July 30 2010
At first glance, a pole and a fuzzy sock seem out of place above the heads of bands and celebrities during a DFS interview. The only DFS crew member with out a camera on set is usually the Sound Man. The job of the Sound Man is to record the voices of the interviewer(s) and the interviewee(s) during the interview and during the unique activities they participate in.
The challenges a
Sound Man faces over the course of an interview are, like other crew positions, very unique to that field of work. A number of things have to be considered before, during and after an interview in order to preform the task of recording audio.
Among things considered BEFORE an interview are-
- How many subjects will be conversing during the interview.
- Will a second Sound Crew Member be needed to cover all audio sources?
- What equipment will be used? Is the pole being used long enough for the job? Is the pickup pattern on the microphone the best choice for the location of the interview?
- How long will the interview be conducted? Is the power source enough to last the entire interview?
- *Who talks the most in the group?*Rearranging interviewees might be necessary to be able to catch all the important talking points.
- Where can the microphone be placed and avoid being seen by the audience? *Sitting on a refrigerator might be necessary*.
A few things to be considered DURING an interview are-
- Why am I sitting on top of a refrigerator?
- Is the sound being recorded at a level that wont distort the audio?
- How is the flow of the interview? Can I guess who will be speaking next? Do I have enough time to move the microphone to catch their dialog?
- Where is the frame for ALL the cameras in the area?
- Am I casting shadows on anything in the view of the cameras?
- When can I put my arms down and start to regain feeling in my fingers?
Recording audio during the interview is only half the battle. Post Production, also called the "Editing Phase", is a very important part of a Sound Man's job.
Things to be considered for Post Production are-
- Is the dialog I'm recording distorting?
- Am I catching all the important talking points needed to construct a DFS interview? Do I need to ask for wild lines*?
- Is the recorder I'm using recording to a media source compatible with the editing program used for Post Production?
- Who needs the audio recording for Editing?
*A wild line is an off camera recording of a word or phrase that was not recorded properly during the interview due to proximity, outside noise interference or distortion.
These are just some of the questions faced by a Sound Man on the set of a DFS interview. There will always be new challenges and times where your ingenuity will be put to the test. There is no right way to do things on the set of a DFS interview but there will always be a "Best" way. Taking the time to plan and prepare for an interview will always benefit not only the sound recording but the production as a whole.
-Steven Lynch
Digital Fire Starter