Was "Sound On Set" a nightmare ?

Angus Chong discusses the challenges of recording sound on set.

Angus fixes some sound issues with the help of Boom operator Josh.

Most people don't realize how important sound recording is on a movie set. The sound of the film impacts the way the viewer hears the audio and the voices of the characters. On the set of "Five Seconds to Air" we had Angus as out main audio recorder along with the help of Haddi Khann and Josh Molyneux. We interviewed Angus with a couple of question on what it was the sound recording process was like.

Q: What was pre-production like for you?

A: Pre production was a quiet time for me. I wasn't as busy as the DOP, Producer, Director etc. What I did mostly was go to my meetings, figuring out what will be on set and sound issues I'll be facing and trying to figure out a way to fix it before production. 

Angus using the ME-66 mixer to record sound on set

Q: Did you run into any challenges on set of during pre-production?

A: I didn't really run into any trouble in pre-production, but during production I had to deal with muffled lav mics and trying to figure out a way to fix the issue. 

Q What is your favorite thing about sound operating”?

A: My favorite part are the issues that I had to face. I got to use the knowledge I learned from class and workshops, and got to learn and improve. 

“It's not easy to work on a film set, a lot of people say it's easy like you just need to get the shot and that's it. But there are a lot of preparation that goes into it, and when you're on set there a  you need to worry about costume, sound that might interfere with recordings, lighting etc.”

Q: What was your biggest concern on set?

A: Mainly whether we can get good quality recordings or not. 

The sound team Josh, Angus and Haddi

Q: Did you use any special equipment or sound gear?

A: I mainly used the school equipment that was provided to me, like the 664 mixer, Sennheiser wireless lavs, the countrymen, ME-66, Lectrosonics and Mix Pres 

Q: What do you want people to take away from this film?

A: It's not easy to work on a film set, a lot of people say it's easy like you just need to get the shot and that's it. But there are a lot of preparation that goes into it, and when you're on set there a  you need to worry about costume, sound that might interfere with recordings, lighting etc.