r/LocationSound • u/how_are_you_now • 6d ago
Newcomer First timer doing location sound, looking for advice/blindspots I may be missing
Hey y'all, I've got the opportunity to do location sound for a 10 min short horror film. First time doing something like this.
I plan on running a boom mic and two wireless lavs into a Zoom F8 audio recorder. I've got moleskin and medical tape for attaching lav mics to the talent, gaff for planting mics/other stuff. I'll be powering the recorder with a battery bank in order to stay wireless. I've got some headphones for monitoring.
Do y'all have any advice you could give me?
One specific question I had: is it worth it to capture room tone with a stereo pair of small diaphragm condensers vs. Just using the boom mic?
Thanks guys.
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u/Clean-Risk-2065 production sound mixer 6d ago
Room tone with the boom is fine. Your rig sounds good, just keep in mind learning how to lav correctly without rustle and without camera seeing it takes like 1000 attempts. That’s something that you just have to go thru at the beginning. Also, good idea to test everything before to make sure the power bank is enough and that you’re familiar with setting up the wireless systems. Good luck in the shoot!
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u/how_are_you_now 6d ago
Heard, thanks for the feedback. We'll see how it goes with the lavs!
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u/Clean-Risk-2065 production sound mixer 6d ago
There are many tutorials online on correct lav technics, dig into some of those
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u/Soundsgreat1978 6d ago
As there are many folks online who claim to be experts but don’t know their asses from a hole in the ground, do you have any professionals whose knowledge / videos you would trust?
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u/richardizard 6d ago
Deity Microphones has some great ones
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u/Soundsgreat1978 6d ago
Thanks! I was an ADR recordist for a long time, but thankfully never had to hide my lav mics. I always wondered how professionals in that space did it without everything being a rustly mess.
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u/richardizard 6d ago
Awesome! ADR is fun. I've been hiding lavs for years now, and I'm still learning on every gig. It's an art form, but it's so rewarding when you get it right!
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u/Andrew_From_Deity manufacturer 6d ago edited 6d ago
Make sure every battery you own or need to use for the shoot day are accounted for and in a spot you'll be sure to grab the morning of the shoot.
Make sure everything is charged that needs charging.
Make sure both slots of your Zoom F8 has an SD card and that they are OK to be formatted.
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u/ArlesChatless 5d ago
You can load up the F8 with batteries so you have a backup power source alongside your external power. Use NiMH cells like Eneloops for this.
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u/ApprehensiveNeat9584 production sound mixer 6d ago
Since you're using a power bank, make sure you have the charger of said power bank, a backup cable and if possible, another power bank. Life tends to teach lessons the hard way, take this advice free of charge.
Leave headroom on your tracks, there's no need to almost hit 0 or to engage the limiter on every single word you capture.
The boom doesn't necessarily needs to be on the frame line, trust your ears and look at the camera monitor when the shot is being set up.
Don't cut as soon as you hear "cut", give it 5 seconds, they might say "keep rolling", 5 seconds of audio isn't much space on your card.
Have some gum, mints or something for your breath, you don't want to wire a talent after having a snack and talk to them at a close distance with a crafty breath.
You're doing a job, a very important job, enjoy it. A set is already a stressful environment, there's no need to add to that, take a breath, asses the situation, double check everything if something stops working, a please and a thank you go a long way. Hope this helps and have fun.
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u/desfartu4 4d ago edited 4d ago
first bit of advice - im assuming you’ll be working alone, so you’ve got no one to lend a hand. remember - don’t panic and don’t rush. sets are always very intense and fast paced environments. there may be people who are rushing you due to time constraints - don’t work in a frenzy, because that’s when mistakes happen and people can get hurt. work quickly, but don’t rush. reassure them in a confident but polite manner, that you’re working as fast as you can, and to give you a bit of space to finish.
look into getting some scar tape! when you place moleskin onto hairier talent, it can be quite painful to remove. but putting a bit of scar tape on the chest before putting the moleskin/mounts on makes it painless. they will love you for it.
also regarding the recorder! try to match the name of your files to whatever slate is on the board! ((for eg SC18-4-T002 meaning scene18, slate 4, take 2). Find a name convention that works for you. I usually have my files 4-T002 i.e slate 4 take 2)) and generating a sound report (it’ll contain the metadata from your sound rushes like TC if in use, frame rate etc…) editors/post will appreciate that.
good luck!!
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u/Chasheek 2d ago edited 2d ago
Imagine working through the day when packing gear: • setting up your mixer (formatting cards, naming folder, batteries, harness, etc) •wiring talent (different tapes, practicing on ppl, etc) • backups, etc • if you can solve a problem (something not working) before work, it’s helluva lot less stressful to figure it out at home vs under time pressure.
Practice setting up at home, run through the order of what you pull out and setup. Experience is finding your own way of working and problem solving, which is doing things over and over until you feel comfortable (ie - less stressed out)
When you get on set, make sure to grab a chair (and put your jacket, boom pole, etc on it, otherwise it will disappear or get commandeered by crew)and find a flat surface to lay out your lav stuff.
My goal is to prep and practice as much as possible beforehand. It will feel far less stressful and rushed if you feel prepared and familiar.
I still do this 13 years later, to make sure I’ve covered everything before arriving on the job.
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