DIY Generator Blimp?

[Jim Brennan]

Anyone ever tried one? I know some portable gennie's run louder than others, so we are on the lookout for a quiet one. Just wondering if anyone has had any success blimping one on their own.

[David G. Smith]

We built a blimp with three sheets of plywood and sound blankets and it helped. We were shooting in a small town downtown and we had a small generator, I don't remember the specs, but it was no bigger than a household emergency generator. It was around the corner of a row of store fronts, about a half a block from the outdoor set. We put together three sheets of plywood, covered with sound blankets and a sound blanket over the top. The third side was situated so that it pointed out into an open area, out over a river. It cut the sound of the generator down enough that all of the audio was usable, I could still hear it in quit parts of the production tracks, but it was real low and was covered by some effects ambiance.

[ggrantly]

Jim,

You can buy generators that have sound enclosures, but they do run the cost up quite a bit. These are usually made of aluminum sheet with sound absorbing foam attached.

Though they don't have a true sound enclosure, the inverter series Hondas are really quiet. They come in a few sizes 1kw to 3kw I believe. They are a little pricey compared to some, but they are top flight. I have the 1kw, and you can literally carry on a normal conversation standing right next to it.

If you do a DIY, be careful to not block the cooling of the unit. And, if using wood and blankies, be careful to avoid FIRE.

Grant