You ever notice...
 

Hi all! Man, I just got back from a sound gig a little while ago. Why is it that when you're shooting outdoors, its always groundskeeping time?? First of all, we were shooting on a tennis court, and it was almost 90 out in SC, so who knows what the court temp was...Then the groundskeepers would roll by on their riding mowers. By the time they were far off enough to get clean audio, the wind would pick up, gusting strongly enough to overpower my Rycote Softie at times. Then the wind would die down, and the lawnmowers would come back around!!! Arrggghhh! Sorry, just wanted to vent to some folks who have probably been in a similar scenario. Thanks! Andy

Kind of like doing historical period pieces - you don't get a single airplane or train UNTIL you fire up the camera for the take...

Was doing a historical re-enactment and it took over 30 takes before we got something usable - we were on the approach for the airport and chose the ONE time of the day that ALL the international, national and local jets converge at the airport. And of course, it had been quiet for 2 hours leading up to the take. Producer wanted to use the spot...

You see! This here is why the sound mixer should have veto power. We also shot an interview. They wanted to do it outside as well (same location), so I had to put the hammer down and flat out tell them NO!

Not sure how things work back east but you must realize that LA is the world capital of gardening crews on every corner and we have more leaf blowers per capita than any other city on the world.

Anyone who is a producer/production manager worth their salt carries a nice stack of 20s and or a few six packs. I have saved many an outdoor and even indoor location shoot with a stack of 20s and or a few sixers of Miller. You think I am kidding, but I am not. Any "landscape maintenance technician" in LA can usually take an hour break for a few twenties and or a sixer. It's how business gets done here.

Also works for street maintenance and construction crews, although with big crews, you can run out of twenties.

"Here is some money, and or beer, go take a break". It works wonders.

Dan

I just finished a documentary about living close to a wind farm and of course the producer wanted to do all the interviews outside. Needless to say it was very very windy. On average 40 km. gusting to 50. It was a struggle. Curses on all first time field producers.

years ago I recorded an album (about 70 minutes long) for the Fort Ticonderoga Fife and Drum Corp. They wanted it to be authentic so we setup in the Fort (basically outdoors) at about noon. The Fort is out in the middle of nowhere and was closed so theoretically it was the best time to record.
The group was so polished, every tune was done in one take. We packed up and left at midnight.

pause...yes 12 hours to record 70 minutes of music, each tune being done in one take. (OK, so we did stop a boatload of takes but the kids never missed...incredible!)

There was a freekin' freight train that went by every couple of hours and so much light plane traffic including planes landing on the lake right next to the Fort I felt like we were at Grand Central Station!
Arrrrrrrrrrgh!

Fantastic album though!

There is only one solution...

http://dvice.com/assets_c/2009/05/MI...x419-17927.jpg

bwa ha ha ha!!!

HA! That's great!
Do they make a model that will hold 30-40 people?

Yes! Cone of silence rules!!!

ROFLMAO! I've got a neighbor for you! Every time either my wife or I go outside to work in the front yard, he comes out and starts playing with his power tools. Drives my wife crazy.

It's frustrating but useful in its way. We figured out pretty quickly that we can play him like an instrument. For example, when we have people over for dinner and want to have a quiet evening on the porch, earlier in the day we go out and work in the yard a bit. Sure enough, out comes the lawnmower, leafblower, hedge trimmer, whatever. Every time he gives up we come back outside until we "exhaust" him. This insures a nice quite and uninterrupted evening. PITA, but works like a charm all the same.

Been doing this for nearly 20 years now. He shows no signs of figuring it out. And we aren't likely going to tell him! Although it does make me wonder how other people are playing me. Hmmm....

New director: (driving everyone crazy)

'Well what are you going to do about the traffic noise outside?'

Audio: 'I'm going to hang a mic out the window and fade it out'

New director: 'Good!'

Great stories, one and all! I'm just thankful that tomorrow's shoot is mostly MOS b-roll, and then an interview with a doctor in his office (of course, the air handling will be an issue...it always is). Then Thursday its all ambulance rides and helicopters! Woot!!!

I can't really compete with you guys but I'll try.

I do a fair amount of freelance teleprompter work (yes, it's a real thing). So I'm on a gig for a major Spanish language network. We are shooting something outside, at night on a street corner in Corpus Christi. They have lit up the location, have a top notch stedicam guy, and another cam operator on a 24 foot jib. Audio guy was hired through an AV company, and is not your traditional set sound mixer. His idea was to set a level on the wireless lav he used and leave it alone, and not even monitor it. Because I'm so far from the talent, I am listening out of his headphones, the ONLY pair of headphones, via his mixer, to hear her so I can prompt.

There was traffic, wind noise, clothing rustle, etc. I caught it a few times and told 'em, but keep in mind I am the TELEPROMPTER and am trying to follow someone speaking rapid fire spanish (which I do not speak) by going phonetically, so my concentration was almost entirely on that. Hope they got usable audio. Otherwise paying for a whole crew to drive in from Houston/Austin and stay in a hotels was quite the waste of money.

If it's any consolation Josh, the woman that ran the prompter in the French newsroom I used to work in was the media librarian during the day and ran prompter for the 6 o'clock news... and didn't speak a word of French! Did it EVERY day I was there. Union shop so she bumped into French when another position she held in the building got closed down. Admirable job AND she always found the viz you were looking for in the archives as well...