help! Non-sound person to do sound

D

dilmandila

Member
hello friends,

I'm being forced to do my own sound because I've failed to hire a sound guy :-) What i want to know is, is it very difficult to learn how to use a sound mixer, and boom mike? Can I learn it on one day?

I know it's not a good thing to do but i'm really in a fix and need to know!

thx!

Dilman
 
Would you hire a non-camera person to shoot your film? Would you let a non-photographer take your wedding photos?

It's a bad idea.

Now, with that said, it's not rocket science, it's a craft that can be learned, and you can become reasonably competent. Get Jay Rose's book and practice extensively.
 
Can you learn it in one day? Get real, if you could why would anyone pay professionals? Paper boy, That's a job you might be able to learn in one day.
Sorry for being harsh but phrase your question better and you will get better responses.
Like maybe "I'm SOL because I blew it and failed to hire a sound guy, is there a way I might be able to get by?".

Maybe. Depends on what your shooting and what you expect it to sound like. If your after classic low budget bad sound no problem, if your on a Doc. not great but maybe. If you want to do a narrative film with sound like you would expect if you paid to see the film, no way. And you really need to hire two sound guys not one. A mixer and a boom op. And of course some one to do post sound.
 
There are so many things that a pro will bring to the table that you probably would never think about. The first thing a good location sound guy will do is listen. What kind of noises are in each room? What can I unplug to quiet things down? Is there radio interference.

It's also an art form to move the boom silently while still getting good mic placement and staying out of the shot. It's definitely best to have two people. One for levels, monitoring, logging, and QC. The other to strictly operate the boom.

You can generally get an OK location guy in the $75-$200 a day range. Good audio will pay for itself. Audiences will forgive bad footage but bad audio will drive them nuts!
 
Well to answer your question,

It really depends. Can you do a good job by yourself? Yes. Many of the student films I work on, and I direct I have a sound operator that works with me. We are basically self trained but use Professional equipment. We have very seldomly had major issues with sound.

Once you understand how to boom someone, and how to operate the mixer - keeping levels. It is fairly straightforward on the basic level.

So yes, it is doable. And in a fix you can do it yourself. I highly doubt most of the DVXuser films have professional sound people working on set with them. Or working with dual system sound. You can do it by yourself to save costs.

I can't help you any further without knowing what mixer and mic and recorder you are using. I run a TASCAM HD to a MixPre to the ME66 Lightwave.
 
listen to the sound on IFHY. Jamie Cobb, our co-producer, was a one woman boom op/sound mixer and it was her first time. she got 30 minutes of training from the guy who donated his sound gear to our production. she did a hell of a job and i think this is about the best you could expect in such a scenario.

http://www.dvxfest.com/lovefest/loader.php?id=90036
 
Thx, everyone, for your usefull advice. What I did is I discarded the mixer and had to record directly to the camera. I've watched the rushes and sounds good so far, but it was quiet an experience and next time I plan to shoot, I'll definately have to substantially budget for two people - sound and camera! You never realise how hard it is to hold a boom until you try it!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top