Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1380878
26 PRODUCTION SOUND & VIDEO – Summer 2021 Sennheiser MKH416, with foam, was my mic of choice, for a few reasons. It has less of a rich sound than some other shotguns, which is advantageous in the potentially noisy environment that exists in a tank. Movement and bubbles from the camera op and other crew all creates noise. I put the foam on the mic because it adds just enough bulk so you can fit a non-lubricated condom over it. I actually used three condoms in this build, and then wrapped the end at the connection point between mic and XLR, with a combo of butyl, rescue tape, and gaff tape. A great thing about the 416 is that it can sustain water damage and after being dried out, will still work perfectly, with saltwater being the exception. The mic was now fully waterproof, but it floated. Hand-holding the mic underwater wouldn't work, as any movement created terrible handling noise, and we wouldn't be able to get the mic close enough to the cast due to the size of the shot. My Boom Operator Frank Barlow, who had flown in from London to join our team, managed to find a one-meter-long piece of metal, pencil-sized in diameter. He taped the now-ridiculous- looking mic to one end, wrapping the cable along the length of metal, and bending the final few inches into a curved handle. We now had a very crude boom pole, and a way to point and move the mic underwater with minimal handling noise. My happiest moment arrived a few takes after implementing the "hydrophone." The cast was screaming underwater, even talking at times, and from across the stage, I heard Jude exclaim, "This is amazing! I can hear everything under the water!" Mission accomplished. I pride myself on being prepared and having what supplies I need to get a job done. But unfortunately, while I brought a good number of non-lubricated condoms with me, I had underestimated how many I would go through. I realized I was going to need more with two weeks left in the shoot. No problem, as I figured that was something we could source in Bangkok. I approached our Thai Production Coordinator and explained to him that I was going to need him to find me some non-lubricated condoms. He gave me a look like I had just asked him to buy me, well, condoms. I explained that I use them to waterproof the mic transmitters and this was a completely legitimate work purchase! And they needed to be non-lubricated as I didn't want to get lube on my expensive gear. He didn't seem entirely convinced, and then went on to tell me that there are no non-lubricated condoms in Bangkok. I couldn't believe him, said that can't be true, and if he could please try looking, I would really appreciate it. The next day, our Thai UPM found me and confirmed what I had been told by our Coordinator. They looked, and it was true: non-lubricated condoms are not sold in Bangkok. But not to worry, they had purchased some lubricated ones, and several members Owen Vaccaro as Casper, Kea Peahu as Pili, Alex Aiono as Ioane, Lindsay Watson as Hana in Finding 'Ohana. Photo: Jennifer Rose Clasen/Netflix © 2021