When I Fell In Lav...

I've been trying for some time to get my hands on a pair of Lav mics so I can use them on the set of the TV series that I am working on. Last weekend, I finally managed to get them and let me tell you... It was horrible and I hate it. Just kidding, I love them and they were a great tool that took some getting used to, but was definitely worth it.

Just in case you don't know what a lav mic is. Lavalier microphones, or Lav for short, are small microphones that can be clipped to the users clothes in order to capture their voice at close range. These type of microphones are also called Radio Mics and you might have seen them been used during a video interview. When they are used for video interviews it is acceptable for the audience to be able to see the lav mic. However, when using them on set for a film or TV series, they need to be hidden. This is because making them visible for the viewer would negatively affect the experience. For example, if you were watching Pride & Prejudice and Keira Knightley happens to have a piece of wire hanging on her dress, connected to a signal transmitter located on her lower back, it would look a little... Off, considering the film takes place in 1813.

Now, this being my first time using them I tried my best to hide them. Did a bit of research beforehand and thought I had it all figured out. Turns out, I didn't. Working with these type of microphones on set was tricky. The fact that they needed to be hidden meant that I had to place them in places where I could potentially get rustling from the clothes and the actors' hair.

I knew I was going to encounter problems and I try to always be ready so that I don't get in the way of the director's planning. So, instead of relying solely on the lav mics, I obviously brought a boom mic with me. This means I have a clean source of all the takes just in case.

There are a few videos on how to work with lav mics on set and they were quite useful for my research. I will leave a link here for anyone interested in looking into them. (CLICK HERE FOR LINK)

Not to my surprise, good old fashioned duct tape can help hide and remove the rustling when used properly. In my case, there were a few scenes that required a lot of movement and actors putting their hands on the mic. Duct tape alone could not prevent that, but there are a few other issues that I noticed. I will try my best next time to minimize the possibility of unwanted noise with all the things that I have learned with this experience.

Communicating with the actors is another part of working with the lav mics. There is direct contact with the actors, which means that you have to be respectful and always ask them for permission to put it on, tell them what you are doing and always say please and thank you. On the set that I'm working on, we have all become very friendly quite quickly so that has definitely helped. Specially when me being me, I'll tell jokes and stare into their eyes while saying "I'm going to turn you on now" as I am about to turn on their transmitter. However, this is something that I obviously would not do in an environment that has not allowed me to.

The director and the cast were very patient with me working with this new tech and I'm very grateful. I'm glad I get to work with this amazing cast and crew where I can have such an amazing time doing what I love. I can't wait to see, and listen, to the final product.Based on how quick we seem to be going, I might be able to share a teaser trailer of the series soon so stay tuned.