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mixing from the trunk of a car


Jeff Wexler

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I thought at first when I saw this that Gabriela was doing that thing we all said we should not do --- riding in the trunk of a moving car. I looked more closely and I think the car may actually be being towed but she is still in the trunk.

http://cinemasound.ning.com/photo/car-scene?context=latest

-  JW

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In a previous project, there was an interior car scene(a 60's BMW) and since I had the script earlier, I asked how they would do that. ( car on a platform, windows up/down etc...). When they proposed to me to be in the small trunk of the car I laughed ( it actually sounded pretty funny) and refused. We managed to shoot it with me inside the car and not in the trunk. Now, if the shot is inside a bigger car and see that is safe for me to be there, should I think about it?

Best regards,

Marco

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Much safer. That tow truck is one of the most dangerous things I've seen in a while. No containment-- it's like a barge on wheels. Pretty insane if it's going faster than walking speed.

Once I am confident the mic placement is good I am now more comfortable than I used to be setting the rig to record and leaving it there in free-driving situations. I have enough tracks that each mic can have an additional iso at a lower level for safety. Quarter watt IFB provides at least a bit of monitoring depending on the situation.

That being said, the back of a SUV is a far cry from being in a trunk. You look pretty cozy in there, Gabi!

PG

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Hi All. I'm Clive Derbyshire, Production Sound Mixer based in London UK and this is my first post here.

I must say the photo looks pretty scary to me. Here in the UK we invariably use well designed filming towing vehicles with a nice warm/air-conditioned driving cab where I always manage to nab a seat.

But there was one occasion, shooting on an open-topped double-deck bus where I agreed on the recce (scout) to be on the lower deck. On the shoot day they delivered a bus with no towing hook, which meant the only place for the lighting generator was... with me on the lower deck. The guys tried to divert the fumes out of the bus with plastic tubes but it didn't really work and by the end of a 5-hour stint driving round and round central London I thought I was going to die! Not recommended. 

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Here in the UK we invariably use well designed filming towing vehicles with a nice warm/air-conditioned driving cab where I always manage to nab a seat.

I know what you mean. We sometimes have a proper vehicle available to shoot car scenes here in Brazil. It all depends on the budget. As you can see I look much happier on these rare occasions...

Gabi

post-795-13081508434_thumb.jpg

post-795-130815084344_thumb.jpg

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That looks like an amazing rig.  One of the nicest I have seen.  Here in LA we have a lot of insert cars of varying quality, but all are generally in good shape, come with experienced drivers, and are well equipped.

When I was in Georgia recently, we hired a Turkish driver with his insert car, which was barely more than a flatbed truck with some diamond plate on the hood, and a bit of speed rail around it.  And he was not very skilled at backing up.  Not as bare as your earlier photo, but REALLY old.  It even broke down a few times, costing some very valuable time and shots.  Amazing the money they spent to bring this guy in, when the plan was to buy a pick-up truck in Georgia and have the rigger modify it.  Would have been better and saved money.  Hindsight is 20/20, as they say.

BTW, love the shot of the LADA NIVA - I want one of those so bad!!!

Robert

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  • 3 years later...

I thought at first when I saw this that Gabriela was doing that thing we all said we should not do --- riding in the trunk of a moving car. I looked more closely and I think the car may actually be being towed but she is still in the trunk.

http://cinemasound.ning.com/photo/car-scene?context=latest

-  JW

link 404'd

Lol I want to read this.

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I won't ride in the trunk of a car. I will ride in the wayback of an SUV, that is as far as I will go. I will wire the car, set levels, hit record and wave goodbye if there is no room for me inside the vehicle. If you don't like the results, maybe production should have planned a little better when they were setting up the car shots.

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I'll take the trunk of the car any day, as long as I have some form of ventilation or fan.

 

I've laid down in the gap between the front seats and the back seats in an NYPD prop car.

 

Now imagine a 6'4", 220 lbs. man with a 664 bag trying to fit into that small gap. You can't? I thought so. Haha.

 

I don't have a picture of me in action, but there's this nice picture of me, where I got to drive the car into position for that scene :)

 

post-8621-0-48254000-1381284371_thumb.jp

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I've laid down in the gap between the front seats and the back seats in an NYPD prop car.

Mixed in that position in a VW Golf once, covered with black Molton to hide from the GoPro on the dashboard. It was a driving school's car, and the owner refused to have me riding in the trunk. Apparently in Germany trunk riding is more illegal than footspace riding without seatbelts on.

Did I mention it was the girl's first driving lesson?

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Mixed in that position in a VW Golf once, covered with black Molton to hide from the GoPro on the dashboard. It was a driving school's car, and the owner refused to have me riding in the trunk. Apparently in Germany trunk riding is more illegal than footspace riding without seatbelts on.

Did I mention it was the girl's first driving lesson?

Yikes! Well if you're posting today you obviously survived it. It's all about the commitment to the shot, right!? ;)
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I've done trunk riding too... No more. Closest I will get now is the "wayback" of an SUV, and even that is a less-optimal answer than just setting the levels with my 664 and closing the lid.

Back of SUV is the most I ever did, but I'm also 6'7" so I would probably die in most trunks. I've done the back if an SUV on a dog bed and it wasn't bad at all. We spent a few days doing driving scenes at the start of a film, so I spent a lot of time with the actors. Probably more than I've ever talked to actors. Definitely helped getting to know them and build a friendly working relationship for a very frustrating project (poor scheduling etc).

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" It's all about the commitment to the shot, right!? "

WRONG...

it is all about safety

mixing in the boot is unsafe, and no proper production would even allow it.

In my first year, I really wanted to be the hero. When production didn't know where to put me (couldnt even sacrifice their 2AC in the camera vehicle), I hid in the bed of the picture pick-up. When we were pulled over for expired tags (production had just bought the truck off craigslist), and I was given a citation by harbor police (production paid), the officer was NOT pleased to find me there. I rememer his flinching face when he saw me lying down with my gear, we were both scared. There was a prop gun, and prop marijuana in the front with the actor.

On a POS movee, there are so many bad decisions being made, it exponentially increases the chance that my bad decision to be unsafe "for the shot" will end very very badly.

best

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My face when...

Mixing on a student short.

Get in the trunk, cuz why not? No room anywhere else, no follow vehicle.

Driving all over downtown Seattle at night.

The actor is arguing on the phone for the scene (within the past two years, so it was illegal).

It starts raining. 

Director tells the actor to get on the freeway.

I call over the walkie, "We agreed to stay off the freeway."

Director, "Don't worry, we'll be careful."

Actor keeps arguing on the phone, more aggressively.

Director says, "Ok, now drive faster."

Drives faster. On the freeway. On the phone. In the rain. At night. 

http://data2.whicdn.com/images/57723814/tumblr_lhicq4qJZq1qa2c5n_large.gif

I tried calmly calling over my walkie that we shouldn't be going any faster because we'll get pulled over. 

Director says, "Don't worry, we just passed a cop and he already pulled someone else over. We're fine."

 

Needless to say, I'm never riding in a trunk again.

(Sounded great, though!)

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" It's all about the commitment to the shot, right!? "

WRONG...

it is all about safety

mixing in the boot is unsafe, and no proper production would even allow it.

 

Agreed that safety should always be first. Unfortunately I'm not YET in the level of productions that you would probably consider "proper".

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