The Sound Department
The sound department is one of the smallest, yet most important crew on a film shoot. Unfortunately (mostly in low budget), it is sometimes treated as an afterthought when putting together a crew. Thus, this chapter approaches the subject of the sound department as essential to a successful film and smooth audio post-production. The importance of getting good sound on location is discussed in addition to job descriptions and operations.
Most first-time directors may not understand the importance of good sound when on set. The director might think that he is in a hurry and so shoots without sound. He may think, “Oh, there’s no dialogue in this scene, let’s just shoot MOS (without sound).” The trouble comes when you get into the sound edit and suddenly you need to create an entire world of sound for one scene because you decided to shoot it MOS. This creates more work for your sound editing team, and could therefore cost more for your sound editing equipment rental. See Chapter 17 for the process of sound editing.
SOUND MIXER
The sound mixer is responsible for recording sound on set. She records each take, as well as wild sound and room ambience. Wild sound is sound not synchronized to picture. For instance, a shot calls for a car to pull up and the actor to get out and go into a house. In addition to recording this shot, the sound mixer will also try to get the sounds of the car turning off, the keys coming out of the ignition, and the car door opening and closing. It is difficult to get much wild sound on location because the pace of the day is so fast. However, it is good for the sound mixer to get what she can.
Ambience, or room tone, is the sound in a room when no one is speaking or creating sound. It is the background sound of a room or location. Sometimes room tone is very quiet, as in a room inside a house. Sometimes ambience is full of sounds that create an atmosphere, such as a field in the country. These recordings are very important to the sound editing process (see Chapter 17).
The sound mixer will start work on the first day of shooting. Following are the duties and responsibilities of the sound mixer.
Pre-Production
■ Reads the script to determine special sound requirements.
■ Hires a boom operator. Most sound mixers work with one or two boom operators on a regular basis.
■ May hire a cable person and sound PA if the budget allows.
■ Goes on the technical scout to determine any special sound problems such as planes overhead, nearby construction, or noisy traffic.
Production
■ Once on set, sets up the sound equipment in a designated staging area.
■ Reviews the shot list and location of the first setup.
■ Confers on microphone placement with the boom operator.
■ Operates the recording machine during rehearsals to get levels.
■ May adjust placement of the boom if necessary.
■ Records a slate for each roll/tape/DVD that states the number of the roll, the date of shooting, and the name and type of recorder being used.
■ Records approximately 30 seconds of reference tone on the tape.
■ Records the take.
■ Fills out the sound report (see Figure 11.1).
■ Before wrap is called, records ambience, or room tone.
■ At the end of the day labels all sound tapes and turns them over to the 2nd AD.
BOOM OPERATOR
The boom operator is the person who holds the boom in a position that will result in the best possible sound. Boom operators must be physically fit: it takes a lot of strength to hold up a boom pole all day. Most boom operators are people aspiring to become sound mixers. It is important that a boom operator know and understand good microphone placement. She should know where to put the boom for optimal sound recording. Otherwise the sound mixer would have to worry about it. The sound mixer needs the freedom to concentrate on getting good levels. The boom operator has no pre-production. Following is a list of general responsibilities:
■ Builds the microphone each morning. Building the microphone is the process of putting the proper microphone on the boom pole and choosing the right amount of cable.
■ Hooks up to the audio machine (1/4-inch reel-to-reel, digital audio tape [DAT], disk, or DVD).
■ Holds the boom in place for rehearsals and takes.
■ Helps wrap out equipment at the end of the day.
The relationship between the sound mixer and boom operator is very important. I once worked a show with a husband-and-wife sound team. They knew sign language and would sign back and forth between takes, adjusting the boom placement. Clearly this team knew how to communicate. The fast pace of shooting requires that the mixer and boom be able to communicate clearly and quickly.
CABLE PULLER OR CABLE PERSON
This position, formerly called the third man, is the person who keeps track of the cables that go from the boom operator to the sound mixer. In some cases the boom operator may need to be some distance from the mixer. With all kinds of crew walking around, someone is needed to protect these delicate cables. Also, the boom operator may need to move with the camera; the cable puller is then needed to pull cable. For instance, the shot calls for two actors to walk down a sidewalk, having a conversation. The camera will cover the actors by moving with the actors on a long dolly track. The boom operator must then walk alongside the camera, with the boom pointed at the actors. The cable puller follows behind the boom operator either picking up or handing out the cable as needed. This process is needed so that no one trips over the cable and so that the boom operator has sufficient cable to move with the camera.
SOUND PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
The sound PA is much like other PA positions. He is there to assist the sound team in many ways. The sound PA might get coffee for the sound mixer or boom operator. Or, perhaps he will be needed to retrieve stock for the sound mixer. Many sound PAs double as cable pullers.
THE SOUND PACKAGE
The sound package for a production consists of the audio recorder, microphones, boom poles, cables, sound cart, and, oftentimes, walkie-talkies. The package is sometimes rented from an audio rental facility. However, many sound people own their own equipment. You would then pay for the sound mixer and her package together. The recording format can be a sound person’s decision or the preference of the director. Historically there was 1/4-inch reel-to-reel audiotape, an analog format that is used with a Nagra. Then there was DAT tape, which is recorded on a digital machine but uses tape. There is now also disk, which is used on a hard-disk recorder. There is also DVD-R, which is recording on a DVD recorder. Be sure to keep up on current formats that may be used on your next show.
OPERATIONS
Once on set, the sound mixer goes over the shot list and determines where the boom will be placed for the shot. She then discusses this with the boom operator, including any movement that may be required. The sound mixer will be sure to watch the 1st AD and camera team as they prepare for the shot. When the actors are brought to set, the sound team gets ready for the rehearsal. During the rehearsal the mixer will get levels, making sure the boom placement is the best it can be for the shot. The rehearsal is the only time the sound mixer may have to get these levels.
Immediately before the shot, the 1st AD will ask the sound mixer if she is ready, to which the sound mixer replies, “Ready.” The 1st AD will then check with the camera team and director to make sure they are ready. When everyone is ready, the 1st AD will call, “Roll Sound.” The sound mixer turns on the recording machine. When the machine is at full running speed, the sound mixer calls, Speed. Then as the shot commences, the sound mixer records the take.
When the shot is finished, the 1st AD may ask the sound mixer if the take was good or not. Some 1st ADs may not do this. It is up to the sound mixer to say something if the take was not good for sound. Perhaps a crew member made noise in the background over an actor’s dialogue. That would be a bad sound take.
The sound mixer then makes the proper notes on the sound report (see Figure 11.1). In between takes the sound mixer may make adjustments to boom placement to improve the sound as much as possible.
At the end of the day, the sound mixer tells the 2nd AD which sound reel or tape he is on or, if the roll is completed, turns it over.
PLAYBACK
Sometimes sound playback is needed on set. There are many situations where this may be the case. Perhaps it is a music video shoot. On these shoots, the music is prerecorded and then played back on set as the artist performs and lip-syncs to the song. Alternatively, the situation may be that a dance scene is being shot and music needs to play for the dancers to dance to. Maybe the scene requires a band to play in a bar scene. In this example, the song the band plays will most likely be prerecorded. Then, on set, playback is used.
The process for playback requires some preparation. Cues are predetermined so that at any time the director can call for the playback to begin at any certain point. The process of setting up these cues should happen before getting on set. On low- to medium-budget shoots, the sound mixer can double as the playback operator. On some medium-budget and most high-budget shoots, a separate playback operator may be hired, depending on how much playback is needed. For instance, if you are shooting a musical, it is a good idea to hire someone different since there will be a lot of playback.
SUMMARY
The sound department, while quite small, is one of the most important departments in terms of its final product. The sound team records all dialogue and on-set sound effects. When possible, the sound recordist also records wild sounds of various actions that the actors take. Some situations call for the recordist to operate playback, such as for a music video or if there are singers or musicians on set.