The first major project of 2019 is to record, produce and mix for a short film by 3enzik titled 'A Couple of Achers' (with achers being a word play on acres) set to be showcased for Synergy later this year.
When approached to do sound for this project, there was some concern about not having a team to be able to assist in the on set recording of dialogue and location sound due to what was involved as part of the pre production process as it was preferred to have a wireless lapel mic for each actor, a swinger (holds boom mic), field recorder operator and continuity assistant to ensure that the highest quality recordings and data wrangling was well taken care of. After approaching a few people about these positions and due to prior commitments and unforeseen circumstances the whole process was done individually.
The equipment used for the shooting days where as follows:
Zoom F8 field recorder
Sennhieser MKH416
DPA 4080-BM x2
Sennhieser EW100 x4
So the intention of this set up as mentioned above is to have an individual mic for each person in the shot that had dialogue, to have the boom capturing as much audio and ambient sound relevant to the shot including foot steps and incidental noise (key movements/actions) a send to the camera recording the footage as scratch audio and to have individual files for each channel that was recording at the time and a stereo backup (with the dual SD card system on the F8). With all of this in place there are many circumstances where things can go wrong like having the wireless receivers and transmitters on to close of a corresponding frequency band, boom movement, extraneous noise from clothing/environment so knowing the equipment and its strengths and weaknesses and constantly monitoring each source is vital in order to capture the best performance, of course this is easier with a team, although, it is possible to do this independently on small scale productions if you are prepared and have contingencies in place in case of any complications that may arise. This is where know your equipment is important so that any changes or fixes can be done as quickly as possible to avoid losing time and frustrating your crew and having a Sound Report or Continuity Sheet to make any notes during recordings.
Having open communication with the crew as to what scene and take is occurring or if there are any moments where a take can not be recorded due to incidental noise from wind, aircraft or other vehicles can save a lot of hassles both on set and during the post production process when it comes time to put all of your recorded audio which is why having a written log of all audio assets can help instead of searching through hundreds if not more files that make up a production so that when you are editing the dialogue or production sound you have time to make any amendments or potential re-shoots as audio is usually one of the last steps in putting together such projects.
One of the advantages of working with a smaller crew is that there is less breakdown of communication, not that it doesn't happen just that there are less individuals the message has to travel through before it gets delivered and ensuring everyone has the right information is easier. During the post production stage, the main points of contact where with the editor/color grader to ensure that the score was going to match the tone of the film because having a movie that is edited and graded for comedy wouldn't necessarily suit a horror soundtrack and vice-versa. The point where the project became a challenge was due to circumstances within the film team where several dates got pushed back to the point where the final picture lock date which was almost 6 weeks behind schedule leaving only 2 weeks for sound design, foley, mixing etc; so time had to be managed to the minute because too long spent on one aspect of this phase would mean the others would be adversely affected and wouldn't be at an overall high standard. Prioritizing what needed to be done first (dialogue cleanup/editing, ambiance matching, etc.) and then having a list of what needed to be completed and the estimated time to have that aspect completed really helped to get the project to a point where it was of a high enough standard for the producer to be happy with what they where receiving and being in constant communication with these people did give some confidence in the film being completed, some aspects where cut from the deliverable product, things like a surround sound version to be released for theater, a more comprehensive soundtrack and sound design coverage.
Going into the project solo was an ambitious attempt by any means, not that assistance wasn't sought out to begin with, just that the specialization in film post production or even wanting experience in the production stage and post isn't something that appeals to a lot of people although the amount I have learned during this process about my craft has been invaluable and I am very much looking forward to the next project.