Audio for a staged read

[IBEJohnson]

Question for anyone who feels so inclined to answer:

I'm conducting a staged read of my script. There will be an audience of about 60. The venue isn't huge, but since we are not staging a play, actors likely won't be projecting their voices as if we were. I'd like to mic the actors and/or stage for two purposes. 1), so the audience can hear every line of dialogue, and 2), because I will be filming the event and distributing it on DVD later. How would you suggest accomplishing this task? Keep in mind, I'm a screenwriter. While I have some industry resources, none are audio professionals. I prefer not to spend an arm and a leg on renting tons of equipment. Basically, I'm looking for the easy road.

Thanks!

Eric

P.S. There are 14 actors and they will be moving around the stage most likely.

 

[mainstreetprod]

If the actors are moving all over the stage, there is only one practical way to mic them and that is with wireless lavaliers (or the earworn equivilant) . Does the venue have a PA system? In that case, as long as there are 14 available channels, you would just have to plug them all into the board, configure them for 14 different channels, and tap into the board line out for your sound.

So minimum, you would need to rent 14 good wireless. You could try boundary mics and such but due to distance, the sound will be inferior.

 

[Noiz2]

Well the actors can project, that is really the only decent answer. Miced actors (over a PA) just sound awful. I spent twenty plus years in theatre and even with a good budget and high end equipment it sounds wrong. Plus you get into feedback issues etc and COST. If the actors are any good at all they will be heard quite easily in that small a crowd. For micing them a decent stereo pair of Cardioids in a SOSR (my term) setup will cover the stage (unless it's huge). It will sound like a stage, but that's what it is. The alternative is the suggestion above which will give you more of the up close movie sound, but that will conflict with the look of a staged reading so??? sort of your call.

As to SOSR (Speaker Oriented Stereo Recording). Basically you are putting mics in the positions where your speakers would ideally be for play back. Generally on a stage this means at either side close to the lip at about finger tip hight and aimed to cross center stage at about the hight of most of what you want to record. I do a lot of concerts and so I'm generally aiming at a sitting musician but for the reading I would aim more chest hight. Providing this space isn't a hollow box (in which case lavs are the only thing that is going to do much and your audience is going to have a heard time understanding what's being said no matter how loud it is) this will give you very wide stage coverage with a wide stereo image (remember to patch L/R for audience orientation not stage orientation). It is not particularly mono compatible, though with the mics so far apart it's not particularly incompatible either. The logic behind it is a different thread but it sounds great on speakers and sometimes a tad wide on headphones (but you can always dial it in a bit if that's an issue.

 

[Indywannabe]

If you want to take the easy road and it is only a reading, then set up just enough mics on stands across the stage to handle each actor in a particular scene. It may be appropriate for multiple actors to gather around to share a mic in a crowd scene.

This assumes no real action in the scene...only a group of actors stepping up to dialog.

Group them to match the scenes ahead of time or on-the-fly as the scene changes. You can have the actors move the mics/stands as they step up.

Depending on the pace, you may want two groups of mics so the next scene is ready for cut-over just as the current scene ends. Use spots to transition and of course have a sound tech to pad the mics off/on.