Would I Benefit From ...

J

JPschmidt

Active member
I'm shooting a 30min narrative film coming up this winter.

I'll be shooting on my Panasonic HVX200

For my Shotgun Mic I'll be using my Senhessier ME66

The film involves only two female actors with only about ... 3 minutes of dialogue in the whole film.

My whole question is would I benefit from using a multiple mic setup (borrowing some more) and running them through a mixer that runs into a macbook pro to record audio and having to sync sound in post.

Would the benefit (if any, really) be worth it? If it would give me that much more professional sounding audio I'm willing to do the work, that's not an issue.

Let me know what you guys think. Thanks!
 
never skimp on sound man, it's just that simple. if you had a mic for each actor instead of "sharing" a mic, it's a no-brainer. it's more work in your audio editor, but so worth it. happy filming!
 
Even if the mic i get doesnt match my ME66? I'm sure whatever I can borrow will be lower end... this is a very "calling in favors" film
 
well...if it's too low end, i may not bother. takes practice but if you boom the mic above the actors and "toggle" it towards the person talking, and back and forth if it's a quick conversation, then you should be ok.
 
and if a boom pole isnt an option...get the mic as close as you can and block your actors close to each other if it looks appropriate for the scene.
 
There's not enough information in your post to give you a proper answer. The specific mic technique to use, number of mics in use and so forth, depends highly on the nature of the scene, its location and its blocking. It could be that your current shotgun mic is not even appropriate, much less adding others to it. For example, an ME66 would be a very poor choice for a scene shot in a typical business office, the reflective nature of the environment calling for a hypercardioid instead. Or a long tracking shot of the two characters walking and talking might be blocked such that a 'gun mic can't be boomed in close enough without intruding into frame (even 'guns need to be no more than about 24 inches from the subject) and so a pair of wireless lavs are needed instead.
 
@ Chris I do have a book pole that will be sporting the ME66, the other mics odds are will just have to be hidden or placed on stands, I'll work with my boom operators on the toggle, something I always seem to forget to tell a new boom op :/

@ Steve You bring up good points that I guess unless I wanted to write down a shot by shot breakdown I really can't get all the info I need, but you did bring up some valid points that will help me. The ME66 is the only option I have right now as it is the mic I own, but the film will be taking place 90% in a farm house and 10% outside, roughly (i do have a windscreen for it).
Shot wise from my storyboards there is nothing that I doubt I can't bring the mic in close enough for and anything that I can't I know I can ADR or folley.

Thank you both! Any other advice from you guys or anyone else is defiantly welcomed! From the feel of it at the moment I might try to bring in another boom operator/mic for the FEW dialogue scenes I do have, but yea .. thanks!
 
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Also part 2 of question

if by chance i do not get the extra mics, would it still be worth it run the one through a mixer into a mac, or just as good to mix in camera?

Thanks!
 
You could actually try it and see for yourself. I wouldn't be surprised if you concluded that the extra effort was not worth the benefit (if any).
 
JPschmidt said:
@ Steve You bring up good points that I guess unless I wanted to write down a shot by shot breakdown I really can't get all the info I need, but you did bring up some valid points that will help me. The ME66 is the only option I have right now as it is the mic I own, but the film will be taking place 90% in a farm house and 10% outside, roughly (i do have a windscreen for it).
Shot wise from my storyboards there is nothing that I doubt I can't bring the mic in close enough for and anything that I can't I know I can ADR or folley.
Click to expand...

Couple things,
-It's "Foley" not "folley". Capitalized as it's named after Jack Foley. (Sadly I think reading sound history books has gone away as one of America's favorite past times)

-Is there any chance of getting a professional sound mixer? (The ME66 is a great starter mic, but it's a far cry from profession or one-size-fits-all.) My advice: If you want professional sounding films, you can start hiring sound mixers with their own gear who can cover whatever you need. A good one can be invaluable for the range of gear, experience, and a dedicate set of ears listening to the mics (you mentioned working with new boom ops, I'm sure you've noticed they're not all created equal)
Or, upgrade to at least having a hyper, and a blimp in addition to your shotgun, and brainwash a friend into loving production audio and learning how to use it well. That will get you, in general, consistent audio for most situations.

-Running it into computer / camera is a minimal concern compared to having a good boom op and the correct mic.
 
@ Richard, Yea ive been trying to get the guys together (ie the guy who owns the mixer and my sound mixer) to test, but its been a bit of headache lately with current gigs they have

@ Gohanto, First of all, I do appreciate the correction :). Honestly, there isn't ... my mixer is my best friend who is going to school currently for such things, but a bit away from owning his own equipment just yet. I 100% understand how great a professional sound mixer is. When it comes to quality of the film the first thing I worry about is sound, always. Would you be able to point me into a cheaper/affordable version and a mid range version for the of the hyper and blink you're talking about?
This is the film that I've been calling in all the favors for. I expect it to be my best, but not the best. I think of this as my grad project more than anything else. Instead of going to school I spent my college funds on equipment and text books and have been teaching myself the ropes. This is the film where I'm putting all that practice and theory into action, basically.

and again thank you everyone for the advice and please keep it going, I'll admit 100% that sound is my weakest area in knowledge and practice, but I want to learn.
 
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