Question about recording dialogue in far away shots.

H

harmonica44

I want to record dialogue from an actor while the actor is sitting and one standing, kind of like in the scene, at 0:42 into it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1dxrAdxjI8

However, I keep being told to keep the mic no more than 18-24 inches away from the actor's mouth. Is their a way to record dialogue with a boom mic, at that distance? How did they do it for this scene? They did not have to use hidden lavs, especially since the movie came out in 1957. So what did they do exactly?

Thanks.
 
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It was recorded by highly experienced, well paid professionals who are/were exquisitely skilled and (for the time) lavishly equipped. Some options are:

There may have been a "hole" in the ceiling just out of the shot so they could boom from above
It was boomed from underneath (I've lain on the floor with a pistol grip)
A plant mic was used
ADR (which was called looping back then)

And it's not really all that far away, the set was quiet, and the actor at 00:42 was speaking loudly. I'm sure that the camera side of the set was completely open and the set is relatively "soft," so there would not be a lot of acoustic bounce.

C'mon, we've been over this several times already. It's all about knowledge, experience, skills and the proper equipment - and the cooperation of the director and the other crafts.
 
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Your mind seems to make a mistake: the fact that the camera maybe at some distance from the actors, doesn't mean the microphones are as well.

Alcove said it all.
Or maybe there were to soundguys: one booming the English soldier from above, the other booming (or without boom) from the floor or behind the desk.

Why are we telling you the obvious solutions for keeping a microphone out of sight?
Why don't you come up with it?
 
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No but it's often said on here to keep the mic no more than 24 inches away, or 18 inches away if it's a hyper.

Even though the mic is closer than the camera, the character still has more than two feet away from him if the mic was above his head, or below him, if he's sitting. I want to do a similar shot, but don't know where to put it, in which case it will be that close. I'll go for behind a desk or put a table in front of the actor, if I want him to sit.
 
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So, what do you do if you can't get the mic within your rigid rule of 18 to 24 inches, not record dialog?

Booming is a very difficult, extremely precise skill which you obviously have not yet mastered. In fact, as far as I can tell, after all your questions and the the dozens of responses from myself and others you are still completely clueless.

I will say this one more time...

THERE ARE NO HARD AND FAST RULES. YOU ADAPT OR DIE.

There are guidelines and standard practices which give you a place to start. After that you use your brains (which you seem to be lacking) and creativity (which you also seem to lack) to come up with outside the box solutions.

Oh, and how much time have you put in over at Jeff Wexlers site? I've posted the link specifically for you four different times that I can remember. Those are the folks to coach you; they are working production sound professionals, many with Oscar, Emmy and BAFTA awards.

Here's the link one last time:

http://jwsoundgroup.net/
 
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