So the location im shooting on has quite a few squeaky wooden floor as you walk on it, I fear that this will be picked up during some dialog scenes where this is a small bit of walking. The floor wont be in shot for most shots,, so whats the best way of going about quieting this sound? placing a few rugs/carpet down?
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Removing/limiting sounds of creaky floorboards
- Thread starter afaloth
- Start date
Also one of the reasons that it is absolutely paramount that the crew never moves or shifts weight during a take unless they are required to for getting the footage.
Build a subfloor out of 2x6 trusses that redistribute the weight of the actors to the walls? or just make sure they're not moving while delivering their lines... one of these is a bit more expensive than the other
Build a subfloor out of 2x6 trusses that redistribute the weight of the actors to the walls? or just make sure they're not moving while delivering their lines... one of these is a bit more expensive than the other
When setting up and blocking the shots find the squeaky parts of the floor; see if there is any way to avoid them.
When it will not be in the shot put down carpeting - and for the crew as well. If your budget extends that far just carpet the room wall-to-wall; if it doesn't just adjust the carpeting shot by shot.
Keep all unnecessary cast and crew off of the set. (A buddy of mine maintains that the possibility of noise from the crew is the square of the number of people on the set - five people on the set means 25 chances for an unwanted noise, ten people means 100 chances, 20 people means 400 chances.)
Make sure you get dialog wilds, avoiding the squeaks is going to be close to impossible, all the above will do is somewhat mitigate the problem.
This is one of the many reasons to bring your PSM during the finalization of locations, so s/he can check for sound problems.
When it will not be in the shot put down carpeting - and for the crew as well. If your budget extends that far just carpet the room wall-to-wall; if it doesn't just adjust the carpeting shot by shot.
Keep all unnecessary cast and crew off of the set. (A buddy of mine maintains that the possibility of noise from the crew is the square of the number of people on the set - five people on the set means 25 chances for an unwanted noise, ten people means 100 chances, 20 people means 400 chances.)
Make sure you get dialog wilds, avoiding the squeaks is going to be close to impossible, all the above will do is somewhat mitigate the problem.
This is one of the many reasons to bring your PSM during the finalization of locations, so s/he can check for sound problems.
But can you not include the unwanted sound in an artistic way? Just a suggestion but isn't it better to work -with- your environment instead of against it? I'm not a film maker so I don't know, it just seems like something I would consider. 
But can you not include the unwanted sound in an artistic way? Just a suggestion but isn't it better to work -with- your environment instead of against it? I'm not a film maker so I don't know, it just seems like something I would consider.
As with many endeavors it's the issue of control. As a sound editor I would absolutely HATE not being able to cue the creaks and squeaks when I want too - or eliminate them when they step all over the dialog.
Filmmakers are control freaks. It's relatively easy to add something, especially in the digital era of CGI and 1,000 track audio post. It's difficult to eliminate something visually and almost impossible to eliminate something sonically.
But can you not include the unwanted sound in an artistic way? Just a suggestion but isn't it better to work -with- your environment instead of against it? I'm not a film maker so I don't know, it just seems like something I would consider.
No or at least not in the way you mean. In film dialogue is king, you need to be able to manipulate the dialogue relative to the rest of the sound and you can't do that if it's recorded together with creaky floorboards. Also, in professional film (for TV broadcast or theatrical release) individual stems are almost always a delivery requirement, an M&E mix is also commonly required, both of which are impossible if SFX are part of the dialogue stem.
The way to work with the environment, say particularly nice creaky floorboards, would be to eliminate them from the filming (to capture clean dialogue) and then for the Production Sound Mixer to record a number and variety of creaks before or after filming.
The only solutions are those already suggested by Alcove and Knightly.
G
Laying down carpet wont help, my living room floor is proof of this. You need to do on of two things. 1) support the loose floorboards from underneath, a simple wedge will work or 2) Lay down some two by fours and use them to prop up some plywood on top of the floor for your actors to walk on.
For this and other reasons, having recently learned this the hard way, I recommend that all noobs, block scenes to deliver dialog while standing still. You can MOVE in the shot, but block it so each line is delivered by a person only when they are not moving their feet.
This not only helps with sound, but makes blocking for focus much simpler. Racking focus on a moving shot.. tough and slows down the whole production.
Also, dont forget you can cheat the heck out of most coverage shots, and Close Ups can cheated all over the place with very little impact on the final output. The master with the movement and squeaky boards will most likely be cut to an OTS CU or medium shot when the lines are delivered, so.. you move those shots of the squeaky bits, keeping the master for "scene geometry" and cut aways. And finaly, Wilds will save your A@# ! Do em for every scene (Id like to thank 2001Productions for teaching me about wilds before I knew just how dependent on them I would be in the edit!)
This not only helps with sound, but makes blocking for focus much simpler. Racking focus on a moving shot.. tough and slows down the whole production.
Also, dont forget you can cheat the heck out of most coverage shots, and Close Ups can cheated all over the place with very little impact on the final output. The master with the movement and squeaky boards will most likely be cut to an OTS CU or medium shot when the lines are delivered, so.. you move those shots of the squeaky bits, keeping the master for "scene geometry" and cut aways. And finaly, Wilds will save your A@# ! Do em for every scene (Id like to thank 2001Productions for teaching me about wilds before I knew just how dependent on them I would be in the edit!)
When recording wilds, actors stand\sit and deliver lines in perfect mic position but still on set. Its audio only, no video (though you can shoot for BTS or fun)
Its called "wild" becuase you record the sound in the same time\space you were shooting in, i.e. "out in the wild" as compared to in a studio. (thats called ADR)
normally (so far in my limited experience) you record wilds after you finished the last take for a scene. If the sound guy got a GREAT master audio take you may not need it. Or you might only do wilds for one person if that person has a lot of head movement or talks quietly. Or even just single words! Record or ask for wilds of the whole scene at the end of shooting that scene. Good coverage and cheap insurance.
EDIT: Alcove Audio has a better description of "Wilds"
and darned if I dont wish I had read this SOONER! DOH..
Its called "wild" becuase you record the sound in the same time\space you were shooting in, i.e. "out in the wild" as compared to in a studio. (thats called ADR)
normally (so far in my limited experience) you record wilds after you finished the last take for a scene. If the sound guy got a GREAT master audio take you may not need it. Or you might only do wilds for one person if that person has a lot of head movement or talks quietly. Or even just single words! Record or ask for wilds of the whole scene at the end of shooting that scene. Good coverage and cheap insurance.
EDIT: Alcove Audio has a better description of "Wilds"
and darned if I dont wish I had read this SOONER! DOH..
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I agree, Wilds are the absolutely a must. Also make sure to get some good clean close location recordings of the creaking floor in case you do want to add it in later. It is also good library footage.
Kurt A. Kroh
www.Noise-Ninja.com
Kurt A. Kroh
www.Noise-Ninja.com
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Or....
ADR the whole scene. We did some Kohlman Files ADR last night (got most of it finished). We had a lot of scenes in a moving car, on a trailer. The creaks and groans of the trailer were just a fact of life. A solution might have been an engineering possibility, but why bother. ADR sucks, but so does everything else in post. If you have to do it, you do it. Sometimes you have to resign yourself to "You know, it's just not gonna be possible to get good production sound in this location".
ADR the whole scene. We did some Kohlman Files ADR last night (got most of it finished). We had a lot of scenes in a moving car, on a trailer. The creaks and groans of the trailer were just a fact of life. A solution might have been an engineering possibility, but why bother. ADR sucks, but so does everything else in post. If you have to do it, you do it. Sometimes you have to resign yourself to "You know, it's just not gonna be possible to get good production sound in this location".