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Sound · Foundation · Brief

Production Sound Fundamentals

Microphone types, boom positioning, room tone and capturing clean dialogue you can actually cut with.

The brief

Boom & Mic

Record a two-person dialogue scene. Boom only, no lavs. Get usable dialogue without crossing the line of action.

Week 6

Deliverables
  • 60s scene audio
  • Mic position diagram
Constraints
  • No lavaliers
  • Boom from above
Learning outcomes
  • LO1 — Identify microphone types and describe polar patterns.
  • LO2 — Boom dialogue cleanly with correct level and perspective.
  • LO2 — Record usable room tone and wild lines.
What you'll practise
  • Shotgun vs lavalier vs handheld — when to use which
  • Boom position: just out of frame, angled to the mouth
  • Setting gain to peak around −12 dBFS with headroom
  • Sync sound with timecode or slate
  • Room tone — 60 seconds, every location, always
Before you start
Prerequisites
  • Camera framing & movement completed.
Kit
  • Sennheiser MKH 416 + K-Tek boom + Rycote blimp
  • Zoom F6 recorder
  • Closed-back headphones
  • Windshield if outside
Safety
  • Boom operators — watch overhead lights and doorways.
  • Cables taped, not stretched. Never wrap the XLR round a lit fixture.
Step-by-step
  1. 01

    Signal chain

    Connect mic → recorder → headphones. Set 48V phantom, gain, and verify tone on the meter.

  2. 02

    Boom the frame

    Camera operator sets a two-shot. Boom finds the edge of frame. Adjust height until dialogue peaks −12 to −6 dBFS.

  3. 03

    Move with the actor

    Actor walks and speaks. Boom follows at consistent distance. Rehearse the swing before rolling.

  4. 04

    Lav pass

    Rig a lavalier under a shirt. A/B against the boom take. Note the change in air and clothing rustle.

  5. 05

    Room tone + wilds

    Record 60 seconds of room silence. Then two wild takes of the key line, in case sync fails.

Watch this

  • The Conversation (Coppola, 1974)

    Walter Murch's design begins on set. Listen for perspective and distance.

Read this
  • TodoAdd pages from Ric Viers, The Sound Effects Bible — chapter on capture.
Common pitfalls
  • Riding gain during a take — set it, commit, note the peak.
  • Forgetting room tone until you're in the edit — you can't record it in post.
  • Booming from the wrong side of the light — instant boom shadow.
How you'll be assessed

Clean production sound is the difference between a film and an exercise. Every shoot day for Assessment 1 must include boom, tone and slate.

Tutor notes — TODO

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  • TodoProvide the sound department callsheet template.
  • TodoRecord a demonstration reel of good vs bad boom perspective.