Lav on a head turn

L

lhdor

Well-known member
We filmed a talk show style scene the other day. We had the host wear a wireless mic under his collar. It came out clean, my only issue is that his voice sounds a little far away when he turns to the camera to introduce himself and the show, compared to when he his faceing straight on to the guest.
How would you mic the host in this situation?

Thank you
 
First, what kind of lav mic were you using? This is very symptomatic of a cardioid lav. Omni is the rule for TV and film lavs.

Also, center is better.* If you have it under the collar on one side, depending on where it is, the response will change if the subject turns his/her head away from the mic.

*except in the case where the lav is hidden inthe hair, in a wig, or mounted over the ear, in which case the mic is always in the same relative position to the mouth no matter which way the head turns.
 
Make sure you use an omni mic and put it on the collar the side where he turns to - so if he turns to the right to look at the camera, put it on the right collar.
 
I try to get the lav as centered as possible... OR you can do it like they do in live theater... get the mic in the hair (not likely for your situation)... or if you've got something like a B6 (small lav)... it can poke out invisibly, just above the talent's ear. The reason that's done is because while it may not sound as good as having the lav closer to the mouth... at least the sound of the lav never changes with any head movements.

For normal setups (let me put it this way... if you have national talent... a celebrity... you 'aint fixing a lav onto the back of his ear)... I always ask which way the talent will face and what his actions will be. Of course this doesn't always work out, but at least you can plan for it.

I could say a lot more about this subject, but the best thing I can tell you is to notice what type of mics are used and how they're used... in all the various TV you watch. The reason you see things set up like you do is because that's what works the best.

Think about all the talk shows with the host holding a stick-mic of some kind... they are aware of their own responsibility for the sound... or news reporters at a desk... even if they talk to the other reporter, they turn their whole body to them... they don't look over their shoulder to say something.

In another words... the only way to be sure is two lavs on two channels mixed down to one... or a lav plus stick or boom... or talent that understands how sound works through your explanation of the mic placement (unless he/she is experienced and already knows)... and in the event that both of those scenarios aren't reasonable, your best bet is to go with the previous advice of trying to get the mic as centered as possible.
 
I have a omnidirectional lavaliere.

Thank you gentlemen, great advice here. I will have to give the host a swivel chair so he can turn his whole body next time. I showed him how the audio came out so he know exactly what I am talking about.
 
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