I hate recording....

[Sam Kashefi]

worst part of my job is to deal with assistant directors.

i was recording in a Formula 1 Racing Control room , with 4 AC splitters on.

told AD 100 times to shot them down , but he kept saying its okay , director is listening and

if he notice  bad audio , he'll let us know . lazy ass people , they wont contribute on the set unless someone yell at them to do it.

also

recording Separate voice over of talent , after shooting sync sound , Just in case if they want to Use cleaner version!

how the hell you want to sync stuff with picture later on !? don't be smart , Pay a bit , get the guy and record in proper studio

if u want to !

[carbonhobbit]

...in 25 plus mile per hour wind. The audio is just fine, but the wind thru the leaves and grass sounds like you're on the beach and then the wind gets stronger. They love the visual so much, they just won't give it up and you know they won't bring them in for ADR and then cuss you out because they can't get the audio right. It sounds too windy. Some days I just want to throw my hands up in dispair.

[studiomprd]

" worst part of my job is to deal with assistant directors. "

not the good ones!

[Peter Mega]

Ok, so this show I'm doing at the moment has 24 contestants. In amongst them are pretty much everything thats been mentioned here.

We have a couple of chest hitters, 2 x low talking mumbler's, a screamer, a contsant boob/bra adjuster and a few who seem to think de-micing themselves before we get to them is ok.

Also, one location we turned up at, the electrics dept puts the generator outside the window of the room we're shooting in. He says to me, "if its too loud tell me now and I'll move it or forever hold your peace."

Why put it there in the first place?

You know I'm going to say its too noisy and to move it. Come on man, how long have you been doing this for?

The supposedly silenced generator was so loud, you could hardly hear someone talking when standing 5 metres away from it.

People really have no idea how a microphone works, they pick up everything. Just because our brains have the ability to tune out background noises, doesn't mean the microphone does!!

Bit of a rant, sorry, but these things never cease to amaze me.

Cheers

Peter Mega

[Jon Gilbert]

Two things ring true with me from previous threads, Boom touchers I hate, they only get one warning! And people who take their own mic off, despite me trotting out the usual lines when I'm attaching it about how I'll be over as soon as we're done with it to take it off etc etc.

[Philip Perkins]

Two things ring true with me from previous threads, Boom touchers I hate, they only get one warning! And people who take their own mic off, despite me trotting out the usual lines when I'm attaching it about how I'll be over as soon as we're done with it to take it off etc etc.

The 2nd time someone does this it gets reported to production along with a warning about what the list price of a lav mic is.  Mics that get repeatedly "worked" by impatient amateurs become unreliable very fast.  I put this in the same category as informing production about what I'm going to charge them for a Comtek set that doesn't turn up by the end of the day.  It seems to focus their attention....

phil p

[Tom Maloney]

Two things ring true with me from previous threads, Boom touchers I hate, they only get one warning! And people who take their own mic off, despite me trotting out the usual lines when I'm attaching it about how I'll be over as soon as we're done with it to take it off etc etc.

As far as people taking off their own mic, I tell them I am using a vampire clip and if they touch it incorrectly it will possibly stick them and it hurts worse than a snake bite

Tom

[Jon Gilbert]

I've had people  complain to me when the the vampire clip bites them when they try and de-mic themselves, despite the warnings.

Just about everybody in the production, with the exception of 'Us' seem to be blissfully unaware of the value of a lav mic!

[Cory Kaseman]

  I've had people  complain to me when the the vampire clip bites them when they try and de-mic themselves, despite the warnings.

 

  Just about everybody in the production, with the exception of 'Us' seem to be blissfully unaware of the value of a lav mic!

 

People assume that small things have little monetary value.  Especially small things which are made of plastic, like lav mics.

For a while, I kept losing lav clips on set, because actors would un-wire themselves and either knock the clips off, or set them somewhere and just forget.  Now, I try to make it a point to let people know the things cost $10-15 each or more and to please try real hard not to lose them.  They're always quite surprised and invariably follow up by asking how much the lav itself costs.

They almost never believe me when I tell them.  "But... but... I just bought a netbook for less than that!  There's no way!"

I actually had one actor who was being pretty rough on a transmitter and the lav as well.  I told him to take it easy cause they're pricy to replace.  He said, "What; this little bitty box with a wire on it?  Can't cost more than $40, right?"  I told him the actual value and he turned white.  Turned out that tx was worth more than his car.  He was pretty careful with it after that.

[Adam Douglass]

Not exactly recording specific but one thing that sends me into a rage every time is someone touching my boom pole. Trying to grab the mic so they can pull it to their mouth and talk to me, taping the back of the pole to get my attention, or a camera op trying to push it out of their way.

This.

...when they say "just wire 'em all"

This.

 

I might add that I hate it when talent or contestants or anyone takes the radio mic off when myself or another soundie is not around.

And this.

I hate all those things.

The 2nd time someone does this it gets reported to production along with a warning about what the list price of a lav mic is.

I think I might have to start doing that.

[mikewest]

The local approach by young 'actors" is to whisper

I recorded a movie where I had to deal with two whisperers and two norma in fact loud actors - not easy!

Worked on an ill fated season (ran out of money) and one bit part actor always jiggled when he delivered

dialogue, so I would bring up his radio mike just before his line and always heard this rustling sound !!!

Otherwise I've often found French actresses to be inconsistent in level and delivery direction and level.

I have prepared a lecture for actors about sound and their job - TRUE

mike

www.mikewestgatesound.co.nz

[Bob Marts]

Regarding quiet actors --

Over the years I have occasionally had to resort to my stock statement to the ones who refuse to speak up:

"The only reason that you are speaking is so that I can record you".

Bob Marts

[Marc Wielage]

"The only reason that you are speaking is so that I can record you".

I'm going to turn that into a T-shirt and sell it!

Along with Frank Scibella's line (which I stole for my cartoon):

"If the sound is good, the picture will look better."

--Marc W.