Audio: Lavs on bras - avoiding talent's heart beat

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IndiePaul

I had much fun and games on a recent shoot.

Due to the micro budget nature of our shoots, I wear both the DOP and 'audio guy' hats. I am not an audio pro, but am learning as much as I can about the art.

Our female talent was in lingerie for a short scene. We could not boom - it was a one crew shoot (me). I laved up the talent with a Sennheiser G3 wireless using the lav (Sennheiser ME2) that comes with the G3 kit. I used mole skin around the head of the lav then taped it (using mole skin) to the talents chest - the talent is my wife so I could do this myself without being slapped. Given her attire I had to place the lav near her heart.

As soon as we started shooting, I could hear her heart beat over my headphones. It was a pretty intense drama scene. I stopped the shoot.

I then tried 3 layers of moleskin between her skin and the lav. That helped but I think I could still hear her heart beat over my headphones.

Any advice on lav placement, particularly on female talent would be hugely appreciated.

Previously I have tried attaching lavs to clothing but handling noise can be a big issue. I purchased a Countryman B3 lav because it is supposed to exhibit low handling noise but I found it the opposite, I found the Sennheiser ME2 must more forgiving handling noise-wise. A slight brush on the cable of the Countryman B3 sends a nasty loud handling noise into my monitor headphones.
 
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Countrymans (Countrymen?) are great for concealability, but they are definitely more susceptible to handling noise. It really helps to throw a small loop into the line an inch or two below the mic and gaff it to clothing/skin, as it isolates noise from the rest of the line from the mic.

Might be an obvious thing, but did you try to mic on the right side instead of the left, farther from the heart? Seems like that might help.

With tiny mics like the countryman it's also common to run them up over an ear and conceal them in the hair, especially in situations where the talent doesn't have a shirt on. I've actually concealed a b6 on the frame of the talent's glasses as well.

Otherwise your only option may be to step out of the room during the shoot, as obviously your wife's heart pounds whenever you are near...
 
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Next time you're in that kind of situation attach it to the bra. That way you can run the whole bra with the cable and exit wherever you want. Use tape that will glide very smoothly over skin. Or you may have to pad the skin as well. Every situation will be different.

You may want to look into foam windscreens as well.

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Sometimes they make it worse, sometimes better.


Lavs are an acquired skill. The more you do it, the more you'll learn. And remember, at the budgeted level they cooperate with wardrobe, and lavs (and transmitters) are sewn into all sorts of things. Put together a good accessory kit for your lavs - various tapes, foam covers, fuzzys, etc., etc., etc. You're lucky; you'll get to experiment with placements and have some fun at the same time. - ;) -
 
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As Alcove said, there are many methods.

It also depends on what she's wearing. The ME2's are a little larger than most lavs, but you can still make them work.

I think your quickest fix would be to pick up some Rycote stickies, attach the microphone to one of the stickies then layer the moleskin (if needed) on top. I find sometimes with those microphones if you can get some sticking sounding come through. Getting some Joe's stick stuff (I've been told Blutac can also help) to protect the lav can help. You really need to experiment. It can depend on what they're wearing.

Alternatively, you could rig the mic up to the collar, taping the wire across and down the side.

If she's wearing a button-up shirt, wire it up like you would a guy and peak it (almost) out near the 3rd button. You could even consider rigging it up in her hair if there are no better options.

If all else fails, consider using the lav as a plant mic. Sometimes it's better than nothing, especially if you cannot get a boom in.
 
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