The audio and the best place to do it in California?
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to shoot a beach scene?
- Thread starter omarzamora
- Start date
You have good suggestions made, especially from Alcove. My 2 cents:
Do yourself a favor and buy/rent a Sanken CS-3 (http://www.trewaudio.com/products/sanken/cs3/); it's highly directional and just kills noise from the sides and rear. Keep it pointed at the talent up to twenty or more feet depending on overall ambient noise. IMPORTANT - Use a windsock (basket) and keep the back of the mic towards the surf, so your boom operator is sometimes walking in the wet part of the sand; be careful to keep his/her tracks out of the frame, at least long enough that they disappear. If you have to shoot with the mic parallel to the surf, you can further abate the surf noise by using plastic wrap taped around the back and sides of the basket, leaving the front without plastic wrap but keep the front of the basket on.
You got excellent tips on lavs and planted mics, so I won't get into them except to say, try to rent the Sanken COS-11. They are very small, unobtrusive, and have great sound.
To deal with wind, as much as possible, basic to handling a boom mic is keeping the back end of the mic pointed into the wind. At the beach, the wind is gusty so the direction can change. The surf is constant, so reduce it's effect first and let the basket primarily deal with the wind.
And finally, find a experienced boom op to handle the mic; half my work comes from productions that are half shot and still getting bad sound because they are trying to use a PA to handle a boom, or using a inexperienced student in a position requiring skill. And, as suggested earlier, record ambient sound that can be used for clean-up in post. This is the one thing that most indie productions do not do and wind up paying for it later.
Best of luck with it. Let us know how it turns out.
Do yourself a favor and buy/rent a Sanken CS-3 (http://www.trewaudio.com/products/sanken/cs3/); it's highly directional and just kills noise from the sides and rear. Keep it pointed at the talent up to twenty or more feet depending on overall ambient noise. IMPORTANT - Use a windsock (basket) and keep the back of the mic towards the surf, so your boom operator is sometimes walking in the wet part of the sand; be careful to keep his/her tracks out of the frame, at least long enough that they disappear. If you have to shoot with the mic parallel to the surf, you can further abate the surf noise by using plastic wrap taped around the back and sides of the basket, leaving the front without plastic wrap but keep the front of the basket on.
You got excellent tips on lavs and planted mics, so I won't get into them except to say, try to rent the Sanken COS-11. They are very small, unobtrusive, and have great sound.
To deal with wind, as much as possible, basic to handling a boom mic is keeping the back end of the mic pointed into the wind. At the beach, the wind is gusty so the direction can change. The surf is constant, so reduce it's effect first and let the basket primarily deal with the wind.
And finally, find a experienced boom op to handle the mic; half my work comes from productions that are half shot and still getting bad sound because they are trying to use a PA to handle a boom, or using a inexperienced student in a position requiring skill. And, as suggested earlier, record ambient sound that can be used for clean-up in post. This is the one thing that most indie productions do not do and wind up paying for it later.
Best of luck with it. Let us know how it turns out.
A good alternative to the CS3 is the MKH-50. I have seen it used on beach shoots before.
The COS-11 is by far the best lapel out there.
I don't particularly agree with the plastic wrap. Anything which reflects sound near a mic is death on tonality. Do you have any examples of samples that I can hear of this?
The COS-11 is by far the best lapel out there.
I don't particularly agree with the plastic wrap. Anything which reflects sound near a mic is death on tonality. Do you have any examples of samples that I can hear of this?
Beaches in CA
It depends on several criteria:
1. Do you need to be in a particular area: NorCal, Central or SoCal.
2. What is the size of the production? (Large, Medium, or Guerilla)
3. Do you need vehicles on the beach (production, camera, and set vehicles, etc...)
Pismo Beach is available for shooting, vehicles are allowed on the beach (need permits). It is best to shoot for sunsets in the winter when the sunsets earlier in the day.
San Diego has multiple beach spots if you need shots of good waves. (No Cars on Beach, parking nearby)
Ventura has several places as well (Silver Strand, Hollywood Beach, Pier, and behind the Fairgrounds) No cars on beach, but nearby parking)
Audio - use the fuzzy windscreen and blimp
Matt Efsic
Ventura, CA
DIT/Data Manager/Camera
It depends on several criteria:
1. Do you need to be in a particular area: NorCal, Central or SoCal.
2. What is the size of the production? (Large, Medium, or Guerilla)
3. Do you need vehicles on the beach (production, camera, and set vehicles, etc...)
Pismo Beach is available for shooting, vehicles are allowed on the beach (need permits). It is best to shoot for sunsets in the winter when the sunsets earlier in the day.
San Diego has multiple beach spots if you need shots of good waves. (No Cars on Beach, parking nearby)
Ventura has several places as well (Silver Strand, Hollywood Beach, Pier, and behind the Fairgrounds) No cars on beach, but nearby parking)
Audio - use the fuzzy windscreen and blimp
Matt Efsic
Ventura, CA
DIT/Data Manager/Camera
I worked on series such as Lost, and I'm aware of the challenges involved in shooting on the beach. A few suggestions:
1) hire a sound mixer who knows what they're doing and has the right gear for the job.
2) cheat the actors well away from the surf in close-ups, so the sound is less of a problem.
3) keep the microphones positioned away from the ocean, and use directional microphones whenever possible. The Sennheiser 816 is a good choice.
4) consider finishing the scene, then moving the actors much further away from the water and doing all the dialog again as wild lines. It's possible that a combination of real lines and wild tracks will give the dialog editor the flexibility to make the scene work, while minimizing the need for ADR.
BTW, don't forget that wind noise, airplanes, and crowds can be just as much of a problem as crashing waves. This is a very hostile environment, at best. There's always the possibility of fixing the tracks in the final mix, with devices like the Cedar DNS-3000, but this is a high-end tool available only in full-service facilities. And it's always better to get good sound to begin with, rather than trying to take marginal sound and salvage it.
__________________________________
www.cinesound.tv | location sound mixing & post-production consultant
1) hire a sound mixer who knows what they're doing and has the right gear for the job.
2) cheat the actors well away from the surf in close-ups, so the sound is less of a problem.
3) keep the microphones positioned away from the ocean, and use directional microphones whenever possible. The Sennheiser 816 is a good choice.
4) consider finishing the scene, then moving the actors much further away from the water and doing all the dialog again as wild lines. It's possible that a combination of real lines and wild tracks will give the dialog editor the flexibility to make the scene work, while minimizing the need for ADR.
BTW, don't forget that wind noise, airplanes, and crowds can be just as much of a problem as crashing waves. This is a very hostile environment, at best. There's always the possibility of fixing the tracks in the final mix, with devices like the Cedar DNS-3000, but this is a high-end tool available only in full-service facilities. And it's always better to get good sound to begin with, rather than trying to take marginal sound and salvage it.
__________________________________
www.cinesound.tv | location sound mixing & post-production consultant
Awesome, thanks everyone!
Does anyone know any good mono mics? I already have a stereo one.
Does anyone know any good mono mics? I already have a stereo one.
Sanken CMS-10 - $2,300
Schoeps CMIT5U - $2,150
Sennheiser MKH-70 - $1,750
Sennheiser MKH-416 - $1,200
Rode NTG-3 - $700
Audio-Technica AT-875 - $600
Audio-Technica AT4073A - $600
Rode NTG-2 - $275
Audio-Technica AT897 - $260
You'll also need a boom pole, shock mount, cables, wind protection and headphones.
Schoeps CMIT5U - $2,150
Sennheiser MKH-70 - $1,750
Sennheiser MKH-416 - $1,200
Rode NTG-3 - $700
Audio-Technica AT-875 - $600
Audio-Technica AT4073A - $600
Rode NTG-2 - $275
Audio-Technica AT897 - $260
You'll also need a boom pole, shock mount, cables, wind protection and headphones.
I didn't read this whole thread, but the question reminded me of a clip I saw recently, which I'll share, that has dialogue on the beach, including whispering (Betty White plays the mother of these two ladies with her). My immediate assumption was that the dialogue was ADR'd and added later, with surf noise turned down. The ocean can really roar, not to mention wind. I wouldn't even think they mic'd up for the dialogue in this scene, just did it all in studio. Any other opinions?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JneshCGejzU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JneshCGejzU
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