We're doing a production of The Full Monty and going through our inventory of wireless mics. I think the problem is in how they are being attached, strapped to the upper legs with Ace bandages. They're wrapped in condoms but it's a very sweaty location and is putting a lot of stress on the cables. I'm hoping for alternate methods of doing this. Their must be someone out there who has had to attach wireless mic transmitters to naked guys.
Attaching wireless mic transmitters to naked guys
- Thread starterdavebruka
- Start date
SHCP
Well-Known Member
I would still use "belts" and have the pack on the small of the back. The things are not going to be invisible any way you look at it, and a nude colored elastic belt with a pack is not going to be as distracting as something on the leg going a longer distance and flopping around potentially messing with connections. Your audience is not going to be looking at the belt and your sound is way more important, so getting the pack secure is the primary concern. I had a director that who always asked "Do we have to see that mic?", and I always replied, "Do you want to hear him singing?". I never once heard an audience member complain about seeing a mic or mic pack and that it somehow ruined their experience. But you hear about bad sound as soon as it happens.
Sarabande11
Member
Ah, nudity. The bane of my existence. The questions to start usually are, how much tolerance for seeing the pack or what's holding it versus placement is there, how much slack will you have versus your pack's odd placement, and also how can you guard against sweat if you put it in certain areas? It seems to me, huge ace bandages on their things would be a ton more visible than smaller belts either on their thighs or waists ...
Are the guys going to be wearing dance belts at all? Could they wear a small belt fashioned to fit under skimpy clothes that would only be "seen" during the final moment when usually there are audience blinders up still be too much? Is a thigh strap with a pack pushed up to groin level still too much? Is there any way to use hats or any wigs to hide mics instead? If only for one or two scenes or even just a few lines, a hat rig can be a lifesaver. But if you're already strapping it to them, you're probably not able to use many of those options.
Unfortunately, I was not working at my current theatre when they did Full Monty, so I might have to get back to you about how they did it. However, I have had to work numerous times with people in various states of undress wearing wireless, though not completely nude. I've worked several shows where we've had to attach the pack in some way to a dance belt or thigh pack, putting it sideways or even upside down to minimise visibility and make it comfortable. As long as that antenna stays straight, there are a myriad of ways to strap that pack down and make it stay, provided you can attach it to something.
There was even one show where I had one dancer who wore an extremely tiny speedo onstage and he chose to tuck it ... No other way to say it, really: right up behind his balls. It stayed fairly admirably, but he did have a small dance belt on. It was a very tropical area to say the least, so we double wrapped it ... as in, we put a condom on the normal way, and then put a second condom over top, unrolled enough that the tip loosely covers the antenna and the open ring is rubber banded to the pack where the cable comes out at a downward angle from being stress relieved, if that makes sense. In fact, I do that with quite a few heavy sweaters, even if they're wearing it normally - it lets in little to no sweat, as the condoms are pretty much encapsulating the entire pack.
Beyond that, I've heard of people taping/spirit gumming plastic/rubber/what have you pouches of different kinds to different areas, but depending on your budget and how much angst you want to put the actors through, that may not be a good idea. Just remember, coordinating with your costume designer/shop/crew and makeup techs can be the best way to come up with a great jerry rig idea in these situations. They have to hide and fake a lot of things and can have ideas you might not have thought of.
Are the guys going to be wearing dance belts at all? Could they wear a small belt fashioned to fit under skimpy clothes that would only be "seen" during the final moment when usually there are audience blinders up still be too much? Is a thigh strap with a pack pushed up to groin level still too much? Is there any way to use hats or any wigs to hide mics instead? If only for one or two scenes or even just a few lines, a hat rig can be a lifesaver. But if you're already strapping it to them, you're probably not able to use many of those options.
Unfortunately, I was not working at my current theatre when they did Full Monty, so I might have to get back to you about how they did it. However, I have had to work numerous times with people in various states of undress wearing wireless, though not completely nude. I've worked several shows where we've had to attach the pack in some way to a dance belt or thigh pack, putting it sideways or even upside down to minimise visibility and make it comfortable. As long as that antenna stays straight, there are a myriad of ways to strap that pack down and make it stay, provided you can attach it to something.
There was even one show where I had one dancer who wore an extremely tiny speedo onstage and he chose to tuck it ... No other way to say it, really: right up behind his balls. It stayed fairly admirably, but he did have a small dance belt on. It was a very tropical area to say the least, so we double wrapped it ... as in, we put a condom on the normal way, and then put a second condom over top, unrolled enough that the tip loosely covers the antenna and the open ring is rubber banded to the pack where the cable comes out at a downward angle from being stress relieved, if that makes sense. In fact, I do that with quite a few heavy sweaters, even if they're wearing it normally - it lets in little to no sweat, as the condoms are pretty much encapsulating the entire pack.
Beyond that, I've heard of people taping/spirit gumming plastic/rubber/what have you pouches of different kinds to different areas, but depending on your budget and how much angst you want to put the actors through, that may not be a good idea. Just remember, coordinating with your costume designer/shop/crew and makeup techs can be the best way to come up with a great jerry rig idea in these situations. They have to hide and fake a lot of things and can have ideas you might not have thought of.
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epimetheus
Well-Known Member
Touring shows that came through the roadhouse I worked at in college often used the double condom method, one from the bottom of the mic up and another from the top down with ample space for the cable and antennas. Always keep spare cables (or mics if they're not detachable) on hand. They will fail.
themuzicman
Well-Known Member
Your location is fine, I have had to shove tiny transmitters between actor's legs before because of nudity/tight costuming, so where they are at should be good.
You mention stress on the cables -- do you mean moisture, or is the physical stress of the dancing damaging your cables and shorting the connector?
While a lot of people are in the "pro-condom" camp for transmitters, I try to never condom my mic packs -- it holds in moisture, and I find damages more costumes than is good. I start with a good, solid, sweat-resistant neoprene pouch to hold my transmitter in. If it's super sweaty I throw a packet of silica gel in the bottom, and pad out the pack with a cotton ball on the bottom, back (swisspers), and top. The cotton will hold a lot more sweat in, as opposed to binding it to the transmitter like a condom does. 250+ shows on my last dance heavy show and 100+ on my current and not a single pack lost due to moisture - I got tired of my LCD screens dying because they got sweat trapped inside in a condom.
As for the mic, I strain relief the connector with a hellermann sleeve, doubling it over once with a loose sleeve, if it pops out I know the dancing is too extreme and I need to take a good look at strain relief and mic placement. Sleeving too tight or too much can damage the mic. If you are using TA4F or locking 1/8", re-doing the connector may help too. There are better options for TA4F than what Shure ships, but re-doing the internal part of the connection with thicker heat-shrink tubing and a more solid solder job can help make sure they don't rip out of the connector.
When the mic comes off the actor, I either hang it in open air on hooks, or I put it in a tiny open bag facing upwards with a packet of silica gel on the bottom, hoping the moisture wicks out. I leave the mic packs in shoe-bags, with a packet of silica gel at the bottom of each slot. If a mic is sweated out and doesn't sound too good after it dries up, I take an eye dropped of distilled water, and a tiny fresh paint brush, and I drop the distilled water right on the capsule, use the brush to move it around, and I let it air dry.
That being said, even on the best most dancing heavy show, lav mics are still perishable items, and despite your best efforts, you still will lose a few mics a week to vigorous stress. I budget anywhere from a lav a show to a lav a week depending on how intense the dancing/sweat is - whether it be sweat in the capsule, or a shorted connector due to stress you just won't be able to win the battle 100% of the time.
SteveMcQueen
Member
When I did this show, we had other actors take off their packs off as thy finished there major lines in the show, minus the 6 guys. I put those packs in the police hats, and tapes the elects to the brim of the hat. Before that last scene, they took off the packs they had all show just keeping the hat mics for the last scene.
Wow, that is a lot of really good information. Thank you very much. The stress on the cables is physical stress; the cables pulled to tight and shorting the connector. I like the idea of a neoprene pouch with silica gel, so far i've been lucky with the condoms keeping moisture out, the body packs aren't wet at the end of the show. The connector is a locking 4-pin, and i'm definitely going to look into the strain relief suggestion you made. That's great info, thank you thank you thank you!
I agree, the audience knows the actors are mic'd. A belt would be better than the strapping method we're now using.
themuzicman
Well-Known Member
When you re-terminate, use a Rean brand TA4F connector (They are a Neutrik off-shoot). I find they are so much more durable, and you have better options for strain relief within the connector when compared to a regular TA4F. I like to put a little heat shrink right after the solder points that lets the strain relief block in the housing grip a little tighter. They also lock and unlock a lot more reliably. They are also $2.50 a connector compared to Switchcraft at $10.
As for cheap Hellermann hookup, look at Newark.com, they list them as "SS Type Fitting Tools", and the sleeves are "PK100 Binding". I would get a combination of 1.5mm and 2mm.
np18358
Active Member
It was mentioned briefly above, but I will say, if the actors are wearing wigs, (or hats), the pack can be placed under there, and the excess cable coiled (or if the mics are just for this show, you can cut the cables shorter and resolder them so there isn't as much excess). Usually actors wear wig caps to keep there own hair in check under the wig, and the pack can go right in there, as it will keep it nice and tight on the top of their head.
