Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1179544
microphones on the set, or install radio mikes on the talent, takes many hundreds of hours of actually listening to various mikes in various situations, so I can't explain that here. Especially when starting out, a good, experienced boom operator is an absolute necessity. I would give them part, most, or even all of my salary to augment their pay on some of the low-budget exploitation films I cut my ears on. 2. 9% of recording good sound is the control of extraneous/unwanted noises. There are three main problem areas: 1. ambient sounds; 2. noise made by equipment (e.g., cameras, lights, and dollies); and 3. noise made by sets, props, and wardrobe (e.g., creaky floors, footsteps, dish and glassware rattles, and clothing rustle). I can help you with that, but in another article. 3. 1% of recording good sound is twiddling the knobs on your gear. Again, fodder for another article. (Well, not necessarily these exact three percentages, but you get the idea.) NO JOB IS TOO SMALL FOR ME Some feature-movie mixers consider it "beneath them" to work on TV movies, commercials, documentaries, reality shows, etc. I work on any kind of show I can get, because there are various advantages, including a certain "cross-fertilization" that occurs, which improves my abilities on all the other production types. 1. I learn certain "quick 'n' dirty" procedures are applicable to any shoot, e.g., a gel rattling in the wind can be quickly stopped by stretching a bungee cord (or two in series) across it and wedging a plastic drinking cup between them. (But check for any shadows it might throw on the set.) 2. Less-critical projects allow for "experimenting." If I encounter a problem when I'm on a major feature, and I know a method to solve it that will produce "good-enough" sound, I can't afford to take a chance trying something new that might provide better sound, but also might fail and require ADR. On a documentary, even such a "failure" will still be acceptable—and if the method succeeds, I know I can use it on features the next time. 3. More than once, someone I worked for on a non- feature job, or an el-cheapo exploitation film, has gotten me on a "big" show. 4. Some of these shoots turn out to be much more interesting and/or fun than I anticipated. On the reality show, The Jim Henson Creature Shop Challenge, I acquired a new girlfriend. 5. Most of them require much more physical activity than just sitting at my cart hour after hour, and help me keep in shape. Although I'm a senior citizen, I'm not an invalid, and can still run around with a 35-pound kit bag strapped to my chest. (Also from the The Jim Henson shoot.) 6. Even internet movies and shorts produced with extremely-low budgets now can be completely "professional," with camera cranes and full lighting/grip packages. They often provide the opportunity to work from a bag throughout, although I do bring a chair for the long dialog scenes that aren't walk-and-talk. She has such a lovely… er, voice I don't need no stinkin' gym