Hidden audio in a car

cheeseandachallenge

cheeseandachallenge

For a documentary project I'm hypothesising about, I want to record my conversations with subjects in car. I don't need visuals, but I do need a recording that is as clean as possible.

However, to keep conversations natural, I don't want the subject to know they're being recorded (I realise this raises a number of ethical questions, but that's a different discussion).

I realise this is an audio nightmare - firstly being in a car, and being a hidden mic.

But is there anything I can do to maximise the quality of audio recording I can capture? Gear, recording techniques, etc?
 
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I won't go into the legal ramifications, that's stuff for true experts.

You use tiny lavs hidden in the visors, head-rests and anyplace else you can think of.

countryman_b6.jpg

Countryman B6 lav

Hiding the wires/transmitters/recorders will be a challenge; it takes time and care - and some experimentation - to prep properly. The type of vehicle will have an impact on where/how you hide the mics. The number of people in the car (back seat passenger?) and where they are seated will have a big say in how you mic up, as well.

This is another "how long is a piece of string?" type of question; I can give you generalities, but not much in the way of specifics.
 
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It's just going to be a conversation with the driver. The hiding lavs is a nice idea, though most of the time I doubt I'll have the chance to set lavs up ahead of time. Any sort of more 'run and gun' type solutions?
 
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Would it be possible for you to say "do you mind if I record this" and then have a set-up like Alcove Audio suggests? Something that would out of the way and not in their face to keep conversations natural, but at the same time not deal with possible legal ramifications afterwards.
 
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So you're looking for a solution where you enter the subject's car (I presume they're driving?) and then, during the course of the drive, record what they say?

If so, you'll need a solution that you can bring with you into the car, i.e. a mic hidden in your gear or on your person. I'll leave it to Alcove to suggest specific mic types, but I wonder whether some sort of condenser mic built into a satchel, which you place on your lap, might record usable audio. In a documentary, especially with secret filming/recording, the audience will excuse you for having poor quality audio (though it's important for legal reasons that it's understandable). You can even throw some subtitles up.

sfoster said:
over here that would actually be illegal
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Is this true? I'm not au fait with American laws on this but I know that in a lot of countries, the UK included, secret filming/secret recording is legally permissable. You have to ensure that you have justifiable reasons for recording and an expectation, based on research, that they will say the things that they say. But that's standard documentary practice the world over. I would be extremely surprised if this wasn't the case in the US as well.

This is what the British regulator says: 'The use of hidden microphones and cameras for the filming or recording of individuals who are unaware of it is acceptable only when it is clear that the material so acquired is essential to establish the credibility and authority of a story where this cannot or is unlikely to be achieved using 'open' filming or recording techniques, and where the story itself is equally clearly of important public interest.'
 
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Nick I don't know if you did any reading about the whole bill clinton monica lewinski and linda tripp thing.

But linda tripp got in trouble because she was recording monica lewinski audio without her consent.

Most security cameras only take video for this reason, and not audio.

For a long time even just video recording police officers they would charge people with violating 'wiretap' laws. Not really the intent of the law but thats how they would get people - if they recorded audio.
 
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mlesemann said:
In the US, it varies by state; here's a (brief) summary of the regulations:

http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/recording-phone-calls-and-conversations
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Really interesting stuff. State and federal law in the US makes everything such a nightmare...

I'm wondering whether those descriptions, and the focus on unlawful recording, are necessarily applicable. I can see the problem with unlawful recording if you are going to use it in a court of law, but if it was being used for entertainment purposes, would unlawful necessarily mean illegal?

As far as I know, Linda Tripp was cleared, right? Being arrested for wiretapping is not the same as being charged with it.

Either way, American laws on this subject seem quite hazy. One rule for the public, another for the NSA ;)
 
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NickClapper said:
So you're looking for a solution where you enter the subject's car (I presume they're driving?) and then, during the course of the drive, record what they say?

If so, you'll need a solution that you can bring with you into the car, i.e. a mic hidden in your gear or on your person. I'll leave it to Alcove to suggest specific mic types, but I wonder whether some sort of condenser mic built into a satchel, which you place on your lap, might record usable audio. In a documentary, especially with secret filming/recording, the audience will excuse you for having poor quality audio (though it's important for legal reasons that it's understandable). You can even throw some subtitles up.
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Yeah, essentially this. I was thinking something like this, but I figure it's going to still be pretty poor. Though i can't think of any other options, so any suggestions on optimising this route are appreciated :)



Is this true? I'm not au fait with American laws on this but I know that in a lot of countries, the UK included, secret filming/secret recording is legally permissable. You have to ensure that you have justifiable reasons for recording and an expectation, based on research, that they will say the things that they say. But that's standard documentary practice the world over. I would be extremely surprised if this wasn't the case in the US as well.

This is what the British regulator says: 'The use of hidden microphones and cameras for the filming or recording of individuals who are unaware of it is acceptable only when it is clear that the material so acquired is essential to establish the credibility and authority of a story where this cannot or is unlikely to be achieved using 'open' filming or recording techniques, and where the story itself is equally clearly of important public interest.'
Click to expand...
Yeah laws around recording and filming in NZ are pretty different to America. That said, I haven't done much specific research on it as there aren't a heap of online resources for NZ filmmaking, but I'll get in touch with the film commission.
 
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