Production Sound & Video

32 PRODUCTION SOUND & VIDEO – Spring 2021 Filmmaking has changed, and sound crews have had to adapt to new methods of working. Over the last fifteen years, one of the biggest changes we have seen is the introduction of multiple cameras on all projects. Multi-cameras used to be the domain of high-budget feature films, sitcoms, and soap operas. Production sound crews are finding multiple cameras being used on all formats and budgets, due to the lower cost of shooting digitally. This has resulted in a change to how we capture production sound, and requiring a completely different approach. Two Booms There was a time that once or twice a day, the Utility Sound Technician would swing the second boom in a wide shot to capture a line of dialog that boom one was finding it difficult to cover. Or on an over-the-shoulder of the actor whose back is to camera, mouth slightly revealed, and is likely to ad-lib or overlap the onscreen dialog. Running a second boom full time is now the only way of supplying the Dialog Editors with complete coverage on a show shooting two cameras or more. by Simon Hayes AMPS CAS THE MODERN SOUND CREW When the Director is shooting two cameras, we are going to come up against the 'wide and tight' scenario that makes getting high-quality boom dialog so difficult. It doesn't matter how many times the Director and DP promise they will use matching headroom on both cameras and not run wide and tight, it will happen regularly. The last thing a Director wants to hear is a Production Sound Mixer continually asking them to re-adjust the shot or shoot separately, even though the Sound Mixer is trying to save the original performances. Running a pair of booms means that the two Boom Ops can commit their mics to fewer cast members, allowing each to play the scene significantly closer to the frame line of the wide shot. Let's say the scene has four cast and the two Boom Operators split the coverage. They can take greater risks swinging closer to the edge of the wide frame, allowing the Sound Mixer to reduce the gain which not only reduces background noise, but also room reflections, and helps to create a closer perspective that is more likely to match the closer shot. Two booms can help when working with Directors who use multiple cameras to shoot longer sequences. Ridley Scott is well known for using three cameras, and positioning them around a set so his cast can play a whole scene and capture the coverage from three angles in a single take. The best way to cope with this shooting style is to assign a specific boom to a camera, so that it always has a microphone covering what the lens is shooting. The two Boom Operators will use a combination of these two workflows on a shot-to-shot basis, even changing from scenario one to scenario two within the same take. The two booms provide flexibility and the best chance for the Production Sound Mixer to deliver great tracks adequately covering what the cameras shoot. Outlander

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