Setting Up

Handheld Mics

Because they’re usually omnidirectional, handheld mics need to be placed close to your subject to ensure that they record more of your subject than anything else. Handheld mics can be placed on a microphone stand, either a tall, floor-standing device or a small desktop stand. Your talent should not speak directly into the top of the mic; rather, tilt the mic at about a 30° angle.

Windscreens

No matter what type of mic you’re using, you might need a windscreen—a foam covering that slips over your mic—to cut out the sound of wind, or particularly breathy voices. Some camcorders include an electronic windscreen, which automatically cuts out certain frequencies to reduce wind sounds. Although these features can work well, they can also cut out more frequencies than you might want. You’ll need to test in your particular situation to ensure that it’s not degrading the quality of your audio.

Lavalier Mics

For feature film production, you’ll usually do more than simply clip a lavalier onto someone’s collar or tie. To keep the microphone invisible, you’ll most likely want to hide it under the talent’s clothing, or somewhere on the set—in a plant, on the dashboard of a car, or on a prop. In these cases, try to choose a location that’s roughly at mouth level to the actor and in the direction in which the actor will be speaking. For close-ups, the easiest way to hide a mic is simply to place it out-of-frame. Wherever you attach a lavalier, consider the following:

nTry to position the mic so that it sits about 8 to 12 inches from the performer’s mouth.

nAs the speaker turns her head back and forth, she might tend to speak more or less into the microphone, making her voice get louder or softer. When attaching her mic, try to predict which direction she will favor and place the mic on that side. For example, if the actor will be “cheating out” a bit to stay open to the camera when talking to someone on her right, then her head will probably be turned a little to the right side. Place the mic more to that side of her body. The clip on most lavaliers is reversible, making it easier to clip the mic in one direction or another.

nIf you’re trying to hide the mic inside of clothing, you’ll need to make sure that it doesn’t rub against skin or clothing when the actors move, as this will create extremely loud noise. With some cleverly placed gaffer’s tape, you can usually secure the mic and any surrounding clothing. If the talent is moving a lot, or wearing tight clothes, a lav mic might not be the best choice.

nAfter clipping the mic to a shirt, arrange the cable, as shown in Figure 8.14 (obviously, we’re not concerned about hiding the mic in this shot, but you’ll want the same cable arrangement, even if it’s inside someone’s shirt). With the cable looped as shown in the figure, the sound of cable bumps or movements will not be conducted up the cable to the microphone.

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Figure 8.14

When placing a lavalier mic, make sure that the mic cable is secured to prevent cable noise and bumps.

nRun the rest of the cable down the inside front of the talent’s shirt and around the waist to the back.

nFor most work, you’ll need to attach the connection end of the mic cable to a cable extension. These couplers are usually large and just a little bit heavy. Place the connector in the subject’s back pocket or attach it to his waistband using gaffer’s tape, clothespins, or binder clips. If clipping the cable, be careful that the clip is not so strong that it damages the cable.

nOnce you’ve wired the talent, let them move around to test their freedom of movement. Make certain that your rigging holds. When you test the level of the mic (more on this later), make sure that you’ve positioned the mic well to get the best recording of their voices. You might need to move it.

nIf you’re using a wireless lavalier, then you’ll need to test the reception of your system. Make sure that you’re getting a clean signal on your receiver. Noise or other interference might be caused by cell phones, other pieces of equipment, or any large transmitters that might be in the area. In addition to the difficulty in keeping the transmitter hidden, wireless lavs are also prone to picking up static when the actor’s clothes move across the antenna.

Wireless lavaliers can also be confused by transmitter reflections, wherein the transmitter’s signal, and reflections of that signal, are both picked up by the receiver. Moving the receiver can often alleviate these troubles.

Shotgun Mics

Because they’re usually very directional, it’s crucial that you pay attention to what a shotgun mic is pointed at. This means taking note of not just your foreground elements, but your background as well.

For example, if there is a shotgun mic attached to your camera, it will be pointed at your subject when you’ve framed him or her with the camera. Unfortunately, it will also be pointed at everything behind your subject. Whether it’s other sounds, or an echo-producing wall, there will be little differentiation between the sounds of your foreground and the sounds of your background. Because you can always add background sound in postproduction, your primary concern when recording is to get good audio from your foreground elements. Consequently, a shotgun mic mounted on your camera is not the ideal shotgun setup. Although fine for stand-up interviews where the subject is directly in front of your camera, a camera-mounted shotgun is a bad choice for recording dialogue.

A better choice is to mic your scene from above with the microphone pointed down toward the ground. The easiest way to do this is to attach the mic to a fishpole or boom and have it held in position by a boom operator. A fishpole is a long, telescoping pole with a superor hypercardioid mic attached to one end. The boom operator holds the mic above the performer and tries to keep the mic as close to the performers as possible, without letting it dip into the shot. Because the mic is above the performers and pointed down toward the ground, there is little or no background noise for it to pick up. Consequently, you’ll get a very clean recording of just your actors. In addition, this type of miking affords your cast much more freedom to move around without worrying about hitting a microphone or tripping over a cable. Because it’s overhead, the mic will also pick up a good mix of footsteps, prop sounds, and other environmental noises that will make for a richer soundtrack. For almost all situations, a fishpole or boom mic will be the best miking option.

(Although people will use the terms boom and fishpole interchangeably, technically a boom is a beefed-up version of a fishpole and is usually only used in a studio situation. Booms are typically much larger than a fishpole, with a capacity to extend a mic over 100 feet. Frequently hydraulically controlled, they’re not the sort of apparatus the independent filmmaker will take on location.)

Operating a mic fishpole can be difficult work. In addition to the physical strain of holding a long pole overhead for hours at a time, the boom operator must be very focused and diligent to ensure that the best sound is recorded. Remember, because the microphone that is used is typically very directional, even a little mic movement can change the quality of the sound. Moreover, if your subjects are moving, boom operation gets even more difficult.

Listen Up!

The boom operator must wear a set of headphones to monitor the audio that is being recorded!

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In addition, consider the following:

nProperly rig the pole. Although you can try to get away with a makeshift pole, a commercial boom has a number of advantages. First, a shock-resistant mount attaches the mic to the pole and reduces noise from the boom itself. In addition, in a professional boom pole, the inside of the pole will often be insulated to reduce sound conduction along the length of the pole. To keep the cable from slapping against the pole, you’ll want to hold it taut against the pole when in use, and you’ll need to secure any cable slack at the end of the pole to ensure that the cable doesn’t slide or move. Professional boom poles come with clips to hold the mic cable against the pole (Figure 8.15).

Figure 8.15

A typical boom kit with collapsible boom pole, microphone holder, and windscreen.

nMounting the mic. Although the mic will be pointed at the actors, don’t forget that directional mics pick up sounds from the side and back as well as the front. Therefore, be aware of where other parts of the microphone are pointing. In some situations, you might need to angle the mic to ensure that it’s not picking up sounds from other directions.

nDirectional mics are more susceptible to wind noise than other types of mics are. You might need a special “blimp” or “zeppelin” style windscreen (see Figure 8.16).

nChoose the right amount of extension for the shot. How long your pole will need to be depends on how wide the shot will be. For most feature work, a pole between 8 and 15 feet will be adequate. Experiment with the mic and pole before shooting to learn where its center of gravity is and what is most comfortable. To be able to grip the pole more toward its center, you might want to extend the pole farther than you actually need for the shot. This will provide a more balanced grip. Many poles have locking mechanisms at each extension. Extending to a point just short of these locks will usually make for a stronger pole.

nChoose your position. Make sure that you choose a position that affords you access to the entire shot, allows you to get the mic as close to the subject as possible, and isn’t so uncomfortable that you’ll be unable to do your job.

Figure 8.16

A supercardioid mic and windscreen.

nWatch your grip. Remember, noise from your hands—scraping, drumming, and so forth—can be transmitted up the pole to the mic, so you want to get a good grip on the mic before you start shooting and then hold it for the duration of the shot. Gloves are often a good idea in extreme temperatures, both for comfort and to eliminate the sound of your skin sticking to the metal pole.

nHolding the pole. The pole should be held parallel to the ground with your arms straight up, close to your head, and your elbows locked. Microphone poles aren’t too heavy, and you should be able to hold this position for a while. Your lead arm will act as a fulcrum for the mic, while your trailing arm can be used to steer. From this position, you can quickly get the mic into the right position. In addition to tilting the pole around, you might need to spin the pole to point the microphone in the right direction. Make sure that your grip and stance allow for all the motions you’ll need.

nPositioning the mic. Remember: if you’re a boom operator, your job is to get the best audio possible, and this means getting the microphone close to your subject! Don’t be shy, get the mic in as low and close as you can. Depending on the framing of the shot, your mic can be a few inches to a few feet above the talent’s head. Although you might screw up some takes by dipping the mic into the shot, this is better than discovering later that the audio is lousy because the mic was too far away. To make the mic easier to see in the frame, use a brightly colored windscreen or place a bright-colored label on the front of the windscreen.

nBooms don’t have to be held above your subject. Remember that you can also hold your mic boom below your subject and point it upward. This is often easier on your boom operator, and sometimes less intimidating to your talent (particularly in a documentary shoot). However, if you’re outdoors or in a high-ceilinged room, overhead positioning will probably sound a little better. Have your sound person do some tests before committing to a particular boom positioning.

nAdjusting for echo. If the surface that you’re standing on is hard tile or stone, there is a chance that it will reflect sound back up toward the microphone. In your mic tests, if your sound is a little too “echoey,” consider putting cardboard, carpet, or some other sound-absorbing surface on the floor, below the frame.

nTalk to your director and cinematographer! You’ll need to maintain good communication with both of these people to ensure that you’re not letting the mic enter the frame, and to remind them that you’re only trying to get the best audio you can. With all the troubles present on a shoot, it’s easy for nerves to get a little frayed. Stay in communication with the rest of your crew to ensure that everyone stays calm.