One of the core elements of filmmaking is\u00a0control. Often, the significant advancements in filmmaking technology\u00a0have to do with control \u2014 controlling stabilization and movement, light,\u00a0or uneven skin tones. As filmmakers, we’re always looking for\u00a0as much control\u00a0over our shoots as possible.<\/p>\n
However, narrative filmmaking is\u00a0only a\u00a0fraction of the filmmaking industry. There are plenty of\u00a0other genres that do not\u00a0afford the luxury\u00a0of controlling the environment. Reality television (or factual entertainment)\u00a0is one them. We spoke to sound\u00a0mixer\u00a0Matthew Hughes<\/a>, who has worked on BBC’s Escape to The Country<\/em><\/a>, and Channel 4’s\u00a0Coast vs Country<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0two British shows that focus on participants moving from urban areas to the countryside.\u00a0These shows often film in public areas, so the production is at the mercy of intruding rural sounds. Here are Hughes’s insights.<\/p>\n PremiumBeat<\/strong>: Ideally, filmmakers, and especially sound mixers, want to be in an environment\u00a0they can control. Recording audio where you have little control seems challenging. What\u2019s the best way to approach this?<\/em><\/p>\n Matthew Hughes<\/strong>: The most significant compliment I get from my colleagues is that I\u2019m always calm and relaxed to work with. I think this stems from the fact that I choose my battles carefully. Upon reaching a location, I try to identify what external sounds I can control and what I\u2019m going to have to put up with. If the location is terrible, then I will ask to move. One of biggest problems are other people; they could be builders, gardeners, or anyone that works with a\u00a0loud two-stroke engine. It\u2019s important to remember that although filming is excellent and it might be your whole world,\u00a0many do not see it as such. When you\u2019re asking them to stop working for 5-20 minutes, you\u2019re essentially saying “My job is more important than yours, can you please stop what you\u2019re doing for me.” Most people I speak with are amicable and happy to help. It pays to be friendly and always allow for some compromise, but you\u2019re not always going to win.<\/p>\n PB<\/strong>:\u00a0Are there any locations\u00a0that are typically a no-go for recording the presenter’s opening or closing speech \u2014 if so, why?<\/em><\/p>\n MH<\/strong>: The biggest no-goes are busy roads, especially if you can\u2019t see them in the frame. There\u2019s nothing worse than seeing a presenter stood in picturesque countryside and all the audience can hear is roadside noise. We try to get away from busy roads as much as possible, but sometimes it\u2019s necessary for the piece. In this instance, I ask if the passing traffic is in the shot, so that it makes sense to the audience, and will call a stop on proceedings if something very noisy drives by.<\/p>\n Near building works and anything of similar nature is also a big no. Always speak up if you\u2019re not happy \u2014 better to say something before everyone\u2019s set up. If you have set up and things have changed, don\u2019t be afraid to make a big call and cut your losses. You could waste a lot of time waiting for a gap in traffic, or for building work to stop. Sometimes it\u2019s better just to move location.<\/p>\n PB<\/strong>: What\u2019s your standard gear setup?<\/em><\/p>\n MH<\/strong>:\u00a0Given that the majority of my work is unscripted, I use radio mics about 80% of the time. The mics are always hidden, so I\u2019ve had to learn the hard way where is best to hide mics to get good quality sound with no clothing noise. This isn\u2019t an exact science, and only practice and experience will show the way, I\u2019m still a long way from mastering this, but I\u2019m getting there. You think you\u2019ve nailed the perfect formula and then someone comes along, and your theory goes right out the window. My standard gear setup is 2-4 radio mics, a boom, and mixer recording straight to 2 channels on a camera.<\/p>\n PB<\/strong>:\u00a0What\u2019s the most significant difference between your current line of work, and recording sound for narrative productions?<\/em><\/p>\n MH<\/strong>:\u00a0The most significant differences are the size of the teams you work with \u2014 and the amount of planning that goes on. On the high-end dramas that I\u2019ve worked on, there are usually 3-4 people on the sound team,\u00a0along with 50 other crew members. Everyone has their role, and everyone remains within their\u00a0department. It\u2019s a great system, but personally, I like the stuff with smaller teams in which everyone works closely together. Usually, I\u2019m on my own in the sound department, and the entire crew adds up to around 5 or 6 people. Everyone helps each other out, and I feel like there\u2019s more of a team spirit, as opposed to the “us and them” you sometimes get between departments.<\/p>\n The other difference is the planning. In a drama, there would be pre-production meetings, recce<\/a>s, time to read the script and plan each scene. On the factual entertainment shows I work on, as so many are made in such a small space of time, there\u2019s not much time for that. I occasionally get a call if it\u2019s something unusual, which gives me time to plan and prep extra kit. But regarding a recce, that is usually done on the day. There\u2019s more working together to ensure I\u2019m happy, the camera op is happy, and the producer\/director is happy.<\/p>\n PB<\/strong>:\u00a0What is your typical approach for recording audio in a public area?<\/em><\/p>\n MH<\/strong>:\u00a0If it\u2019s just one person doing a piece to\u00a0the camera, I\u2019ll have a lav on one track and the boom on the other. The lav will have less background noise than the\u00a0boom so it\u2019s important to make sure it\u2019s stable as that\u2019s the one the edit will most probably use. Then it\u2019s just a case of holding for cars, people talking, and any other extraneous noise. If there are four people, then they\u2019ll all be on lavs, no boom, and I\u2019ll be mixing 2 to each channel. The goal is to try and keep the background noise constant, so you shouldn\u2019t hear the background noise change while you\u2019re mixing.<\/p>\n PB<\/strong>:\u00a0What\u2019s one accessory you couldn\u2019t work without?<\/em><\/p>\n MH<\/strong>:\u00a0DPA concealers<\/a> have got me out of a few\u00a0tight positions, used with the new Rycote<\/a>\u00a0“O”s and an under\/over cover they work well. I also love the URSA<\/a> straps, they make hiding transmitters easy, and the talent\/contributors like them \u2014 which is always beneficial.<\/p>\n PB<\/strong>:\u00a0When the presenter\/featured couple are talking in a windy location, how do you reduce the sound of the wind to be almost nonexistant?<\/em><\/p>\n MH<\/strong>:\u00a0Regarding personal mics, this can come down to the placement. But you don\u2019t want to put a huge fluffy\/furry on the mic and bury it under a jacket, as that will sound awful. You can sometimes use clothing as a fluffy. Quite often I don\u2019t use wind protection and make the clothing work to my advantage. Also, body positioning can help, having backs to the wind will make your life easier. Each situation will be different, experimenting with mic positioning on yourself can be a beneficial exercise. You can try out various positions without any pressure.<\/p>\n If the wind is more than the lavs and the fluffy can handle, then the boom comes into play. However, I\u2019ve occasionally found that because you\u2019ve got the boom out in the open, it just gets battered by the wind. Sometimes booming from underneath can help as the person\/persons can shield the microphone from the wind.<\/p>\n PB<\/strong>:\u00a0What’s one troublesome sound out in the countryside, and how do you deal with it?<\/p>\n MH<\/strong>:\u00a0Farm machinery is a problem that\u2019s unique to the countryside. Certain times throughout the year are worse, such as during harvest or when collecting silage (hay for cattle feed \u2014 I think).\u00a0Unfortunately, there\u2019s not very much you can do apart from\u00a0waiting\u00a0it out. It\u2019s very rare that a farmer will stop their tractor to speak to you, and even then it\u2019s doubtful that they\u2019ll be willing to stop for you. Sometimes you can\u2019t even see the offending piece of machinery because it\u2019s so far away. Ultimately, you just have to make a\u00a0judgment\u00a0call on\u00a0whether\u00a0to wait or go with it. Sure enough, if you go with intrusive sound, you can be confident it will stop the moment you\u2019re finished recording.<\/p>\n Looking for more filmmaking interviews? Check out these articles.<\/p>\n Interested in working in sound on outdoor or reality projects? There are a few things you need to know before you dive in.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":97364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3843,715,79,583],"tags":[86,4044,536,5710,5703,472],"class_list":["post-class-post-97075","post-class-post","post-class-type-post","post-class-status-publish","post-class-format-standard","post-class-has-post-thumbnail","post-class-hentry","post-class-category-filmmaking-2","post-class-category-industry","post-class-category-inspiration","post-class-category-video-production-2","post-class-tag-audio","post-class-tag-audio-tips","post-class-tag-filmmaking","post-class-tag-sound-mixer","post-class-tag-sound-operating","post-class-tag-video-production"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Interview:](\"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/dead-cat.jpg\" "\\"Interview:")
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