Recording Audio in Prison

R

RossS

Active member
I am an audio neophite, but I am going to shoot a documentary in a high-security prison and will be unable to bring a "soundie" with me on the shoot. The area that concerns me most is shooting a round table (no real table, just sitting in a circle) discussing with 8-12 inmates. As you can imagine, it's hard floors, hard walls, hard ceiling. I'm shooting with an HVX200. Should I use both a shotgun on cam and set an Oktava MK-012 on the floor in the middle of the circle? Any suggestions from guys who know what they're talking about is better than me guessing! Thanks for all input.
 
What other mics do you have at your disposal? is there a budget for hiring gear? If all you have is a shotgun and oktava then i'd suggest the shotgun on the cam (can't believe I just said that) and suspending the oktava in the middle of the circle. If you are allowed to lay down some carpet that would be beneficial too. If there is no place to neatly hang the mic use a boom on a c-stand.
 
8 to 12 people in a prison cell type room having a discussion an you won´t have a sound person with you???
How do you even do the camera?
When people start talking opposite and next to each other and back and forth, are you just gonna wave around the camera trying to catch the one speaking?
I´d at least have a second HVX on a tripod, doing some kind of establishing/widesshot at the round, this could also give you four mics on stands in a north/south/east/west position, sound will still be far from optimal, but at least you get some kind of "selectiveness"...
I hope the gurus here will have a better answer, anyhow all the best and good luck!
 
you can ask the psison if they would aloow you use one of the residents as a boom person - better tghen nothing , if not - 2 cardioids in the midle in x/y position from bellow
also you can bring external recorder as zoom and place another par in the midle .
 
Having an extra camera, laying carpet, etc. all good ideas, but not doable. The prison, for obvious reasons, is very restrictive in terms of what/who comes in to the facility, especially in the maximum security area. Shooting will be a challenge, and as pointed out, I will most likely have to go off the shoulder and suffer with a great deal of swish pans, etc. (but what an opportunity to hear these guys talk!). In terms of the shotgun/Oktava set-up, will I be better served to use 2 Oktavas in an A-B set-up? And would they be better positioned on the floor or trying to suspend them on stands with booms? I'm certain there is no way to suspend anything from the ceiling.
 
Hm,
if this is maximum security, maybe they won´t let you put up anything...?
I mean a mic boom would be a perfect instrument to shatter someones head to pieces;o)...
Maybe you should just post what you ARE aloud and what not (I suppose you already know), then people can give you better advice...
Also perhaps just try to reduce the amount of people being in the round, hell 6 people for one camera still is too much IMHO...
So aren´t you allowed to bring a soundperson/2nd camera person or doesn´t the budget allow it...?
 
the only problem with position on the flor is that it may be in frame from time to time , but it would act better as people usially speaking down with thei had and would pick up less reflection .

place the peopel close as posible in half ball position place the octavas so each will pick up more then half of the people .

carpet is also good thing .
 
Having toured with a theatre show that played a number of high security prisons I was sort of surprised by what was and wasn't OK. We went through kill zones and metal detectors to get in, then they pointed down the hall and told us where the theatre was and we were on our own! Other than out right weapons they didn't seem to care much. But then we were a show so the rules are probably a bit different. One option might be a PXM or two either on the floor or on a table in the center.
 
I would suggest talking to the prison again. I have shot at two maximum security prisons three times with zero problems getting a crew in there. At one they even had one of our women remove her bra to show the underwire. Even these super max prisons will let a crew in as long as you get the paperwork done beforehand.

You might meet resistance but without even knowing the prison I guarentee you you can get another crew member in there. One guy aint gonna cut it.

Good luck
 
Assuming I can get another person in there, what would be the suggestion for audio plan. One of the concerns of our Exec. Prod. is that the inmates are less likely to "open up" the more people that we bring into the room.
 
i will still sudgest you live the stereo setup on the flor with external recorder
as in multyply conversation you also like to hear the off camera voices since the boom never wikll reach every one
and get sanken cs-3 from the top on the boom
 
RossS said:
One of the concerns of our Exec. Prod. is that the inmates are less likely to "open up" the more people that we bring into the room.
Click to expand...

I have done a lot of broadcast news. One thing i've seen is that people who agree to go on camera have something to say and want to be heard. Its up to the producer to pull it out or ask the questions that engage the other. Once that starts going, it doesnt matter how many people or who are in the room. They laugh, cry and tell their stories
 
RossS said:
Assuming I can get another person in there, what would be the suggestion for audio plan. One of the concerns of our Exec. Prod. is that the inmates are less likely to "open up" the more people that we bring into the room.
Click to expand...

First the inmates have to "open up" among themselves!
It´s already like 10 people in one room, not a one person taking head, isn´t it?
I guess that not everyone in there is good friend with each other...
But then Oleg is right, you probably want extra mics to catch up anything unpredictable and let the soundguy boom the main talk...
Now if you could bring in a second cam, think HV20, rigged to a lightstand or better boomed from almost top view doing an "anytime wideshot", you should be set...
 
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