Any experience with miking talents in bikini for drama ?

[jimmycat]

I have a coming series with some scenes where all female talents are in bikinis having dialogues near a swimming pool. Fortunately, they won't go into the water, but that's the only good thing. The bikini is a big trouble. It's a drama, so if talents are being wired, obviously the lavs are to be hidden, which I doubt can be done. What's worse is that it's a two-cam shoot . If the framing strategy is one for wide, the other for tight all the time, I'm worried that both boom mics won't be able to go close enough.

Anyone been in the same situation? 

[Derek H]

Don’t panic! You’ll just have to wait and see I think. It could be possible to hide a very small transmitter in the hair but that would definitely not be anyone’s first choice. A wire can likely be carefully hidden behind bikini straps to route the capsule under the edge of a bra cup. Maybe this is obvious but don’t try to do this yourself! Definitely have a costumer assist. A conversation with costumes dept before the day of the scene would be a good thing to do. Show them the transmitters and wires you intend to hide. They may have ideas you haven’t thought of. 
 

During the scene a lot will depend on the blocking. If you never see one side of their body for example or they’re seated maybe you can find ways to hide the transmitter just out of sight. Especially for the wide shots. Just take it shot by shot and realize you may need to adjust the setup for each new shot. It’s not a reality show where you can’t adjust between takes. The wires don’t have to be good for the entire scene just one shot at a time. Though try not to burn out the actors and ADs by having to adjust after each take. There’s a balance. 
 

When it’s time for close ups you may have to make your case against wide and tights to the director and DP and get them on your side (which is really their side too). At a minimum they should be able to do shots with matching headroom on the tightest shots. 

When you are able to get a boom over them your mic choice will also be critical depending on the environment. 

 

And if all else fails and no one will cooperate to help you out then they can ADR it. I wouldn’t lose sleep over it.

[BAB414]

Talk to the director and DP and explain that you have to get boom on it and that wide and tight is not an option if you want useable dialogue in the closeups. The wide by itself will sound like what it looks like with the boom just out of frame, and then shoot the tighter coverage separately. That's all it is. Plant mics might also be employed, hidden behind set dressing.

 

If you had to wire it, if they are sitting, possibly do a B6 in the hair or in the bikini top if it allows, and then run the transmitter behind them.

 

Sometimes, in rare cases where the planets align, you can even get a plate of the wide (if it's truly locked off with nothing moving in the background) and then bust the frame to get the mic closer.

[Rick Reineke]

The mics are easy to hide, especially a B6, the cable and Tx is another story.

[Derek H]

2 minutes ago, Rick Reineke said:

The mics are easy to hide, especially a B6, the cable and Tx is another story.

yup, also wind protection. Which would be a must on the beach. Though he said swimming pool so that’s better I guess. 

[Philip Perkins]

Any hats involved?  Good place for a TX.  The main thing to get across to production is that if they want to go wide and tight then there is no wiring solution for all of the talent that will work for all of the angles all of the time.  You'll have to keep moving the TX to the off cam sides of the actors through the scene.  Ergo....doesn't a boom or 2 sound like a faster way to go??

 

[leo153]

If you can find our where to get them, reality shows like Naked and Afraid & Survivor use micro wireless hidden in a neck piece. 

 

 

I looks like you still need a bag of one sort for the battery...

[Wandering Ear]

Some good suggestions above. If they want wide and tight I would also consider talking with production, post, and dp about breaking frame and having vfx paint out the boom. Seems like a perfect situation where a small cost of vfx could really be worth it to preserve the original performance. Sometimes a boom paint is cheaper than adr too.  You just have to make sure everyone is on board and on the same page and do your diligence to make sure you don’t cross talent, motion, or difficult backgrounds that will make it hard for post later. 

[Alien]

As mentioned above try to talk the DP and Director out of a double camera shot so you can boom. It will be faster and better in Post. If it must go wireless, talk with wardrobe about the costumes and also Props/Set Deck with what the scene looks like. Plant mics can work surprising well.

 

FYI. On the beach Survivor uses booms only. During challenges and Tribal wires as normal.

[syncsound]

It might also be worth a conversation with director, DP, and wardrobe. There might be the option of "cover up" tops, or some other light shirt.

[Bob K]

I would think the answer would involve padded-bra type bikini tops.  (Each actress would appear to have larger breasts.)  The padding would need to be modified to fit a transmitter, bearing in mind that the tops must look real and still be comfortable.  You would need to work with the wardrobe people well in advance of the shoot.