Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1491103
C A S Q U A R T E R L Y I S P R I N G 2 0 2 3 49 with is super collaborative. We all like to say it's a collaborative process, that's how we make it through the day. And then I try to have as much dialogue with the costume department as I can. If it's someone I've worked with for a while, they understand how I work and it's not usually a big deal. But when I work with a new designer, it takes a little time to get to know each other and find out how we all help each other. We always find that once we get going, we work so well together. We're always watching out for each other and they so often help us out. [For example], if we have an actor who doesn't like to be wired, they can sew the microphones into the costume and find out little techniques which really help us out. After that, I really rely on the gaffer and the key grip because they get to go to all of them. I get right in their wake as best I can, and they kind of look out for me. SF: I told a producer once, we're all like short-order cooks; we just take orders. I can make a suggestion, but that's about it. Loading the carts… JW: [Veteran boom operator] Don Coufal used to ask me to make sure when we start out that we have a lot of sound abatement stuff in the follow cart. We had several drawers just dedicated to those little things; felt pads, rubber pads, etc. And our utility person's primary job, since we weren't wiring a lot of people, was sound abatement; getting control over the set, and, occasionally, doing some second boom work. That's all changed now. The utility person is changing batteries all day, wiring everybody up, and then having to do a second boom. I got in the mode of having every [piece of equipment] on every job; I never wanted to be caught without something. So, I always made sure that the follow cart was well-stocked with everything and we had a good complement of batteries and sound abatement stuff, not knowing if we were ever going to need it or not, and then backups for most of the equipment. A lot of stuff sat on the truck and never got pulled off until wrap. TM: Jerry Yuen built an amazing follow cart that has all our wireless, all our IFB's and ComTeks, then it's got blimps, it's got Rycote softies and all sorts of different mounts, armature wire. Jerry always stocks it. It's set up in a way where we always have batteries for each of the different units, he's always pre- cut foam and moleskin, I think anything to eliminate as much time as possible when the moment is necessary. PP: [My boom op] knows what I'm going to like, so we have a lot of odds and ends in our utility cart. We have a lot of ability to plant things and do all sorts of different kinds of plants. We plant Sennheiser MKH 50's whenever we can; when we're in cars, when we're in houses, stuff like that. It's my favorite microphone, we've got a bunch of them and we like to use them! We also have all kinds of little tricks, so my utility cart is pretty crammed full of all sorts of stuff. The last couple of utility guys and gals I've had working with me have really added to my arsenal of lavs. I've got a bunch of different things I use for different people. When it's action stuff and they're rolling around, I like using Sankens. And then when it's a nice friendly costume, I'm a fan of DPA's. If I need to use a Countryman B6 to hide behind a button or almost in plain sight, I'll use it. Sometimes they're the right tool for the job. If we have to change the microphone or tool to get the job done, I'm fine with that. I'm not married to having to use one particular device. SF: I have a medium-sized van that's basically a little sound store. I can just take two Pelican cases and drop them in my SUV for stuff like an EPK or a stage job where I'm just a pair of hands. I could be doing a red carpet press thing on Monday and then a stage show for the next three days, then scripted pick-ups on Friday, and then who knows? I like it because it keeps things interesting, honestly. Clean the cables, check the connectors, make sure you've got rain boots, pack a lunch, know who to invoice. The rest of it sorts itself out. In this day and age when they want you to put a mic on anybody who has a SAG card, we're probably all doing the same sort of prep. But I jump around a lot and don't stay in one genre, so that probably makes things a little more interesting because I can take those experiences of different setups with me. It's fun, but some days I hate it. But most days I like it. Jeff Wexler CAS Phillip W. Palmer CAS