Approaching a car scene

whitneyince

Today, I faced one of my least favorite scenes to shoot one that takes place in a car while mixing in Savannah Ga . The scene involved a 6 year old girl and her father having a conversation ranging from whispers to loud laughing. I considered using wireless to cover the scene but the little girl was wearing a thick winter coat and scarf which would have made hiding the lav difficult and since her voice was so high and loud I was concerned about mic level distortion. It would have been Ideal to have a Sanken Cub for this scene but I didn’t have time to secure one, but it is a microphone I am considering purchasing very soon for these situation. I just don’t do many films anymore and have been trying to cut back my G.A.S (Gear Acquiring Syndrome). So I decided just to keep it simple and use my short boompole and aim it through the back door right between both characters while trying to avoid getting burned by the 2k right below my arms while the camera op was shooting the scene handheld. I was able to record at a decent level but it is always rough when you have zero head room and have the microphone jammed into the headliner of the car. So the best way to approach car scenes usually are Boundary Microphones, Plant microphones and wireless. Though I was able to wing it, which was no fun

K-Tek Boompoles

whitneyince

I own 3 K-tek Boompoles 2 Avalon poles one which is 7ft and another that is 9ft long. Then I also own a 12.5ft Carbon Fiber Stage pole. Since I do mostly ENG and Reality Tv work now I really don’t use the stage pole much anymore because it is so big and hard to manage while running and gunning it. But since my avalon poles are both at K-tek for repair and cleaning (which was completed within one day thanks K-tek) I had to use my stage pole for this low budget film I am doing. I had forgotten how much I love boom operating with a K-tek stage pole. I have used VDB poles before but I just love the weight and feeling of a stage pole in my hands. It also slides so smoothly. It made my day  a little easier so I guess I will be using the stage pole more often. I would love some reader feedback on there favorite boompole and why.

I power 9v rechargeable batteries an Update

whitneyince

A few months ago I posted about my I power batteries, which I had been using for a few months. They where working great then and are still working great now. The only issue I have had is 1 bay in one of my chargers stopped working so I replaced the charger for $24.00. But all 12 of my batteries are all still holding a charge and saving me a ton of money. I still carry 10 Ultra-life Lithium 9v, which I will use if I am doing a P.A Feed and have to leave the Tx unattended. I don’t trust the I-Power’s that much just yet but I may soon. The batteries come fresh off the charger at 8.5-8.6 volts and if they have been sitting for a few days start out around 8.2volts. But work great in my 250c 1/4 watt tx’s down to 7.2 volts I usually change them out at 7.5 volts though as when the I power dies it dies fast and not completely discharging them also extend there life.  With my regular clients I usually bill $10.00 a day for them in I am using 2 lectro that day and $5.00 for each additional wireless and if I am doing a longer term project I usually bill them flat rate of $100.00 if the shoot is over 5 days. Most clients love this because it saves them money and I like helping Mother Nature.  So check out the I power 4 battery and 4 bay charger for $94.00 it is a great buy.

I-Power Battery Kit