I was in the performance lab when Michael came in with a student asking if anyone wanted to record sound for his advert. I accepted without really having done any professional work knowing I’d just practice using the boom mic.
I received the run down and they wanted an ambience recording of the room and a boom for close-ups. And potential voiceovers on the day as well. I spoke to Michael and got a list of microphones and equipment I should probably use. We agreed on the 416 shotgun mic due to its hyper-cardioid polar pattern for the boom. C541 pencil microphones for XY recording technique. And a lav mic to hide on the table to record the small pieces and cards being moved.
I did a practice set-up in the small sound room and practised the XY technique based on a few videos I’d watched. I also set up the boom and organised the ZOOMF4 for how I wanted it to record so it would be smooth on the day. Played around with the gain structure and holding the boom to a sound source.
On the day I arrived early and helped move some furniture from the living room. Once everything was out of the way. I set up my XY recording around the cameras to not get in the way. Coiled my cables nicely and taped them to the floor to avoid tripping hazards.
At first, it felt a bit strange as I didn’t know the team and didn’t feel too comfortable giving my opinion but after lunch and I felt more settled in I managed to get the recording much better and gave my opinion. I found efficient ways to control the gain while holding the boom and also without tiring my arms.
Overall a great experience. working with actors and a professional team/production company. Taught me a lot based on the recording knowledge I had already it gave me a different context to use it. The gain was constantly changing as it’s not a controlled environment and actors are constantly moving while speaking so I had to be constantly adjusting for dynamic changes. While making sure the boom wasn’t in shot and pointing at the actors.