, hold your hand palm up with a treat and you will have a friend for life. The few times I worked with talent on a horse I always lav'd them because of the horse's reaction to the boom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundpod Posted July 27, 2019 Report Share Posted July 27, 2019 Squeaky saddles are difficult to deal with. I think pieces of lambs wool that can go between the flaps of leather could be useful. It's really hard to track down where the squeak is coming from, especially when the saddle is on the horse with rider, which is the time they squeak. Probably best done in pre if possible. Often it seems like the noise is coming from somewhere you just can't get to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Westgate Posted July 27, 2019 Report Share Posted July 27, 2019 All of the above but: No waving booms and only use if chief horse wrangler says ok and then yes gently introduce Otherwise lavs on actors near and on on horses Easy, but a simple learning curve mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johngooch Posted July 27, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2019 if i can get boom in, i will be at the very least putting away the furry covers. j Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Westgate Posted July 31, 2019 Report Share Posted July 31, 2019 Yes John, The horse wrangler's permission is paramount and the know if a horse is used to carefully introduced booms or is skittish! Keep well away from their rear legs Also horses learn the word "action" so tell the 1stAD to use a different word mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johngooch Posted July 31, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2019 So far in initial conversations Wranglers they are OK with Booms.. They said they are trained movie horses and booms are not the kind of thing to spook them.. Further discussions to be had. Not using "Action"... Thanks Mike for that tip. Thank you all for your sage advice. Much appreciated.. j Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate C Posted July 31, 2019 Report Share Posted July 31, 2019 It's been a while but I've boom around horses a number of times. They have always been film trained horses for the hero horses. They were fine with the boom with a fluffy on, just no erratic movements. The wranglers will let you know how to work with their animals. My experience has been the AD's are more skittish about the boom being around the horse then the horse is. With non film trained horses, only ever really used in BG, so usually no cast on them, the wrangler had me and my boom spend a bit of time with the horses before hand to get them familiar with me and the furry mic. I think other members of the crew were jealous of this horsey time. Cheers Nate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syncsound Posted July 31, 2019 Report Share Posted July 31, 2019 13 hours ago, Nate C said: The wranglers will let you know how to work with their animals. Yes. Get with the wranglers/trainers and communicate early and often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johngooch Posted August 13, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2019 Update-- wranglers awesome. Have been able to boom around horses with little restriction. They had pre-silenced saddles as well. All is very well. Tough show but horses are not the worst part. Thank you all for your help. j Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.