#10 - DESERT SAFARI

Recently, I  went abroad to shoot a feature film in the desert and spent close to 60 days out there. As the shoot progressed, I kept making notes about the shoot - especially of things that were not going as expected, and what I would do, if given a similar chance again. 

Below are some tips / suggestions / observations that I thought of sharing on my blog. 

For any shoot that you go to, preparation is the key to having a good and satisfying  outcome. Especially when going away from your city, or going to a foreign country. 

Plan … Anticipate … Prepare …

A good sound team is one that is well prepared for any eventuality. No matter how much you plan, things will change … that is the nature of filmmaking. And the better prepared you are for any change that happens, the better your work will be. If you accept this one fact, you will not feel distraught when things change midway in a shoot. Call sheet may say something, but on set, things may change at any time, and WILL change. 

Some of the points mentioned below are true for any shoot. 

Do a full checkup of your gear before you go: No matter how well you think you know your gear, before departing, do a full mock up at some place. Set-up your cart, connect all your gear, hook up each and every mic to your recorder, check all cables, check the ifb's, the headphones, the lockit boxes, everything. There will be no surprises when you land on location on the first day of shoot. Even check the HDD you carry with you to do your backups. Don’t expect things to work perfectly, even if some of the stuff you are carrying is brand new!

Carry extra backup gear: Extra microphones, extra lapels, extra cables, extra headphones…on an outdoor shoot, you never know when you will need to use the backup gear. 

Try and carry your own 9 volt and AA rechargeable batteries: We were told by production that it could be a problem to carry multiple rechargeable AA and 9 volt batteries on an international flight. So the local line producer was asked to arrange for rechargeable 9 volt and AA batteries. Yes, they did, but they got us very poor quality batteries and lousy chargers for the batteries. The chargers took too long to charge the batteries.  Not enough batteries could be charged in one go. And to top it up, the battery ratings were all wrong.

The result was that we had to change batteries every 90 minutes. In the desert, you are not likely to find a plug point to charge your batteries. Luckily, the hotel had uninterrupted power. That was a blessing. But it was a nightmare shooting with those batteries. 

Point to be kept in mind is, even if production says that they will provide all the required batteries, always carry a few of your own batteries and your own battery charger. You never know when things will turn out differently. 

On a desert shoot, be prepared for very strong windy conditions: Wind is the biggest enemy of a PSM in the desert. One day, it will be absolutely quiet with no wind. Deathly still….no ambient sound at all. The next day could be slightly windy…..or, it may turn out to be very very windy. And things can change within minutes.

One time, when there was no wind at all, a sudden gust of wind came and sent a tent flying in the air! So beware, a gust of wind can catch you unawares and send things toppling over….. light stands, skimmers, chairs, umbrellas … anything can go flying at any time. 

Carry empty sand bags: You will need them to weigh down your stereo ambience mic stands. Sand will be available everywhere in the desert. You just need to fill the bags up to add weight to the stand. As I said earlier, wind can knock down your microphone stands very easily. 

Go Wireless as far as possible: Now some of you may not agree with me on this. But in the desert, even moving 20 feet from one spot to another can be a difficult task. Feet will sink into the sand at times. Climbing up a small sand dune will exhaust you. So go wireless for everything as far as possible. All lapels are already wireless. Keep all Boom mics also wireless. All plant mics wireless. Even get your video feed wireless. Insist on it. Always have a video monitor in front of you. Besides seeing the camera frame, you also need to be able to see TC and audio going on camera.

Keep your sound cart compact and easily manoeuvrable: Moving a heavy sound cart in the soft sand will be a problem. Try to distribute all your stuff on two smaller carts. Let one main cart carry your video monitor, recorder and receivers and nothing else, and let the second cart be your follow cart on which you can put all the rest of your gear. In my case, I did not have the two carts and had to make do with a chair as my cart! 

Cover all your gear: Sand will get into all your equipment, your clothes, your shoes, your ears… everything. So If you have a Scorpio or 888, cover the full kit and use the iPad to control recording, move faders etc. This will help keep sand out of your gear. Decathlon makes some nice rain covers that can be used to cover your gear. Sand is a real killer if it gets into your equipment. Faders and buttons have to be constantly cleaned. Carry a big paint brush to brush away sand regularly from your gear. 

Sand on the recorders and receivers!

A cover for the recorder.

A view of the recorder with the top cover removed.

Arrange for a small portable air compressor: Every evening, after pack-up, we had to take the gear to a room which had an air compressor and blow away all the sand from the gear. That is the only way your gear will survive in the desert. If you can, carry a small portable air compressor, to use as a blower, just to keep dust and sand out of your gear. Worth it. Alternatively, carry or arrange for Dust-Off dust cleaner spray cans. Boom poles will have to be opened up and regularly cleaned too.

Always carry a backup multitrack recorder: I try to keep a backup or secondary recorder with me and use it to record ambiences with a MS mic. The secondary recorder can also act as your backup recorder, in case your primary recorder has a failure. 

As far as recording ambience in the desert goes, it can be deathly silent if there is no wind, and howling wind if it gets windy. Wind hitting on the headphones can also create a noise, which can be disturbing, as you cannot judge properly what you are recording. Try and sit inside a car with your recorder when it gets too windy outside.

When travelling to a foreign country, always carry international power adapters. Croma has some good ones. They can be a real lifesaver. 

Always carry a dynamic mic like the Shure  SM58. You never know when you will need it. 

Nowadays, a film crew has 50 to 100 walkies. Ask for earpieces on all walkies. Open walkies just add to the noise on the set. Sometimes, the walkie can cause a lot of EMI / RF interference on condenser mics, like the older Neumann KMR81, 82. Try and carry extra shotgun mics if you can, and preferably of a different brand….like Sennheiser or Schoeps. You never know when you may need to switch over to another shotgun. 

Carry an EMI RFI clip choke, as it can help cut hiss on the KMR81 or 82 when used with an A10 digital transmitter as a plug on. 

We associate deserts with extreme heat. So a big cap and sunglasses are a must. 

But deserts can get extremely cold too! So pack stuff for cold nights too…sweaters, jackets, woollen head caps that cover the ears.

Carry a big head scarf. In the hot desert afternoons, it can keep the sun off your face and even sand out of your ears when it gets windy. In the evenings, when it gets cold, you will appreciate the warmth around your ears. 

When we walk in the sand, we leave behind footprints. When shooting in the desert,  the crew has to be very mindful of where they can move about, as footprints in the sand can spoil a shot. 

Trying to see the screen of your recorder properly in the harsh desert sunlight will be very difficult. Keep some black cloth with you to help you shield the screen from ambient light.

On outdoor shoots, especially when going to a foreign country, carry all possible medicines that you may need. Simple medicines that we can buy over the counter here in India may not be available out there without a doctor's prescription. Be prepared with general purpose lubricating eye drops, clove oil for toothaches, painkillers, sunscreen …..

Below is a list of items I recommend you carry with you:

• A Spanner

• Multi purpose tool - Leatherman type of tool

• Carry Decathlon rain covers

• If you can, a Megaphone - to keep the crew quiet by shouting SILENCE ON SET!

• Plenty of general purpose lubricating Eye drops, and an eye cup, to clean eyes of sand.

• Goggles - the type used by swimmers underwater, or by skiers - this is for those days when it gets very windy and you will not be able to keep your eyes open wearing regular shades.

• Glares to protect the eyes from harsh sunlight.

• Make a transparent cover for the recorder, so that you can see the screen of your recorder and also have it covered.  

• Try and carry a voltage stabiliser and a UPS, to use with your battery chargers.

• A soldering kit. 

• Small USB powered lights, torches, head lamps.

• Small folding Decathlon stools.

• Carry umbrellas…..it can even rain in the desert!

• Wear ankle length shoes - regular ones will get filled up with sand and keep you uncomfortable all day.

• You will need a lot of wind protection for lapels, shotguns - keep all windjammers handy. 

Better to also carry Tuneable Dipole antennas, as paddle antennas keep turning around in the wind. 

Carry a small inexpensive tripod. You can mount your zoom recorders or even your cell phone camera for some great stills, videos etc…..

If working with camels and goats (that is with animals), it is very difficult to get good sound on a shoot during takes. They may overlap on dialogue. Or the animals may need to be forced to make sounds, for which, a keeper may make some noise. Best to keep a few hours of dedicated time just to record animal sounds, without the crew being present.

On our shoot in the desert, we did not have any vanity vans. The actors used to sit in their cars when not required on set. And because it would be hot in the daytime, the car engines would keep running to keep the air-conditioning working. So it is a good idea to prepare for this, by having the actors' cars parked as far away as possible from the actual location. 

We had around 20 cars on location. Keeping the crew quiet on set when rolling sound can be a daunting task, when you have to factor in local drivers who are not versed in film shoot etiquette and don't understand the importance of maintaining silence on set, especially when you are rolling!!! Suddenly, they will start to repair their cars, or fill air in their tires using a compressor, or clean the car using a compressor, or play loud music, or watch some video on their mobile with the sound turned up, or make a phone call to someone!!!! Exasperating!!!

Generators are a source of noise on a film set. In the desert, if you are on flattish terrain, the generator will be heard even from a long distance. Sometimes, just parking it behind a sand dune will kill most of the noise. Use the terrain to your advantage and plan the position of the generator judiciously. 

Always carry extra CF and SD cards and also extra HDD to back up your data. Also carry card readers. The DIT may not have a CF or SD card reader as they normally are more concerned with copying the camera cards. Also, with USB C and USB 2 still in use, carry enough assorted USB cables. 

Production will always want to save money and ask the Sound department to work with a three person crew. I personally feel that the Sound team should always be a four person crew. I nowadays prefer to use two booms on most of my shoots so a three man team is fully stretched in that case. Also, any member of the Sound team can fall ill, or get injured on set. The PSM will be in a soup if that happens. If the unit is shooting overseas, production will try very hard to cut manpower. If that does happen, try and get a helper or an intern from the local crew. And make sure you have that extra person from day 1 of shoot.

Keep yourself hydrated! Take care of yourself and your team members! 

As I said earlier, plan….anticipate….prepare! 

Best of luck!

Until next time,

CC

E-mail: cheerag.cama@gmail.com

Twitter: @cheragc

Blog: www.thesoundblog.in

Website: www.cheeragcama.com

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