Charlie Chaplin Sound
Check out most filmmaking books, and they’ll tell you the importance of good sound.
Well, we found out how true that is… on a day that probably caused us some of the most anxious moments during the filming of Liars and Lunatics.
Yep! That was the day we discovered the importance of a battery. That not only was the battery in our boom mic dying, but that same battery was so rare that no store had a replacement! We tried other microphones, only to realize how good the boom mic really was–when the battery was working, that is.
That day was enough to make us wish we were back in the days when films were silent!
And speaking of the silent film era, there’s a story about Charlie Chaplin’s first visit to a sound stage. This is what he observed:
“Men geared like warriors from Mars sat with earphones while the actors performed with microphones hovering over them like fishing rods. It was all very complicated and depressing. How could anyone be creative with all that junk around them?” (from Movies and Money, by David Puttnam, p.110)
Okay, so maybe it just takes some time to get used to, Charlie. You really can be creative with all the “fishing rods” and “junk” around. (But, come to think of it, this is coming from some guys called the Moon Brothers. Hmmm… Moon Brothers… Men from Mars with fishing rods… )
Well, in any case, sound doesn’t have to make things all that complicated and depressing. At least when your batteries are behaving…
{{ Photo :: Working with the boom mic on the film. }}
