Recording sound for motion picture

[Marogru]

Hi,

I'm seriously thinking about getting involved in location recording for films and commercials.

I'd like to know what are your ways of getting the sound form film sets.
Also what equipment do you use, what are the ideas of getting best dialogues form the set.
Is it fishing pole all the way, or microports or anything else?

How do you record? do you use digitall recorders, laptops, do you use backups, raids?

Do you syncronize with the camera? And if, then how?

Any sites about sound on film?

Really, any info will be a blessing.

[Karl_Lohninger]

First try to somehow visit film sets - start with small ones, try to help out on student shoots, work for free (for quite a while), watch what's going on, try to get jobs assisting sound mixers as cable guy, learn your way around sets, who's doing what and why. Then, begin to help out on student shoots (we're still talking freebies here!) in the position of a sound mixer.
Do not buy equipment, rent it. If your sure you want to walk this path then start to build your package. Buy only quality and begin to rent less and less equipment.
One more advice: 50 percent of the job is how to do it and deliver, 50 percent to be somebody other folks enjoy to work with, and 50 percent strictly trouble shooting. That's already 150 percent and I'm sure i forgot a few things ;-)

best, Karl

[Marogru]

Thx for advice.
Really I have some offers of doing it already (not for free ) and I did some comercials and student films. But it was always a recorded with my boom. I was thinking, how the pros do it, what equipment do they use etc..

I have my way in to business but I want to upgrade my knowledge (quite the opposite as it is normally).

I do a lot of post in my studio, but I want to cover the field recording also, couse the sound I get from the sets is crap mostly.

[Karl_Lohninger]

The pros use the boom whenever they can - putting wires onto talent is something at least I avoid as much as I can. It's the cheap way out and that's how it mostly sounds ;-)
If the sound you get from using the boom doesn't satisfy, chances are that the boom wasn't used right!

If you can't get close enough because of framing, camera movement or whatever, that's where your weight as sound mixer comes in. A good sound mixer tends to get what he wants, at least most of the time!

Operating the boom is the much harder and much more difficult job than sitting in the chair.

best, Karl

[Sound Sorcerer]

Originally Posted by Marogru

I do a lot of post in my studio, but I want to cover the field recording also, couse the sound I get from the sets is crap mostly.

You'll find out that getting good clean dialog is harder than you think. I did the transition from Live sound/Post-sound to Production Sound about 7 years ago and gotta tell you this is some very different animal. Here's my list of equipment I use...
Cheers!

[Marogru]

Originally Posted by Sound Sorcerer

You'll find out that getting good clean dialog is harder than you think. I did the transition from Live sound/Post-sound to Production Sound about 7 years ago and gotta tell you this is some very different animal. Here's my list of equipment I use...
Cheers!

I'm not saying its easy but I know that I can give all my love to sound to do it and many ppl just 9-5 it.