Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1179544
are a very good match for the DPA lavs. The Super CMITS provide us with two AES 42 tracks from each mic, processed and unprocessed, so Nina the Dialog Editor could choose which track was more effective in post for any vocals where we used the booms. There were no inputs for the boom mics on the AD149 mixers; they were already full with the twenty-four radio mics. However, the Zaxcom Deva 24 could take their signal on its AES 42 inputs. I would rarely use the booms in the mix so it made sense to keep them completely in the digital domain, which was a huge step forward in sound quality. This resulted in another four tracks assigned to the Deva 24, our total track count was now up to thirty-three. In the end, we rarely used the booms apart from capturing the clapperboards. The radio mics sounded great, and the spotlights didn't allow booms to get close, so we prioritized the mics that sounded best for the project and they were the head worn DPA's. There are a few sporadic boomed pieces of dialog in the film and a few spot FX, but ninety-five percent of Cats was recorded on the DPA lavaliers. One question that kept coming up since my first meeting with Tom Hooper, and in multiple meetings with the produc- ers and Working Title Films, was how was I going to deal with the footfall from such dynamic choreography? This had not been resolved when we started rehearsing. I recorded a camera test and used that to start negotiating with the per- formers and with Tom. Up until this point, the cast had been rehearsing in whatever shoes they felt comfortable dancing in, knowing that their feet would generally become cats' paws in VFX. After the test shoot, I played Tom the recording and told him we needed to rethink this protocol. Tom was adamant that he did not want to do anything that limited his cast's ability to dance in the most extreme way their skills allowed. Many of the cast were professional danc- ers. Tom was concerned that if someone got injured due to wearing inappropriate footwear, it jeopardized shooting and could damage the performers' future career. We had a frank and honest conversation as I explained my issue. Also present was the brilliant Paco Delgado, the Costume Designer. If any performer opted for heavier foot- wear than they actually need- ed, it would be contributing to making the live vocals poorer. It would be coun- terproductive to go through the fantastically dif- ficult, energy- sapping process 688 -2 688 - 1 12 Channel AD149 - 1 12 Channel AD149 -2 FROM IEM WORLD FROM PRO TOOLS WORLD Stereo Atmos TO IEM WORLD CATS Recording Carts Flowchart Simon Hayes AMPS CAS - Production Sound Mixer High heel shoes treated to remove footfalls with safety for the dance