You ever notice...

Josh Bass · April 7th, 2010, 02:03 PM

Mostly it's not a problem, I've done it a few times before. But about an hour before we started, one of the reps of the network was like "oh, by the way, do you actually speak Spanish?" They were worried it might be difficult for me to make script revisions quickly.

Wouldn't this have been something to find out before you hired me?

I'm sorry, we're talking audio here.

On another prompter gig, for a Christian childrens' programming video, we shot in a pricey greenscreen sound stage, using a red, and again, some top end crew people, but they "set and forgot" the two booms that were capturing the audio. By my estimation they were 6-8 feet (at least) from the talents' mouths. Not surprisingly, at the end of the day, the director/producer was listening to some playback and said "yeah, it's real echoey. . .we're gonna have to send it to our guy to fix."

But the neat thing about prompter is that though you are "in it", you are not really a part of it, and can watch and laugh and learn.

Andy Balla · April 7th, 2010, 04:45 PM

And thank god it was MOS today! We were shooting exteriors on the hospital grounds, and yep, there's the grounds keeping crew. Every shot we set up, a dude rolls up with a lawn mower, leaf blower or edge trimmer. Would have been a nightmare for sound!

Vito DeFilippo · April 7th, 2010, 07:53 PM

Great stories.

I did an excercise video about a year ago outdoors in a wooded park. The producer wanted the location, and we decided to shoot at magic hour for the look. I scout the location and split the shoot into three days, with the first day to rehearse.

Rehearsal goes great. No one around, fabulous location. Lighting at magic hour looks amazing.

The first real shoot the local flight school starts up their late afternoon training and planes start circling directly overhead. At first you think it's bad luck, then there's a sinking feeling as you realize it's the same three planes going around and around and around.

I was tearing my hair out trying to get usable takes in the thirty seconds of silence between each pass.

The next day, same thing. Sigh...

Fortunately it worked out okay in the end.

Chad Johnson · April 8th, 2010, 10:44 PM

I was one-man-banding a sit down interview with the president of Humboldt State University. There happened to be workmen building a new structure 200 yards away (they weren't there when I set up during their lunch hour), and they were killing me so bad I told the President to shut down the construction or we ain't got an interview. He actually did it! I was kind of joking but he got it. If the noise is coming from people I really try to control the area by talking to whomever is in charge. If you approach them nicely people usually accommodate.

Josh Bass · April 9th, 2010, 12:02 AM

since I believe everything in Star Trek will come to pass, I'm sure one day there will be mic technology that only picks up what you tell it to pick up (i.e. record sample of subject's voice and mic will tune out everything but that voice) and nothing else.

And then all these things will be a non-issue. We can even program lavs to shock talent when they screw up.

Then the Klingons will read this thread when the site is archived and wonder what the hell we're all talking about.

Andrew Hughes · April 9th, 2010, 02:19 PM

This isn't audio, but I'm still waiting for the Blade Runner-style "enhance" function that allows you to zoom in endlessly on pictures and even see around corners...seems to have become a cliche device in sci-fi movies.

Chad Johnson · April 9th, 2010, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew Hughes

This isn't audio, but I'm still waiting for the Blade Runner-style "enhance" function that allows you to zoom in endlessly on pictures and even see around corners...seems to have become a cliche device in sci-fi movies.

Oh "enhance" is a reality. Here's total unassailable proof: YouTube - Let's Enhance

Josh Bass · April 9th, 2010, 10:14 PM

YOu guys are thinkin' too small. Holodeck. . .it solves all your problems. Need a location? BAM there it is. Need it quiet? BAM, done!

Shaun Roemich · April 9th, 2010, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew Hughes

TI'm still waiting for the Blade Runner-style "enhance" function that allows you to zoom in endlessly on pictures and even see around corners...

What, your camera and edit suite doesn't do that???? Time to UPGRADE! <tongue planted FIRMLY in cheek)

Rick Reineke · April 10th, 2010, 11:31 AM

I've tried the Holodeck, but the life-support system (HVAC) was much too loud. 24th century technology... same design stupidity.

Brennan Houlihan · April 10th, 2010, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy Balla

Why is it that when you're shooting outdoors, its always groundskeeping time??

Ah, that line alone made me laugh. It's uncanny, isn't it? On one shoot, I swear we were being followed by them. We kept moving to different spots, and they would make their way over to us by the time we started shooting again. Then when they finally stopped, a helicopter started circling overhead. I haven't yet figured out if there's just more noise when you are shooting, or if your brain just filters it out more when you're not shooting.

Dean Sensui · April 11th, 2010, 02:33 AM

Noise was one of the reasons I decided to shoot our host doing her "outdoor standups" against green screen. It avoids potential scheduling problems with noise, weather, and gawking passers-by. And when done well, it looks darn good. No one has to get up super early in the morning to get that nice sunrise light. And don't have to worry about getting too much sun exposure.

We shoot in a quiet warehouse on Saturday mornings when the area is generally shut down. And it's up in a valley, well away from the routine air traffic corridors, too.

Then there are "those" jobs: One day someone asked me to help shoot some interviews in his office. Well, his office was one floor above a very busy intersection. Everything from buzzing mopeds to trucks and emergency vehicles went by all day long.

Apparently he didn't realize that his office was that noisy. As Brennan said, you don't notice it unless you're trying to shoot something.

April 7th, 2010, 02:03 PM	#16
Josh Bass Slash Rules! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 5,472	Mostly it's not a problem, I've done it a few times before. But about an hour before we started, one of the reps of the network was like "oh, by the way, do you actually speak Spanish?" They were worried it might be difficult for me to make script revisions quickly. Wouldn't this have been something to find out before you hired me? I'm sorry, we're talking audio here. On another prompter gig, for a Christian childrens' programming video, we shot in a pricey greenscreen sound stage, using a red, and again, some top end crew people, but they "set and forgot" the two booms that were capturing the audio. By my estimation they were 6-8 feet (at least) from the talents' mouths. Not surprisingly, at the end of the day, the director/producer was listening to some playback and said "yeah, it's real echoey. . .we're gonna have to send it to our guy to fix." But the neat thing about prompter is that though you are "in it", you are not really a part of it, and can watch and laugh and learn. __________________ The Bass' camerawork The Bass on IMDB

April 7th, 2010, 07:53 PM	#18
Vito DeFilippo Trustee Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Montreal, Quebec Posts: 1,585	Great stories. I did an excercise video about a year ago outdoors in a wooded park. The producer wanted the location, and we decided to shoot at magic hour for the look. I scout the location and split the shoot into three days, with the first day to rehearse. Rehearsal goes great. No one around, fabulous location. Lighting at magic hour looks amazing. The first real shoot the local flight school starts up their late afternoon training and planes start circling directly overhead. At first you think it's bad luck, then there's a sinking feeling as you realize it's the same three planes going around and around and around. I was tearing my hair out trying to get usable takes in the thirty seconds of silence between each pass. The next day, same thing. Sigh... Fortunately it worked out okay in the end. __________________ . http://www.nosmallroles.com

April 8th, 2010, 10:44 PM	#19
Chad Johnson Major Player Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Arcata, Ca Posts: 750	I was one-man-banding a sit down interview with the president of Humboldt State University. There happened to be workmen building a new structure 200 yards away (they weren't there when I set up during their lunch hour), and they were killing me so bad I told the President to shut down the construction or we ain't got an interview. He actually did it! I was kind of joking but he got it. If the noise is coming from people I really try to control the area by talking to whomever is in charge. If you approach them nicely people usually accommodate. __________________ My Work: http://www.youtube.com/ChadWork1 Sony FS5 :: Panasonic GH4 :: Sony PMW-EX1 :: FCPx :: AT4053b :: Rode NTG-3,

April 9th, 2010, 12:02 AM	#20
Josh Bass Slash Rules! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 5,472	since I believe everything in Star Trek will come to pass, I'm sure one day there will be mic technology that only picks up what you tell it to pick up (i.e. record sample of subject's voice and mic will tune out everything but that voice) and nothing else. And then all these things will be a non-issue. We can even program lavs to shock talent when they screw up. Then the Klingons will read this thread when the site is archived and wonder what the hell we're all talking about. __________________ The Bass' camerawork The Bass on IMDB

April 9th, 2010, 10:14 PM	#23
Josh Bass Slash Rules! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 5,472	YOu guys are thinkin' too small. Holodeck. . .it solves all your problems. Need a location? BAM there it is. Need it quiet? BAM, done! __________________ The Bass' camerawork The Bass on IMDB

April 7th, 2010, 04:45 PM	#17
Andy Balla Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Asheville NC Posts: 182	And thank god it was MOS today! We were shooting exteriors on the hospital grounds, and yep, there's the grounds keeping crew. Every shot we set up, a dude rolls up with a lawn mower, leaf blower or edge trimmer. Would have been a nightmare for sound!

April 9th, 2010, 02:19 PM	#21
Andrew Hughes Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 48	This isn't audio, but I'm still waiting for the Blade Runner-style "enhance" function that allows you to zoom in endlessly on pictures and even see around corners...seems to have become a cliche device in sci-fi movies.

April 10th, 2010, 11:31 AM	#25
Rick Reineke Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: New York Posts: 2,038	I've tried the Holodeck, but the life-support system (HVAC) was much too loud. 24th century technology... same design stupidity.

April 11th, 2010, 02:33 AM	#27
Dean Sensui Inner Circle Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 2,054	Noise was one of the reasons I decided to shoot our host doing her "outdoor standups" against green screen. It avoids potential scheduling problems with noise, weather, and gawking passers-by. And when done well, it looks darn good. No one has to get up super early in the morning to get that nice sunrise light. And don't have to worry about getting too much sun exposure. We shoot in a quiet warehouse on Saturday mornings when the area is generally shut down. And it's up in a valley, well away from the routine air traffic corridors, too. Then there are "those" jobs: One day someone asked me to help shoot some interviews in his office. Well, his office was one floor above a very busy intersection. Everything from buzzing mopeds to trucks and emergency vehicles went by all day long. Apparently he didn't realize that his office was that noisy. As Brennan said, you don't notice it unless you're trying to shoot something. __________________ Dean Sensui Exec Producer, Hawaii Goes Fishing