Boom Over Uncle Louie

After filming a re shoot of the infamous voodoo scene- the one where forces of magic bring Uncle Louie back- I had questions from extras on the set about sound recording. Questions like, " "Doesn't that poor guy holding the boom (in this case writer/producer Joe Mangelli), wind up with serious back problems?" , or "Why does the sound of an airplane have to stop the shoot", and most importantly , "How come the sound mixer guy (in this case writer/ producer- Joe Izzo), always look so aggravated?". Good questions, all of them, as most people have not seen how location sound is recorded for a movie.

The long black stick-like object, with the mic on the end, is called a boom-pole. It set over the actors to gather sound as dialogue is spoken. Since actors move around, and each location has a unique sound environment to it, this is the best way to capture it. In fact 80% of all the dialogue sound in any film you see, is done with a boom. The other 20% is captured with radio mics attached to the actors bodies. These are used for long distance shots where actors are walking and talking a distance for the camera. Radio mics are great for this, but are subject to interference from everything from other radio frequencies, to the actors clothing, plus are a pain in the butt to hide on an actor. Now, we don't have these for this film so back to the boom- pole.

Everyone says, "Yeah, I could do that boom pole stuff- you're just holding it over the actor(s)".
Wait a minute, 'cause it's not as easy as it looks. Most boomers have a lot of experience, and many are hired just because of that. They have to hold the boom over their heads for long periods, and even at just six or seven pounds, it's tiring. In fact, it's a Hollywood myth that good boom guys are related to orangutans! They also have to hold it in the right position, and sometimes angle it toward or away for an actor for voice control. Most importantly, that have to keep the mic out of frame. They have to visually find a reference point to do this, and keep track of it. Not an easy task. Joe is doing quite well for the little training I gave him. Now on TV talk or news shows, boom mics are on a stand, but the personalities don't move around, plus its a controlled environment. So, don't email me with- "Hey on TV I saw....". This ain't TV, kid.

Now lets get to the sound mixer. The mixer is responsible for getting the sound to the camera, and continually monitor the levels so it's clear and constant. It requires unbreakable concentration, and involves science to understand how sound works. Sound mixers or engineers, on location, never look at the actors. They have to watch the meters on the mixer, and listen. We all listen better with our "eyes closed" - hence why they don't look at the actors hardly at all.
Plane noises, creaking floors, phone, refrigerators, heaters, are all picked up rather clearly by the sound recorder, and that's why we stop for planes, and ask to have everyone shut off their cellphones. Now as far as Mr. Izzo's aggravation coming from his working sound, I can't say, but most pro location sound guys I know are aggravated because it's an exacting skill, and sound guys are usually isolated from the rest of the crew when the cameras roll. Hey, I'd be aggravated too. Sound is important, and good sound helps make the movie even better.

By the way, that voodoo scene went pretty well, and thanks to all our extras who "chanted" along with Benny and Bernice to "bring back" Uncle Louie. We have one more week to filiming, and edit is in progress, so look for some trailers coming soon to the Uncle Louie website.