waiting for sound...

D

dre83

Veteran
A funny thing I've experienced:

When I had to fix something for sound (putting batteries in the transmitter or fix something to the recorder or mixer or waiting for an airplane...) everyone is nicely waiting.

But then suddenly when it's ok for sound, everyone else suddenly has suddenly something to do...suddenly...

The director "oooh, yes, Mike, just do this and that and this". Then the lightguy's suddenly have to move a lamp. The art-director has to do something.

How come they can't do it while they were waiting ?

Anyone got some experiences like this ?
 
Why aren't YOU changing the batteries while THEY are moving a light or make up is doing a touch up? Goes both ways. ;)
I doubt they are purposely out to get you. People need to adjust things when they notice them.

I understand the light nature of the thread of course but I just recently was on a commerical shoot at an intersection with
very loud chirping sounds (for the visual impaired) at the cross walks. We had 45 seconds of chirps and then literally 16 seconds of silence then back to the chirps.
Production waited every time for those 16 seconds! When the silence started every person on location froze/ got quiet. It was kinda nice for a change ;)
 
it's not literary..... ok, forget the example of changing batteries...and the soundrecorder.

Let' stay with the example: "waiting till the airplane is gone"...

Americans do take things to literary sometimes :-p
 
ok, other example... A place where a lot of airplanes or flying over... between 2 airplanes there's 3minutes.

So: airplane gone = silence everyone = not the time for suddenly move stuff and give directing instructions while there was time to do that during the airplane flying over...

I hope it's a bit more "I do change batteries on time acting thing stuff you know what I mean..."

Just puzzle the above post in this one to figure it out.
 
dre I got it the first time which is why I posted the story about the chirping cross walks and that the set actually got quiet.

As far as why they do it, I can't help you.
 
dre83 said:
A funny thing I've experienced:

When I had to fix something for sound (putting batteries in the transmitter or fix something to the recorder or mixer or waiting for an airplane...) everyone is nicely waiting.

But then suddenly when it's ok for sound, everyone else suddenly has suddenly something to do...suddenly...

The director "oooh, yes, Mike, just do this and that and this". Then the lightguy's suddenly have to move a lamp. The art-director has to do something.

How come they can't do it while they were waiting ?

Anyone got some experiences like this ?
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's happened to me a couple of times. It's like people think if they don't move/talk while the bird is chirping it will help the sound disappear - but while they wait they think of other things they need to do and then do it once the noise has ended.
 
dre83 said:
A funny thing I've experienced:

When I had to fix something for sound (putting batteries in the transmitter or fix something to the recorder or mixer or waiting for an airplane...) everyone is nicely waiting.

But then suddenly when it's ok for sound, everyone else suddenly has suddenly something to do...suddenly...

The director "oooh, yes, Mike, just do this and that and this". Then the lightguy's suddenly have to move a lamp. The art-director has to do something.

How come they can't do it while they were waiting ?

Anyone got some experiences like this ?
Click to expand...
AACK!!!!! You used the one phrase that I hate hearing on set. "Waiting for sound". I rarely hear "Waiting for Camera" though there is a lot of down time for that or "Waiting for Lighting" (ditto). Never hear: "Waiting for Director to figure out what the heck he/she wants to do". But "Waiting on sound".........always. As if it's my fault a train/airplane/siren is stepping on the sound.

As a location sound engineer, you either develop a thick skin quick, or you quit doing sound. LOL, because you are the whipping boy on set.
 
Wait until the time is right, when they are fiddling with the camera holding up a take, and say this in a nice tone of voice...."another costly camera delay...(sigh)..."
 
When picture is up, departments should generally be ready to rock. It isn't the time to be changing batteries or putting down marks or making adjustments to grip. We wait for sound because we try to capture as much clean sound as possible during the shot. The guy on phones can hear things the rest of the crew is completely unaware of. Nothing makes me happier than when a young story producer tries to assert themself toward the sound operator, "I think we're good now". Oh, you do? As a fellow who has had his eye in the viewfinder and his ear in the cans, I have special empathy for that sometimes thankless job. Viva audio!
 
I guess my experience has been very different.

When I was full-time with my last company, the crew used to rib me for making tweaks. They would shout, "Waiting on audio!" every time I had to fix a problem. It was funny, though... both to them and to me. The truth is, whenever anything broke production, even the producer cutting the take, it was the gaffer and grips who would instantly rush in and start tweaking things. They were persnickety, never satisfied, and always had something they'd like to adjust no matter how small. They were also some of the best in the industry, and it was very obvious which programs on our networks came from us, the in-house production crew, and which ones came from outside production companies.

So they always made light of it by, humorously and in good fun, "blaming" delays on sound. Yeah, I had my share of problem-solving that I had to do in the middle of a shoot day, but as a crew we also used the opportunities to make adjustments at the same time. If your crew is in tune with each other, that's the way it'll work.
 
LOL, I should move to TN. I wanna work with the crews you do, Alex. They say anything outside Hollywood.......is better than Hollywood.
 
Speaking of good crew members, I'm on a commercial shoot today and tomorrow with steadycam.
It's an all in 1 take kind of shot. 20 takes or so in, they finally nail it, the director yells that he loves it blah blah blah..
from the other room (about 25-30 people watching a client monitor) all kinds of people start yelling "boom was in the shot, boom was in the shot".
Director looks at me, i look back ready to take the blame and the steady cam operator states loudly that it was his fault and that he tilted up a bit more than usual.

Most of the time they would have just kept their mouth shut and let sound take the fall. I respect this guy for NOT letting sound take the fall. Good on him.
I guess the funny part that is relevant is I just know the director was gonna say some kinda comment to me, but when it became the camera dept's fault it was no big deal
and nothing was said. Interesting.
 
Yes, those cam ops can be annoying. If they go out of focus or something all they have to do is tilt up and call, "boom-in" and try to blame on audio. You work with a good op.
Besides, if the take is good they can blow it up a bit in editing and not see boom.
First thing to do when meeting cam op for first time.... tell them "if you see boom , go tighter"
 
BRH said:
Yes, those cam ops can be annoying. If they go out of focus or something all they have to do is tilt up and call, "boom-in" and try to blame on audio. You work with a good op.
Besides, if the take is good they can blow it up a bit in editing and not see boom.
First thing to do when meeting cam op for first time.... tell them "if you see boom , go tighter"
Click to expand...
I'll try that......and let you know how THAT works out. LOL, I don't think it'll go over well.:Drogar-Happy(DBG):

Rippie, you worked with a real pro there.
 
The "batterie changing" part, I don't change batteries when they're only half empty... I do let them get empty as in "real empty". So when it's accidently just before a shot.... it's just to bad.
batteries or not for free...And I'm aware of the environment also :-p And yes I just could charge it.... But then of course I charge 20 batteries and try to use 10... You do have to find tricks to get rich :-p
(Don't take this literary...)

And I haven't got any "big isues" yet.
 
Batteries should be changed at the start of the day and at lunch, and again at dinner if the shoot is going that long, no matter how much juice they have left in them. If the battery life in your gear is known to be shorter, they should be changed at regular intervals adjusted for that. Leaving them to die whenever they will, even if it's just before (or worse, in the middle of) a take and chalking it up to "just too bad" will not help your reputation.

These are expendables that are passed on to the production.

As for the environmental issue, I don't know what they have in Belgium but in the States you can get an account with battery dealers who will take used batteries in for recycling facilities. And I know that the 9v batteries we used to use with FP33 mixers and Lectro wireless units, fresh at breakfast and changed at lunch, had enough juice left in them to reliably run a smoke detector for 6 months (the recommended change cycle for battery-operated detectors). One of my co-workers used to take them to folks who needed them.
 
Alex H. said:
Batteries should be changed at the start of the day and at lunch, and again at dinner if the shoot is going that long, no matter how much juice they have left in them. If the battery life in your gear is known to be shorter, they should be changed at regular intervals adjusted for that. Leaving them to die whenever they will, even if it's just before (or worse, in the middle of) a take and chalking it up to "just too bad" will not help your reputation.

These are expendables that are passed on to the production.

As for the environmental issue, I don't know what they have in Belgium but in the States you can get an account with battery dealers who will take used batteries in for recycling facilities. And I know that the 9v batteries we used to use with FP33 mixers and Lectro wireless units, fresh at breakfast and changed at lunch, had enough juice left in them to reliably run a smoke detector for 6 months (the recommended change cycle for battery-operated detectors). One of my co-workers used to take them to folks who needed them.
Click to expand...
Yep....change 'em whether they need it or not. Don't wait until you get a warning that they are low.

Yes, that incurs more expense on the productions part, but it also guarantees seamless audio. If your batteries fail on a crucial take, where all talent is clicking together, you will be run off set. Your job is to prevent that from happening. And that involves knowing your gear. My mic: full day shooting. Mixer: (with 4 9v batteries and shutting it off during long breaks) 4 9v/day. Recorder: 4 hours per 2 AA (if I get to one bar...... I change 'em first op I can.)

And those costs need to be absorbed by the production as expendables. I tell any production what I need per day for batteries, and require they meet me on set. I ain't going to pay money for batteries to be on someone's set and have it come out of my pay. My day rate is what I receive, sans expendables. If I have to buy batts, that is an additional charge, plus my time to go and buy the batts.
 
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