Slates and Slating

In this article I will be talking about slates, their various forms, and how to appropriately slate a scene. I find more and more people do not know how to slate correctly, or even know what a slate is for, which leads me to believe that film schools really are just a cash cow, and the education they provide is far from accurate or complete, let alone well rounded.

The slate has many purposes. It has a front panel with sectioned off areas where you label information about the production, as well as the scene and take information. This is so when you look at your footage, you can see what clip you are looking at without having to watch the whole thing. The clapper part of the slate is there so that resyncing audio to picture in post production is easier than trying to line up the sound to some movement in the scene.

As you can see in this picture, the top part of the slate is labeled "Prod." which stands for Production. This is where you put the title of the production you are working on. "Roll" means camera roll. Since we primarily use digital cameras these days, you would put "1" for the first tape or memory card. when you switch tapes or memory cards, you change that number to "2", and so on. If you are shooting with more than one camera, you designate them as camera A and camera B. In this case you would label the roll A1/B1 for the first tape or card in both cameras, and change the numbers whenever you change the rolls. Simple enough right? This is so that the editor knows which clip came from which camera and which roll, so piecing your film together is easier.

The scene is the number that designated which scene you are shooting. If this is scene 1, you write 1. If you are shooting the same scene from a second angle, it is called 1A. If you choose to go for a third angle, it is 1B. And so on. Sometimes when you run out of letters in the alphabet, you go to double letters: 1AA, 1AB, 1AC, etc. We tend to skip letters l, o, and sometimes s because they look like the numbers 1, 0, and 5. When slating scene numbers with letters, 1A should be slated as 1 Alpha, 1B as 1 Beta or Baker, 1C and 1 Charley, and so on.

The take section is self explanatory. Take 1, take 2, etc. If you shoot scene one three times, you have three takes. If you only do two takes of 1A, you have two takes. Etc.

Beneath that is where you put the name of the director and the cinematographer or DP (Director of Photography). If you are shooting more than one camera, you often will put the name of each camera operator so we know which camera is which.

Writing the date is very important when you are shooting for more than one day. Again, this helps the editor keep your footage organized.

The next things written are things you circle to help the editor. Day, Night, Int(erior), Ext(erior), MOS, Sync. If the scene takes place in the day, you circle day, if it is interior, you circle Int. simple enough. MOS is circled when you are shooting without sound, while Sync is used when you are shooting with sound. MOS stands for Motor Only Sync or Motor Only Shot. There are other funny theories as to what MOS stands for, and Im sure youve already heard them.

Filter is if you are using a filter on the camera. In the space next to the word Filter is where you would write what kind of filter you are using. Some slates also have an FPS alongside everything here at the bottom. This is where you should write your Frames Per Second. You should always do that, AND tell your sound person so they know what rate to record at. If you do not tell us, we will assume it is one thing or another, and if we guess wrong your audio may drift from the picture!!!

So now you know what a slate is. The appropriate way to slate is to place the slate in front of the camera to where it can see the entire slate in focus, with the clapper open (if you are recording sound with this take), or held like the picture below to designate that this take is MOS.

You can also simply hold the sticks closed. This is as an added reminder to the picture editor to not look for a corresponding audio take because none was recorded.

Once the slate is in place, the Assistant Director should call "Roll Sound". Once the sound mixer says "Speed", the AD should call "Roll Camera(s)". Once they call "Speed", the Assistant Camera or whomever happens to be slating should then call TO THE MICROPHONE "Scene___ Take ___", then let the sticks fall (not slam them, unless the sound person/mic is far away from the slate) then call "Marker", and quickly get out of the shot. Marker designated that the sound of the sticks is in fact the sticks, and not any other sound. IF the camera is very tight on an actor, and the slate needs to be placed in front of their face, you would call "Soft Sticks", and very gently tap the sticks together so as to not offend, bother, hurt the ears of, or take the nose off of the actor just behind the slate.

Once the Camera Operator says "Set", then the Director or Assistant Director will call "Action", at which time the talent should take a beat, then begin. If they do not wait for "Action" chances are they will ruin the take because the technicians around them are not ready.

Any other method of slating will generally make you look like an amateur, and people will recognize that! Slamming the sticks hurts the sound guy's ears, and causes unnecessary Sound Pressure Levels to potentially damage his expensive microphones. Dont Be A Jerk, and slate properly!!!!!!

Smart Slates! Why? I'll tell you. Smart slates are used when your CAMERA and SOUND both are using Time Code to sync to eachother, again making things easier for the editor to resync the audio to the picture. THIS IS NOT NECESSARY FOR TIME CODE USE!!! But is only used when time code is in use. What I means by that is that the sound guy with a professional kit will have a built in Time Code generator into his recorder. It is very precise, and an expensive feature to have. Do not ask for time code if you are on a super low budget, because like I said, it is an expensive feature for the sound guy to have.

The sound person can jam sync the camera to his time code, effectively putting the camera in sync. For whatever reason, cameras tend to not come with a good internal clock (which isnt much more than the technology of a quartz watch might I add!), so everyone looks to the sound person for sync. So then, if one can simply jam the audio and video sync, why use a time code slate? Well, the Smart Slate will freeze the Time Code that is on its display once the clapper has been shut, so with an exact sync point displayed, resyncing audio to video in post is that much more simple. But do remember that a smart slate is a very expensive item, and it does not help the sound department in any way do their job. So DO NOT expect your sound department to have one, unless YOU are willing to pay an extra kit rental fee to your sound department.

I usually do not offer time code services of any kind unless a minimum rate is met, because these are added expenses that dont help me with my job, and actually added tasks that I have to do on set. Many times I dont have time for these sorts of tasks, so asking me to take time out of my limited time to fumble around with something that doesnt help me do my job is not something I want to do unless Im getting payed extra for it.

And to be clear, MOST cameras that indie film makers are using DO NOT run time code!!!! DSLR cameras have no time code options, neither do many lesser types of cameras. Even cameras like the RED One do have time code, but cannot keep a constant time code because they werent built with very good precision. In the event of using a RED or any other time code camera that loses it's sync once powered down, or tends to drift, should have a lockit box attached to it to keep sync. THIS IS SOMETHING THE CAMERA DEPARTMENT RENTS! It is not something you should EVER expect your sound department to provide, as it is something to keep THE CAMERA from drifting off of time code. If it were sound that had problems with drift, sound would have one, but it is ALWAYS the camera that needs a better Time Code generator than the one it has.

The last type of slate I will talk about is the Insert Slate:

This little guy is something that your Assistant Camera person should provide. It is small and primarily used to label an insert take, which often times are a close up on an object or action that will help detail the scene. Since a lot of inserts do not require sound, these slates do not have sticks on them. Though sometimes you do need to roll sound on an insert, in which case there are small slates with sticks available, or you can tape a C47 (clothes line pin) to the top of the insert slate and flick it to create a tiny snap sound.

So, now that we have talked about slates and slating, I hope to see better ACs out there who know how to slate properly without calling the scene and take numbers to the camera and not to the microphone, and without slamming the sticks and hurting my ears. I also hope to stop getting calls from so called producers asking me to provide a smart slate on a shoot that is going to use a Canon 7D! Yes, this happens all the time, and it just makes you look bad, so please do your research before you make a fool of yourself!

Recording to Camera: Do's & Dont's

I work on a variety of productions for both Film and Television that ask me to send the audio to the cameras. The intention of this is usually to have the audio already linked to the picture so that they can save on time (and money) in post production.

Why this is a bad idea:

While this sounds like a good idea from a financial standpoint, let alone the ease of editing or playback, it is actually going to hurt your production more than you think. Professional sound equipment incorporates expensive and precision parts that ensure the quality of the sound coming into the machine is as good as it can be, while offering outstanding recording options. Sending to camera requires all tracks to be mixed down and sent into the camera's inferior recorder. Many cameras do not offer the dynamic range that an audio recorder would offer standard, and the converters arent always adequate either. The biggest problem however is the trouble with the mixdown.

It sounds nice on paper to have your audio pre mixed and already attached to your picture, but mixing on the fly for final results is like starting a project from a very weak connection. In camera perspectives, it's like shooting your film or TV show with your iPhone. Sure, it's HD video, but the quality isnt there.

These days we see more and more "One Man Band" type audio guys on sets, whereas not too long ago it was standard to have a mixer/recorder and a boom op. This setup is like having a camera operator and an assistant camera. Operating your camera, pulling focus, and doing all the other tasks involved in shooting a picture (be it for film or television) can be quite daunting, and one cannot expect a one man camera crew to do as good of a job as a two man crew. The same goes for sound. When I am holding my boom over my head, how am I supposed to adjust levels during the take? The simple answer is that I cant. So if I cant actually do an on the fly mix that is being sent to camera, what am I sending? All the tracks together with the levels kind of set where I think they may be best at, but I cant do a proper job while booming.

Another problem that can occur is how the signal is sent to the camera. Many ENG teams use whats called a Break-Away cable, which has your audio sends, and monitoring returns. Normally this would tether the camera man to the sound mixer. The camera man could quickly release the cable if he needed to move fast. Of course at that point no audio would be sent to the camera until the sound mixer could catch up with the camera man and re attach the cable.

Other times we use wireless sends to the camera to avoid the tether. But the wireless devices are considerably expensive, and use a lot of power. Batteries dying during a take are pretty common, and the possibility for radio interference or drop outs are very high, and happen quite frequently.

Whenever I am asked to do this type of thing, I always record all my tracks separate on my recorder as well as send to the cameras because more often than not some sort of problem occurs. I have saved many projects from being thrown out or re shot because the on camera audio was no good, and they were able to take my recorded tracks, re sync, and do a proper mix in post. This does not mean I am sending my audio incorrectly, it means that I cant be responsible for the integrity of my audio if it is being recorded on a machine that I would never use, and operated by someone who knows nothing or very little about what I do.

This of course is why it is important to always remember to slate every take, even if you are shooting non scripted material. Programs like Plural Eyes are also very helpful in quickly syncing sound to picture, as well as multi-cam shots. With inexpensive programs like that, the need for time code or cutting corners and going into camera seem expensive to the sound department, lazy, and irresponsible.

A recent film I worked on had an on site DIT that would ingest footage from the camera's cards, as well as my audio, and sync them on site. That way he wasnt bored all day, and the editor already had everything set up for him to just jump in. Knowing that this was going to be the case, I attached a small discrete mic on the camera so that the DIT would also have an audio reference (though not my audio) so that he could hear what was happening in case of a mis labeled slate, or to use as a reference track in Plural Eyes to sync with my audio tracks.

To me this is the absolute best solution for saving money on your production without compromising the quality of your sound or picture. Chances are you already have someone on site ingesting your media as you shoot, so why not put them to work syncing audio to picture? That will keep them away from hanging out at the crafty table or bothering the makeup girls!

That will also help coordinate media specifications so that everyone is on the same page. 90% of the time on an Indie film shoot, no one tells me what frame rate we are shooting at, whether they want me to deliver mono or poly files, how they want things labeled, if they want sound reports, or anything. Usually the only direction I get is whether or not they want me to send to camera. Often I will be asked at the end of a shoot for sound reports, but if no one asked me to make them before we began shooting, I cant deliver them. I also wont do sound reports if I am mixing and booming at the same time. I need three arms to mix and boom, and a fourth to make sound reports. You try doing it and tell me how it was easy to do all your jobs correctly and simultaneously. If there was a DIT on site however that was concerned with syncing things up, they could tell me to shoot at 23.98 or 24 fps, how to label my tracks so things are easier for them, or a number of other things that will help streamline the process and minimize room for failure.

Well, I got a little off topic, though related and important. So the point I am trying to make, plain and simple, is that recording audio to camera can be done, but dont plan on using it for anything more than a reference track. There are too many reasons for it to fail, and then you will be left with nothing at all that's useable. Do things right, and you will save money in the long run.

If you are looking to save money on your production, there are countless resources on the internet (and my web site: http://cymbaline.org) about stretching your budget to get the best bang for your buck without compromising the quality of your project. The minute you start making decisions that your department heads should be making is when you are setting yourself up for failure. You hired the expert, take his advice when he talks to you.

An Open Letter from your Sound Department

This article is derived almost entirely from the article "An Open Letter from your Sound Department" from filmsound.org. I have added parts here and there that come from my own experiences on set. If you think you know a thing or two about film making, even if you are a 30 year veteran, do yourself a favor and read this. I guarantee you that you will learn a great deal.

This letter is being written by audio professionals to help directors and producers understand how good sound can be recorded on the set. We want to help you make the best film possible.

For this piece, we will not discuss the topic of mixing itself, as this is the "hocus pocus" part that you trust us to do so well.

We want you to have information that will enable you to evaluate what is interfering with good sound, before a hasty decision is made that can harm the quality of your film's sound. To help you make your decision you need to know about some of the obstacles that we sound people face, before we can even begin to get usable production sound on the set.

This is after all, the age day of digital sound. Theaters have wonderful THX(the audience IS listening) and SDDS with 5.1 surround. Home audio is often better than many theaters as a sophisticated audience demands DVDs with 24 bits. Yet, today's sound at it's source on set is suffering like never before.

THE PROBLEM

We, the sound crew, are the ones that you depend on to create and protect YOUR original sound tracks during production.

Unlike the work of the majority of the people who are working for on-camera results, the mixer's efforts can not be "seen" on the set. Almost no one hears what the microphone picks up. Too few are sure just what we do. Only the most obviously bad noises are even brought up for discussion.

Included in our job is to monitor the sets for unnecessary, accidental, ignorant and sometimes even malicious actions or lack of actions that may compromise your sound track. To emphasize this point: WE DO THIS SO YOU WILL HAVE THE BEST TRACKS POSSIBLE; IT IS NOT FOR US.

We are too often frustrated by the state of conditions that now exist on most sets. Many times we are expected to solve all sound problems alone. Instead, this should always be a cooperative effort with the assistant directors and other crafts.

Sound mixers are often perceived as pests or even a hindrance to the film's progress. We don't like being put in this untenable position because it is humiliating and unnecessary. We don't like to be considered adversarial to the rest of the production and we certainly don't want to be the "sound police"!

A mixer on a tough show, who fights alone to get you good sound, stands a good chance of burning out from all the excuses and defenses put up. It's hard to put it all out there without support. The temptation is to cave into the pressure and just go with the flow, and no good can come when that happens.

The problems that we face may lead you to believe that good sound cannot be achieved without set disruptions and added costs. This would not be necessary if reasonable measures are anticipated and endorsed by you both in pre-production and during production.

We know the limitations of our equipment. For example, microphones are just tools, they don't make miracles happen. If on-set audio problems are not dealt with immediately, they will only be back to haunt you again in post production.

You can help us do a better job for you. Good sound can most often be achieved by using reasonable preparation to avoid pitfalls.

We need your understanding and your backing.

THEN AND NOW

To understand the sorry state of audio affairs today, you must go back in time.

There once existed a major studio system where an assembly line of crafts worked together to churn out film products. No matter which studio we worked at, all crafts understood they were expected to take reasonable measures within their purview to allow for good sound recordings. It was instilled as part of their job description. These duties were passed on to the young apprentices. Grips cut microphone shadows sharply with flags. The electric department would change out a noisy light that buzzed. Camera assistants would try everything possible to quiet camera noise and many is the time that an operator had blankets and pillows over them and the noisy camera. Every other craft would do whatever was deemed reasonable to help get good sound, because it was considered to be part of their job. No one had to try to persuade them to do it. It was an era where reasonable co-operation with the Sound Department was the normal way to make good movies.

Today's crafts still have pride in their jobs but it seems they NO LONGER consider sound assistance to be a part of their job description. The problems began when the in-house studio training system broke down as non-union independent films proliferated. Along the way, the process of learning what their jobs entailed changed the way they perceived sound. The other crafts now don't think they should do anything to help YOU get good sound for YOUR movie. There is no longer an apprenticeship system to pass along this knowledge. They now learn on the job under fire through osmosis.

They must now be requested in each instance to do reasonable things, which are necessary to protect YOUR sound tracks, because they just don't consider it to be a part of their job anymore.

The Sound Department would gladly cut the shadow on the back wall of the set ourselves or cover the noisy camera, but that's not how the game is played. Instead, we have to convince, cajole, coerce, plead and use every other psychological persuasion technique to get the other crafts to help us prevent sound problems.

That last second, scrambling time on set should only be used to fix the unexpected problems which will inevitably occur. Instead, that last second is the first time that the sound mixer finds out about changes in dialog, staging or unwanted noises from on or off of the set.

All of the other departments work for what is seen and not heard. Every single person on the production from make up and wardrobe to grips and props concentrates only on what's seen in the viewfinder.

Because the other production crafts work only for picture, no one knows or cares what's happening to YOUR audio.

You are the only person on set with the power to allow us to get you good sound. It is always tempting for sound to give in and not go against the grain when circumstances impose impossible barriers.

Film schools are going to need to add psychology courses to their sound mixing curriculum soon. The situation is often that bad. That is why we want you to know as much as possible about the audio minefield lurking on every set.

What may often seem to you to be a lot of complaining, is in fact simply communicating negative factors to you, so that you will know what you are getting on your sound tracks, and what sound problems can be fixed NOW. For bottom line, these are YOUR choices. Just because we hear a noise does not make it a sound problem. It is your problem too. After all, we turn over the tracks to you at the end of the day.

After reading this, hopefully it will be much easier for you to make the informed decision about when it's really the time to loop. It's far too late to reverse a sound calamity later in post.

Even though this topic is last in the chain of events, we should start first by talking about why ADR is not a fix.

LOOPING

It is important to understand the gravity and consequences caused when the words "We'll loop it" are used.

You are obviously aware that extra ADR adds a financial burden to your budget, but the consequences are much greater than that. Looping is only an answer for situations where all else fails! It's not a quick fix later if the original set problems could have easily have been rectified with just a little time, knowledge or communication. Looping means that you are also making a huge artistic compromise that damages the film in many other ways in which you may not be so aware.

Obviously, you realize that the actor's performance is always better in production than in an ADR booth. Making a film is an artistic endeavor that lives forever! You cast great actors to bring together the collaborative efforts of film making and then you lose the essence of the scene by looping! The voice of a great actor totally in character, moving and interacting with other actors in three dimensional space is a treasure. It breathes life into the film.

Sure, ADR will have less noise than even the best set recording made with cameras rolling, but in fact we know it lacks any spontaneity, as well as the emotional truth of what's captured when you use your artists talents on the set. It can't be duplicated. ADR is not acting. The greatest method actors all hate it and at best, it is only a close recreation of the original scene.

Looping also just eats into a post budget's financial and time constraints, which would be far better spent utilizing their magical tools to enrich the film.

And as any independent film makers knows, they are always over budget by the time the film gets to post sound production, so do yourself a favor and allow us to get you the best sound we can on set!

When you just have to loop, the new forward thinking by many respected post sound professionals (such as Randy Thom from Skywalker) is to loop it immediately on or close to the set and as soon possible after the scene. These advocates know that the performance will be better so soon after filming the scene and the sound will be more natural if done in the same environment with the offending noises locked down. There are companies that specialize in on set looping using the video assist tapes for picture in portable studios.

Looping at best is usually fiscally irresponsible. Be sure that the audio problem really can't be fixed BEFORE you make a decision that you will regret later. Never allow the simple impatience of the moment on set be your real reason to loop! Be sure you have first covered all reasonable alternatives.

SOUND PROBLEMS ON THE SET

The majority of events that ruin sound tracks are totally predictable and happen over and over, show after show, year after year.

These are obstacles that are clearly identifiable and quantifiable. The difference between getting good sound or bad sound is often determined by how many of these predictable negative factors take place on your particular show and how they are handled.

There are few problems that don't have solutions if proper diligence can be taken in advance. The sound mixer is your advocate here. Let's try to identify the audio problems which each craft brings to your film.

PREPRODUCTION

Good sound begins by anticipating the outcome well in advance. Communicate early and often with your mixer in pre-production. Pay the mixer to go listen to potential problem sets ahead of time. Let them make a mock recording to see what can be dialed out in post. Do this before the locations are locked in and before the scouts with your key department heads. If the mixer is still on another show, have them designate a trusted associate to go for them. In the end, it's cost effective.

LOCATIONS DEPARTMENT

More can be done here to save a film's audio than any other department. Picking sets should have consideration for sound. At least try to weigh in environmental noise factors! We just ask that a minimal amount of consideration be given to potential audio problems. Often, we shoot in a place which could have easily been substituted for another location or on a weekend. Many times we film at a location which has construction, traffic, schools, airplane patterns and other background noise which are quite obvious. Only shoot those kinds of locations when it's absolutely necessary and essential to the film.

Lock down all the noise problems before we get to the set.

• Always consider the control of the air conditioning. This is a must! Without a/c control, the audio background will change from shot to shot as the air goes on and off. If it is a large building, have someone standing by with a walkie-talkie to turn the air back on after each shot. When exterior, it can be just as important to kill a/c units that are near the set.
• Have control on all noise makers in sets such as bars, offices and hospitals. All refrigerators, computers, ice makers, x-ray and other machines must be able to be turned off.
• Ask to schedule filming during non- work times in locations such as bars and restaurants.
• Avoid tin roofs during rainy season.
• Make sure sets can be cabled by electric and still keep windows, doors and openings closed.
• Be sure your location is not near busy streets or intersections.
• Be aware of trash pickup days, delivery days, etc. As well as nearby police and fire stations!

ART DEPARTMENT

• Confer with the sound department when adding noisy set furniture, computers and machinery.
• Try to consider overhead mics before building low covered ceilings, hanging lamps and cross beams.
• Inject foam into constructed stairs and steps to get rid of hollow footsteps over dialog.
• Whenever possible, carpet sets to deaden echo and live rooms. Especially consider these taking this step in rooms where the majority of dialog takes place.

ASSISTANT DIRECTORS

None of these implementation plans will succeed if the ADs don't support YOUR sound on the film. Sometimes they don't! The crew will take their cue to stop co-operating if it's clear the ADs react at the expense of getting good sound. Derogatory statements like "waiting on sound" and "just loop it" are unproductive and sap our spirit.

• Get police traffic lock downs when possible.
• Get quiet lock ups on set. Do not allow any walking. Station your PA's at key locations outside, and most especially under windows. (Keep the PA's from talking too) "Lock It Up" means that we should not hear any work noise from our crews. No engines, talking, etc. Have your walkie set up with priority override function so as to announce the roll across all walkie-talkie channels being used by all departments.
• Allow the sound department to make quick corrections that are reasonable.
• Enforce pantomiming from the background extras.
• Allocate a reasonable time and place for an actor to get wired. It won't help go faster if you push the sound crew to wire faster if the actor insists on getting wired at the last second on the set. Conversely, don't make the boom operator sit outside a star's dressing room just wasting valuable time that could be used to work out other sound problems on set.
• When there are closed rehearsals, make sure the boom operator gets to see at least one rehearsal before the actors leave the set.
• Honor wild line requests before releasing the actors.
• Honor room tone requests before breaking the set up, and stop all talk and movement. Room tones are very important to get before the ambient sound changes.
• In plane infested locations, roll as soon as the engine noise tails out before another plane comes in. Keep the set quiet enough to determine the status of the incoming and outgoing planes.
• Be sure to inform Sound Department at least two days ahead of playback days. Have the office send a post approved tape with sync. Don't expect that a CD or cassette will suffice.
• Have all walkie-talkies, cell phones and pagers turned off during takes and final rehearsals. They can wreck havoc on wireless microphones.

PRODUCTION MANAGERS

• Budget in a third sound person and the proper amount of audio equipment. A third person is invaluable in getting sound problems fixed in the crucial moments between the takes and scenes.
• Don't say "no" to any additional sound related costs without considering the entire post budget too.
• Book and check that stages are quiet. Even the newest and most modern stages often have dimmer banks located on or so close to the stage that they are a terrible problem.

CAMERA DEPARTMENT

Camera assistants: 

• When (not if) there is camera noise, make all reasonable efforts to contain it by using barneys, glass, blankets, tweaking, etc.
• Don't turn the slate on and off as time code will then be wrong. Let the mixer know as soon as a slate shows any problems.
• Let the sound mixer know what frequencies are being transmitted in case it steps on wireless mics or comteks. Be prepared to kill the panatape when it causes microphone interference.

Operators:

• Hold only the frame size to be used and no more.
• Communicate and work out any problems with the boom operator before the first team is called in.
• Be willing to operate in a pinch with cover or blanket over a particular noisy camera.

Directors of Photography:

• Light the set so that a boom can swing overhead.
• Don't use Xenon lights unless the director was informed ahead of time that the whole scene will have to be looped.
• Don't ever say "loop it"! It's not the DP's prerogative! If the DP conveys to the crew that sound matters to the film, they will follow that lead and be more attentive to potential sound problems.
• When shooting practical car scenes, try to consider sound problems and light so that windows can be closed where possible.
• When shooting with multiple cameras, do not attempt a wide and tight shot at the same time. Unless you plan on having close up and distant visual perspectives both with a distant sonic perspective, or you plan to add to the productions post sound budget. Speak with your AD or Producer on these matters.

SPECIAL EFFECTS DEPARTMENT

Make a reasonable effort to keep the offstage noise making devices away from the set and baffled whenever there is dialogue in the same scene.

• When making rain, put the rain machines and water truck as far away as possible.
• Use hogs hair to muffle raindrops on roofs and when it's seen out a window.
• When a fan is used to blow a curtain or plant, work it out with the sound mixer before the noise problem crops up after the first take.
• When using fireplaces, try to limit the hissing gas sound.
• Heaters close by on cold sets need to be shut off well before rolling to eliminate the crackle and pops from shutdown.

WARDROBE DEPARTMENT

They can help in creatively placing the wireless in the best possible position on the actor's body, when asked. They should never make negative comments about bulges that make the actors overly conscious about wearing a body mic on them. Think about avoiding noisy clothing, especially when the principal actors will wear much of the same clothing throughout the film.

• Never allow the actors to wear silk underclothes, especially bras. Cotton tank top T-shirts should be put on actors when possible to help avoid clothes rustle.
• Silk ties should be avoided or at least modify the inside with cotton for primary actors wearing the same wardrobe in several scenes.
• Be sound conscious when choosing chains, necklaces and other jewelry.

***** Stiff clothing such as starched shirts, large threaded fabrics, and other noisy fabrics should always be avoided. These things WILL ruin the sound for wireless mics, and the Boom will have to be relied upon entirely, which means that camera and lighting have to consider this, which in most cases they wont!*****

PROPS DEPARTMENT

Make an effort to keep noise making props as quiet as possible. Especially in the following most common problem areas:

• With guns, always let the mixer know if it's full, 1/2 or 1/4 loads, and how many shots plan to be fired and when.
• With table scenes, try to put down a pad or felt underneath the tablecloth to muffle dish-clattering noise.
• Use fake ice cubes in drink glasses.
• In kitchen scenes, put a cloth down where possible dish noise will occur. Spray shopping bags with water mister to get rid of paper noise.

GRIP DEPARTMENT

• Use cutters to kill boom shadows.
• Use all reasonable measures to reduce dolly squeaks. Put a dance floor down if floors creak. Use talcum powder when needed.
• Use blankets to deaden outside sound from open doors and windows.
• Make baffle covers for the loud set machines, fans and ballasts.
• Fasten down scrims that rattle in the wind.
• On insert cars keep extra stands attached to speed rails from clanging.
• Only use silks made of SILK in windy or outdoor scenes, NOT any form of plastic sheeting!

ELECTRIC DEPARTMENT

• Keep the generator as far away as is reasonably possible. Always use a minimum of 3 banded lengths (150 feet) to the first box, and go back from there. Supply base camp power where possible to avoid loud generators.
• Use all reasonable measures to keep lights and ballasts from making any noise on set, and use extension cabling to keep noisemakers off set.
• Run cables so that windows and doors can closed.
• Put variacs on problem dimmers.
• On insert cars, clip and wedge funnels to keep down the rattling sound.

CRAFT SERVICE DEPARTMENT

Set up away from sets so that the coffee makers and other devices can't be heard, especially on stage.

Do not provide lots of snacks that come in plastic wrapping. These find their way onto set and ruin takes!

TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT

• Plan on pushing or pulling a particularly loud vehicle out of the scene using human manpower when it's possible during close-up shots.
• Park the trucks as far away from set as reasonably possible and keep the individual generators off during the shot. Put base camp at least 1000 feet from set in quiet locations such as deserts and mountains, and 500 feet away in city locations.
• Help keep insert cars quiet.
• Be prepared to park a truck in front of the generator.
• Instead of running car engines, use alternate quiet power for picture vehicles that must run flashing light effects during the coverage.
  • Reward the companies who have taken reasonable steps to keep quiet driving to a maximum. Especially ask if the tail pipe has been rerouted to the front of the truck and if the on board gennie is quiet.
  • Use only one key alone in the ignition to eliminate clanging keys.
  • Don't Armor-All the dashboard, and use Simple Green to remove it where mics need to be planted.
  • Keep car interior floor area free of all the noisemakers such as the chains, removed side mirrors, nuts and bolts.

   

ACTORS

To mixers, a good actor is a loud actor. Whenever we get together to discuss our jobs we always talk about how good a voice an actor has. Actors who have done a lot of stage work tend to have learned the art of projecting their voice.

• Don't refuse to wear a wireless mic when it is necessary.
• Don't ask a boom operator to get out of their eye line. (Acting has been done with the boom for decades. This is a dangerous precedent we have recently started seeing.)
• Warn the sound department when you will do a much louder or quieter take than was rehearsed.
• Please speak louder when asked. We only ask when we really need it.

DIRECTORS

Collaborate frequently with your sound mixer as you would an editor, composer, DP or writer. We can also enrich your "vision" through sound images. Find out what problems and solutions exist. Don't fall for the trap where you hate to see your mixer coming because you know it's just bad news. Your mixer will feel that vibe and start telling you less and less until sound is no longer a vital part of collaboration on your film.

A good rapport with your mixer will allow you to know information about what was borderline and what you can barely get away with. If you simply trust that the mixer is getting good sound, you may be mistaken. It is always possible that the mixer has given up fighting the good sound battle and succumbed to the lack of any positive response to their efforts.

Very often, sound problems are not discovered until the last moment after the other departments have done their work and the set is finally quiet enough to hear through the microphones. The shot sometimes evolves into a sound problem that was unanticipated. Also, we may need a moment or two to make adjustments when creative changes have been made on the spot. Like it or not, sound is a part of your entire film making process from pre-production through production and on to post production. You might as well do it right. If you convey this message to your troops ahead of time, you will be freed up to spend more quality time with other pressing areas of film making.

Remember that certain crew departments such as the UPM and ADs are compelled to watch their production budget, and are not always concerned about the entire cost of a film all the way through post production.

The difference between good sound and bad sound on many shows is only about 5 to 10 minutes a day of doing some added tweaking here, another mic planted, a wireless changed there, quieting footsteps, siliconing a door squeak, room tone, a well placed blanket, killing a machine that came on during a take, powder on a dolly wheel etc. Usually by the time you print a take, the problems have been solved. If not, another take may be in order. ADs or other crafts who stifle this process will cost you dearly later in post.

• OVERLAPS - When possible, it's always better not to have them at all unless absolutely necessary because you can only be in one cut or the other. You may decide later you want to see both sides of the actor's dialogue. Remember, it's always easy to create an off camera overlap later if you still want it. Usually, the overlaps are simply because of a belief that the performance will be hindered. That argument loses credibility when the face of one of the overlapping performers won't be able to be seen at all. Of course there are times that overlaps must happen and both sides must be miked.
• USING TWO CAMERAS - There is a proper way to use 2 or more cameras and an improper way. It is perfectly acceptable to use 2 cameras of the same approximate frame size at the same time. The sound mixer's nightmare is running one camera wide and another tight at the same time. This means that sound will be compromised because all the actors must be wired because the wide camera will not allow a mic to get close enough to the tight camera size. This can be resolved by the second camera only filming non-speaking actors, or not working at all during the wide master shot. Then, go to 2 cameras for all your coverage.
• REHEARSALS - These are very important to the whole crew. It's fine to have closed rehearsals for actors only, but give one to the crew or at least let the boom operator see one. Otherwise, we can only guess where and how the sound will be delivered. The words we dread the most are "let's shoot the rehearsal". You might get lucky, but don't shoot rehearsals unless you are willing to do a lot more sound takes to work out the unknown problems.
• AD LIBBING - It's impossible to mic lines no one knows will happen. If you want to keep an ad-lib, do another take for sound if they didn't get the line the first time.
• AIR TRAFFIC - Probably the single most frustrating audio problem on set is being in a plane traffic pattern. It's a problem that might have been avoided by better location scouting. You know it's no good, we know it, the actors know it, the whole crew knows it's no good. Yet, after awhile, you have no choice but to plow through and start printing those takes anyway. In that case, rather than looping, it's much better to get through the scene with lots of short clean pieces that can be cut together later.
• LOUDER ACTORS - Sometimes we really need you to get the actors to speak up in order to save a scene. When in loud scenes such as a crowded bar or stock exchange, it's best to force the actors to speak unnaturally loud. If not your added post sound will be thin and they won't be able to add the rich background effects that make it sound real.

FINAL NOTES

The key at all times with sound is the word "reasonable". Reasonable efforts should always be made to do all these things in a reasonable amount of time. We don't want to take over the set and make the film, it's just about getting good sound. Nor do we want to sit quietly in a corner while YOUR sound tracks are butchered.

We are only asking that we go back to a time not too long ago where this was all common practice. We won't debate why this happened, but there is no question that an anti-sound attitude now prevails. That was then, and this is now. Being a set politician is always an important forte, but your tracks should not be forced to ride on the outcome of those verbal altercations.

Don't tell your sound mixer that you hate looping unless you are willing to back them up with your on set support.

Today, it is up to you to demand better sound for YOUR picture. This can be easily instilled on the first day of pre-production. Give all the keys a memo and a verbal direction that you want every reasonable effort made to get good sound on YOUR film.

We are not asking for power on set, just a little respect for your sound. With your newfound support, we promise to act reasonably at all times and not expect that the sound be the most important part of the film. We know there will be times that sound must be looped after it was given due consideration. We just don't want it taken lightly either. The word "reasonable" applies at all times.

Most importantly, find the time to communicate with your sound mixer because you need to know if you are getting the best sound tracks possible.

We have written this because we want your film to be great! It will live forever and we always want to be proud that our name went on your film.

Sincerely, 
Your Sound Department

Wireless, Noise, and the World closing in on Good Sound

Ive had a few topic ideas recently, but a new issue in wireless communications has arose, giving me the opportunity to tie them all together.

Recently, it was discovered that some new CONSUMER (not even PRO!) Wifi distributors are hogging up space in the wireless world, causing horrible interference, and worst of all, it hops to different frequencies. So even if I were to set up some wireless mics on safe channels within the same zone, those channels might be taken over at any given point.

This is an issue that we are seeing more and more of as wireless communications like Wifi, Smart Phones, and consumer grade electronics are taking up our radio spectrum in the professional audio-visual world. What does that mean for us? Well in 2009 the frequency range known as Block 28 was annexed by the US government, so many wireless devices such as Lav mics, IFB listening devices, and even Television or Video Broadcast was out of luck, and all that expensive equipment was then rendered useless. What we see is a trend of more and more things occupying the wireless work spectrum, which means we have less and less room to use wireless devices on set. So you think you can get away with just setting up a couple of wireless lavs and be fine? Think again.

A- Thats a lazy and non professional way of looking at sound, and

B- Youre going to need to start hiring Boom Ops (Thats right, the way it's supposed to be! A Sound Mixer/Recorder, and a Boom Op, and no, a PA doesnt cut it!)

We sound guys have been doing the one man show for a while, and though you can get great results from it, keep in mind that if you want someone monitoring the levels of YOUR audio, making on the fly adjustments so it doesnt get too low and too high, AND boom at the same time, remember how many arms one person has. In this equation, you need three arms.

RANT: No matter how low budget the production, I still see a DP operating the camera, an AC pulling focus and doing his/her normal tasks, and usually the camera or at least lenses are being rented.

Now look at the audio department. Usually you have your Mixer/Recorder adjusting levels, setting the wireless systems up and placing them on talent, and doing a lot of other technical voodoo that no one else on set really understands, AND you have a Boom Op taking care of the most expensive mic on set, which is undoubtedly getting the best sound (assuming your lighting crew knows how to light for sound, and youre not shooting all wides!). Camera gets an assistant, sound needs one too to do things right.

Back to the Issues at Hand: Noise! The world is getting noisier! A guy a block away from me was sitting in his drive way revving his motor cycle for a half an hour, just because he felt like it! Plus, cars are noisy, here in Los Angeles there are planes and helicopters flying overhead at any given moment, trains, kids, dogs, etc. Try finding a place where you cant hear anything but the wind, or birds chirping. The noisier it gets, the less we can really rely on the boom mic, even though it is designed to cut down on a lot of noise. But if our wireless channels are being taken up, we cant use those either.

Will we have to revert back to hiding wired mics on set all over the place, and have talent only speak when they are near one? I dont know what the outcome will be, but I see thing getting a lot worse before they get better. So film crews, listen to your sound guy or gal when he/she raises a red flag, and dont pretend you know what youre talking about when you start offering suggestions like "Cant you boom from underneath?" or "Cant you just go wireless?"... We dont make camera or lighting suggestions, and we dont tell directors how to direct. Everyone is supposed to know their job, and what they need to do in regards to the other departments. Let the boom mic get adequately close to the talent to get good sound, unless you dont care, in which case, hand the boom over to a PA and see what your budget looks like when you have to fix everything in post.

Crafty in a Modern Age

This doesnt have anything to do with sound, but it is something that I feel I need to address because let's face it, it is something that is going to come up and if you are ahead of the game you will be notices and appreciated.

Film makers, indie or not. Let's think about the situation of Crafty in a modern day perspective. Crafty is called "Crafty" or "Craft Services" because originally it was contracted through Kraft Foods, or so I am told. Now, we all know Kraft. They make cheap garbage food that's really unhealthy, but it tastes good. Most people that work in film in Los Angeles are from places other than Los Angeles, and people's diets vary depending on where they are from. I have done a lot of traveling in my life, lots of road trips all over the states, and a lot of international travel as well. Most small towns along the freeway only have fast food joints, a greasy diner, and usually a chinese food place. Also, when you go to the grocery store, if you really pay attention to what you are buying, you will realize that most products (and produce) in America is actually unhealthy. The food industry uses words like "Natural" and "Whole Grain" to make you think that you are buying wholesome food, but in fact, if you knew what was really in there you would think twice about buying that product. Corn Syrup is in everything, as well as Preservatives, Pesticides, Hydrogenated Oils, Trans Fats, and Hormones! It's mind boggling to think that a "free market" has enabled companies to allow so many unnatural and harmful ingredients in our food. And if you go to a major supermarket chances are there is little to nothing available there that doesnt contain these things.

Basically, just about anything pre packaged, sweetened, suspiciously colorful, prepared or not in a natural state of being. Even much of our produce is genetically altered, and contains pesticides and/or wax to give it a shine. Our dairy and livestock usually are given hormones and who knows what else so for a number of reasons, which my guess is why people in other countries have less food allergies... because most other countries do not allow industry tampering to their food.

So what am I getting at? Well, here in Los Angeles, we have a lot of people that try to stay healthy, and a lot of them work in film and television. Can you imagine? People working in film and television want to stay healthy, or thin. Sounds like actors to me. But yes, also crew. I like to eat healthy too, but unfortunately I eat most of my meals on film and TV sets, and most of the time there are no healthy options. Chips, donuts, candy, granola bars full of corn syrup, food coloring and preservatives, no thank you. Usually the only "healthy" option is one of those vegetable trays with celery, baby carrots, and a tub of ranch. Well, I am thankful for the effort, but that gets old really quick. Im not a big fan of ranch, and those veggies taste like chemicals to me. Then what? Well, Im not in charge of crafty, so I dont know. I personally like hummus and freshly cut celery (not pre packaged), or maybe some organic peanut butter (I know it has a weird texture, but if you knew what they do to regular peanut butter to give it that consistency, you wouldnt eat it either!).

My point is, why should I be the odd man out just because I dont want to treat my body poorly? I work a hard job. 12 hours on set, day in and day out, plus usually about an hours of route either way. I need to keep my body in good shape and keep my energy up. Caffein and sugar are just going to make me feel bad once the initial rush is over and make me crash even harder.

The other part of this is that the food needs to be easy to eat on the go. It's fine to have some "table snacks" but we need things that we can just pop in our mouth and hop to the next take. I for example have a heavy bag around my neck that gives me limited mobility, and a boom pole in my hand, which gives me one hand to try to feed myself, so bananas are out of the question, and a whole apple is going to get my hand sticky, and I will more than likely have to set it down at some point to go back to work before I can finish it. Apple slices are nice though. But things that come in wrappers can not only prove a challenge for a guy like me on set, they can also cause problems. The sound of a plastic wrapper in headphones is not only one of the most irritating sounds you can imagine, but it can also be quite painful if it is loud enough. Those wrappers also find their way into peoples hands while we are trying to run a take, which of course will ruin the take. I have been known to approach the crafty table and throw all plastic-wrapped items in the trash when people start wandering onto set with those things in their hands and we are getting close to rolling, or while rolling for that matter. Honestly, I dont care who I have to piss off, I need good takes, and I dont want the producer barking at me when we hit post because crew members werent being respectful.

While we're talking about food on set, let's talk about meals. A crew expects at least one hot meal per shooting day, which is 12 hours at the maximum. If you go over by one minute, you are expected to provide a second. The meals should be hot, and again, healthy if possible. Indie film makers are always trying to make me eat garbage like Subway, which isnt hot or fresh (contrary to what they say), and Ive known a lot of people to get sick from them (myself included) due to their low quality ingredients. Other things people try to feed us are Stoffer's Lasagna because its cheap and can kinda feed more people, but it is again low quality ingredients, and most tomato sauces in the USA are sweetened with corn syrup, so I wont touche it. I like pizza, but I would rather not eat it on set because it is heavy, and I dont want to go into a food coma half way through the day. So get creative. Get catering or something from a good healthy place. Ive been on plenty of shoots where we had a local restaurant or independent caterer provide the catering, and it often works out to be about $5 per head, which is what you would pay if you cheaped out and got Subway. Some of the things we had were roasted or baked chicken, maybe in some delicious sauce, some prepared vegetables, salad, rice. You could even have a BBQ and not spend a lot if you know where to shop.

But do remember that a lot of people have dietary restrictions. A number of faiths do not allow the ingestion of pork or pig products, some people are vegetarian or vegan, or pescetarian. Others just simply dont like certain things, so if you are getting sandwiches, maybe only go with beef, turkey or chicken as the meat, have some vegetarian options, and dont have any sauces or extras already on them. I for one have three things that I cant stand, but unfortunately they are very common, so every sandwich or burger is a battle for me. I cant stand Mayonnaise, Mustard or Pickles. I just cant do it, Ive tried, I try all the time. But 80% of the time I will order a sandwich (or be provided with one), request no mayo or pickles, and it will be there regardless. Needless to say I get a little grumpy when this happens.

So please, start thinking healthy and learn a little bit about nutrition if you are in charge of feeding a hole cast and crew of people. And also be aware of the potential problems your choices may cause, such as noise or sticky hands, or maybe pollution :) Your cast and crew will be happier and healthier, and work harder, instead of feeling like poo by lunch time and just trying to get done with the day the rest of the time.

More on Sonic Perspective

In film, your camera determines your perspective by bringing you closer or further away from the subject. Usually you would start with somewhat of a wide shot at the beginning of a scene to establish where the scene takes place. Then you would cut between medium and close up shots periodically for coverage of the scene, with the occasional cut back to the wide to depict any sort of movement that may happen during the scene.

In sound, there is also a perspective that comes through, depending on how the scene is framed with the camera. If the shot is wide, there usually is no way to get a boom near the subject, and hence the perspective is far away.

In this case, it seems unreasonable to expect the sound department to get a close up sonic perspective of a subject if the camera framing doesnt physically allow it right? Well, you would be surprised how many people do not consider this.

Some film makers shoot mainly wide shots in an effort to save time and money, and although wide shots can be very beautiful if done right, they can also give a sitcom effect to your picture. "But sitcoms have sound right? It's pretty good!" Well, if thats what you want, but let me tell you a little about how that is done, and why it isnt ideal for your film. First, the sitcom is a dying style, and it only works on closed sets for the most part. A sitcom has a built set with no ceiling and a couple of crane operated mic booms hanging overhead with a special kind of super long range shotgun mic that is able to get decent (but not cinema quality) coverage over such wide shots, because most sitcoms are shot relatively wide. This would be rather impossible for a "one man show" type sound person to get on his/her own. Sitcom style shooting also tends to require excessively long shots, meaning they run for a long time, and cover more than one actor. A boom operator holding a boom over their head for your wide shot can't do that all day, and usually 10 minutes is really pushing it.

Well then why not just put a lav on them? If you have read any of my previous posts, you will know that relying on a lav is never the solution. If your camera/lighting departments arent working with the sound department to make sure that everyone is happy, chances are you are not going to get ideal coverage for sound. So your picture may look fantastic, but your sound may be hollow and distant, or extra noisy.

I've worked on a number of films where the DP will say something like "I've run sound for a film, so I am conscious of what the sound department needs." That is nice to get a sympathetic person on set, but the truth is, unless you have a deep understanding of sound, both technically and in experience, you will know that their idea of what you need as a sound person in order to get good sound is vague at best. They often think that because they can hear the dialogue, the sound is good. And to the untrained ear, this will pass. But as soon as that film is projected alongside a film that did things the right way at a festival or something, suddenly your opinion changes.

So unfortunately the sympathetic DP often has no real idea of what you need, which is terribly unfortunate because your camera and lighting departments are often dictating how you do your job, without really knowing anything about what your job requires.

This is why a lot of sound people keep to themselves on set, do their job, deliver the audio, collect their check and leave. Because they are tired of fighting the good battle on every set they work on, on every setup they do. So they simply say "We can only deliver you the quality of sound that your production allows us to give you". What does this mean? Well, if your camera person only does wide shots, and your lighting crew arent making it possible to get a boom near the subject without casting shadows everywhere, then they arent letting the sound department do their job right. And to make things worse, the noisier your location is, and the further away your boom is from your subject, the worse your sound will be.

What it comes down to is this: The best place for a microphone is as close to the subject as possible. This is just how it is, theres no such thing as magically "zooming in" your audio. If the mic can't get close to the subject, they will sound more distant, and you will have a louder noise floor, or background noise.

So back to perspective. If your shot is wide, dont expect to get a close perspective from your sound, because it is physically impossible, with certain exceptions. Punch in to a close up on your subject to get good coverage, and please, do not forget about the dialogue editor! They are probably the most important person in post production audio!

Syncing Sound To Film

In the independent film world our budget forces us to make decisions that we will hope save us money. One of those things that I see more and more often are people trying to record the sound directly into the camera. The idea behind this is to save time in post production by not having to resync the sound before editing. Although this works in theory, it is not exactly practical. In this post I will explain the pros and cons of doing this, and why.

Sound into camera: Why not? It is already in sync with the picture, less time in editing right? Well, yes and no.

Every so often I get a director/producer who insists that I record the sound directly into his camera. But more often than not, I am using my shotgun mic and at least a couple of wireless lavs. At this point I am using more than two tracks, and most cameras being used today in the independent film world only have two audio inputs. So there is the problem of only having an initial mix of all of the tracks. Going this rout defeats the purpose of having dialogue editors and mixers in post. In a sense, you could relate this to setting your camera's focus to a fixed point, and not adjusting it for the entire film. There will be moments of clarity, but for the most part it is far from ideal.

The other disadvantage to this is the obvious lack of monitoring and adjustment capabilities that your sound team can make during a take. Granted, if the signal is being sent to the camera via a mixer, then the sound mixer can be making those adjustments as needed on his end. But if the camera's audio input levels havnt been calibrated to match that of the sound mixer, your audio may be too low or too high into the camera. Too low of a signal means that you will have a higher noise floor, and too hot of a signal means that your signal will distort or clip.

Auto Gain and Limiting: Many of todays cameras have these features, but what do they do exactly? Well, Auto Gain simply takes the audio input level and adjusts it to always be at a nominal level. Sounds like a good idea right? Well, it is a machine, and it cannot anticipate what will happen in the script. So if there is no dialogue happening for example and it is quiet, the Auto Gain will ramp up the signal until the noise floor is violently loud, and as soon as someone speaks, the signal will be too loud and peak, and the Auto Gain will ramp the signal down too low, but not fast enough, and you will have levels changing during your dialogue. And the Limiter? Well it works some of the time, but if the signal is too loud, it is going to clip no matter what.

DSLRs and Juice Boxes: A Juice Box is a small device that you can connect to your digital SLR (Canon 5D, 7D, etc), and will allow you to connect two XLR (mic) cables directly into it. It will usually even provide the ability to switch on and off phantom power, a low cut (high pass) filter, and a pad. Some will also accept mic or line levels, and have a number of other functions, including a headphone output so you can monitor your signal on it's way into the camera. Sounds great right? Ideally it should be, but here are the issues involved with using a juice box and trying to record into your DSLR:

Monitoring: Your DSLR does not have a headphone jack, so you cant actually listen to what you are recording. You can listen to your sound before it goes into the camera via the juice box, but it may be too loud or too low when it gets to the camera, because both the camera and the juice box have separate input level controls, and you have to adjust both of them so that they match, which can be pretty tricky. Fortunately your DSLR has level meters for you to watch and see the levels rise and fall. This is helpful, but to make things more confusing, heres the kicker: There is no manual audio gain control on the DSLRs as of yet, which means you are stuck in Auto Gain! The juice box companies have thought of this however, and have designed a system where one of your two available audio channels are fed a signal tone which keeps the gain constant, allowing you to record onto your other audio channel without the ups and downs of your Auto Gain roller coaster.

So here we have somewhat of a solution, but you can only record onto one channel, which means if you are doing anything more than using one mic source, such as a boom or handheld mic for interviews, you are stuck with that pre mix problem because at this point you need your audio sources to once again go through your sound guy's mixer and be condensed down into a single mono track before it hits the camera.

The other issue I have seen with the DSLR/juice box system is that a good number of these dont seem to connect to each other well. What I mean is that in order to connect the juice box to your camera in a way to get the sound into the camera, you take a small cable coming out of the juice box and stick it into the mini-jack input in your camera. In my experience, I have seen a number of these connections fail, and you will lose your audio without even knowing it (until you go back and take a listen once youre home)! In this case, you will either get distorted audio or your camera will just revert back to it's built-in mic. I have even seen the input cable get partially in, but not all the way, so you don't actually get any audio at all! Either way you cant tell just by looking at the camera. You actually have to transfer the file onto your computer and check to be sure since there is no way of plugging headphones directly into the camera.

Time Code and Resyncing Sound: In the past we have often used Time Code as a reference so that the audio and video could be more easily resynced in post for dailies or "rushes". This is not a bad system, but it is an expensive one. Not that many cameras today being used in the indie world can even run Time Code, and if they do (like in the case of the RED ONE), there is often a drift that happens rather quickly, so Time Code becomes useless at that point. In regards to sound, what your sound mixer needs is a mixer/recorder that can support Time Code (again, an expensive feature to have), as well as a Smart Slate (very expensive), and sometimes additional components to run, jam, or link the Time Code to your camera and sound recorder. If you want your sound guy to have these options available, first consider the practical application of what you need it for, and what it would cost to get it all up and running, as well as be sure that your camera can support it! I get directors/producers ask me all the time if I have a smart slate and Time Code, but when I ask them what they are shooting on, often times the reply is a 5D or an HVX, at which point I ask them why they want me to have Time Code when they cant even use it!

So let's think about a better way of syncing sound to picture without an expensive Time Code package. I have recently worked on a few projects where the editor has been on set and told me that there are new plug-ins for Final Cup Pro and possibly Avid that will analyze the sound from the camera's on board mic, and compare it with the production audio tracks, and snap them together automatically. Although I havnt been able to find these products on my own, I have heard from a number of sources that this does in fact exist and works! And as an added bonus, they say it isn't expensive either. So there you have it! A simple inexpensive solution that will save everyone money, and you a lot of time in post production because you dont have to manually resync the sound to picture for each take, which will save you more money because you dont have to pay your editor for his/her time in doing so! And you can keep your sound guy/gal who will deliver you great audio to match your picture!