Sync Sound With An Arri 435ES

Hello everyone,

I'm proving a camera on for an exterior 35mm production, that is using relatively wide lenses (set of Super Speeds +14mm Zeiss) and has a fair amount of sync sound. Before you say: "Use a sync camera...for money--availability reasons the ONLY camera we have available is a 435ES.

The spec spot has a WWI theme to it, so things will be blowing up, etc... so I think that will cover a lot of the camera noise, but there will be Jib-Arm and handheld shots also that need to be sync. I'm looking for everyone's home made rig ideas for a light-weight yet effective sound baffling system for the 435ES. We plan on always having at least an optical flat (4x5) in the Matt Box to kill some of the sound through the lens.

Any and all ideas welcome!

Thanks in advance,
Bob Donnelly

> The spec spot has a WWI theme to it

Obvious answer -- shoot it silent and use inter-titles.

Jeff Kreines

Bob :

Wrap that bugger in a small sleeping bag. They are light and very effective. Little kids version maybe the teletubbies bag. That is what I recommend.

Drew Neerdaels
LAUNCH Photography, Film & Video, Inc.
www.launchfilm.com

>I'm proving a camera on for an exterior 35mm production, that is using >relatively wide lenses (set of Super Speeds +14mm Zeiss) and has a >fair amount of sync sound. ons the ONLY camera we have available is a >435ES.

I've done this on exteriors with no problem. BUT the person speaking was never too close to the camera. Usually we used the longer lenses for the synch sound shots.

Jim Sofranko
NY/DP

This is a clumsy and not 100% effective solution, but it will certainly decrease the camera noise reaching any microphone ahead of the camera and, together with being exterior and the scene battleground sounds, however, it could work well enough......

Try to rig somehow a 1" thick 2'x2' (or at least as big as the set dimensions allow) poly board (it could also provide some fill if needed) attached to the front of the camera (not the front of the lens, obviously), either around the lens (this could be problematic in relation to lens rings handling) or around the camera body itself, keeping it as tight fitting as possible (leaving room for reaching any relevant camera controls). Covering as much camera surface as possible with camera taped foam will also help some

If the background sounds break the camera noise enough, the noise remains could also pass as machine gun sound in the distance. Of course, use a 816 or similar microphone and a good boom swinger.

Good shooting!

Arturo Briones-Carcaré
Filmmaker
Madrid (Imperial - but recivilising - Spain)

>poly board or sound blankets.

Rig two stands with blankets on each arm and just walk them into camera ... leaves the AC some wiggle room.

Caleb "my other idea was a phone booth in a shopping cart" Crosby
DP / USA

If the loop size is correct and the pitch is adjusted properly, the 435 is fairly quiet -- outdoors of course.

Close miking should take care of the noise problem, but I would get the sound guy to sign off on the idea before you shoot. You know how fussy they can be.

I think it might be a lot easier to find a blimped camera than a phone booth these days.

Brian Heller
IA 600 DP

Can't believe you will not try an Aaton 35 III. if you can get away with 400' loads go with the Aaton for sync work.

Gerard Brigante 600
Arri III owner

Put a thick optical glass in front of the lens, run room-tone with having camera run a film load - don't shoot close-ups or use (very) long lenses for that...lots of furniture pads...build false walls with a hole cut out for the lens…and last, but not least shoot through a closed window...!

Karl Lohninger
Sound mixer, etc
Los Angeles

> Any and all ideas welcome!

Hi Bob,

Only my opinion...

I wouldn't bother with trying to silence the camera, it will be a lot of work and probably won't work very well. I would just clean it up in post. You said that this is a spec spot right? :30 or :60? And explosions going on etc.? It shouldn't be too hard to clean up. Make sure you record some clean camera noise for cancellation reference.

I'd talk to your sound designer about this before swaddling and
building walls around the camera.

Good Luck,

Anders Uhl
Cinematographer
ICG, New York

>I'd talk to your sound designer about this before swaddling and building >walls around the camera.

I'd have to disagree with the esteemed Mr. Uhl on this.

I really like the idea of walls around my camera. I'd never really thought of it before. Especially for a war shoot with explosions on a spec job!

The more tepee the better.

I'd bring quickcrete and cinder blocks in fact,

Caleb "I'm shooting the everything from right here" Crosby, s.o.c.
DP/Cameraman
www.calebcrosby.com

>Caleb "my other idea was a phone booth in a shopping cart" >Crosby

LOL!!!

How about wrapping the camera w/ plastic bubble wrap (I wonder if it would help...)

John Babl
Miami

Anders wrote :

>I'd talk to your sound designer about this before swaddling and building >walls around the camera.

Then Caleb wrote :

>I'd have to disagree with the esteemed Mr. Uhl on this.

Based on what I've heard I would certainly take Anders suggestion to talk to the sound designer.

I hear more and more stories about people shooting sync with 435s and cleaning it up in post without a hitch. I'm sure they're not shooting in confessionals but I hear they're getting away with a lot. One thing I've heard is that the particular frequency of the noise that the camera is emitting is easily removed in post.

Darren Lew
DP / NYC

I meant to include the fact that the rental cost for the Aaton is virtually the same if you "talk" to the rental house and ask for a little help with your budget.

Gerard Brigante 600
Arri III owner
New Jersey

>I hear more and more stories about people shooting sync with 435s >and cleaning it up in post without a hitch.

You gotta be kidding, not that I'm not used to hilarious statements like that coming from the camera department....

Wishful thinking is one thing, reality in post is something else.

Karl Lohninger
Sound mixer, sound editor, etc.
Los Angeles