Where to hide body mics?

[silverbullet761]

Awesome. Thanks guys. Well, we ended up getting 2 body mics from Target (Memorex brand, for $19 a piece-- what a deal!) and they picked up perfect throughout the house. One problem-- we could only turn on one at a time because they transmit on the same frequency. So... only our lead could have his mic on. Well... we had another issue-- our house mics couldn't pick up ANYONE because of the horrible acustics of the house (which is a gym), we got feedback constantly. Well, thanks to some connections, we managed to get 5 pro body mics from a brand new high school (with a seriously over-funded drama dept. -- can you say a hog with 4 HES intellabeams?). Now, our sound is amazing. Just thought I'd give an update. We've also given up on hiding our lead's mic. Cause we have mics on the main players, we just threw in the towel on hiding the mic.

Opening night tomorrow, friday march 2ond!

 

[Anonymous067]

Hiding Wireless Lav mic's...

I'm working a church event. I have 6 actors that use wireless, and I would like to convince them, since tomorrow is the "big show", that they hide the mic cords a little better than usual.

FYI: "Usual" would be bodypack closer to the front than back, mic cord in plain sight.

I AM allowing the actors to just clip the mic element under their necks, simply because it isn't that big of a production, and I don't wanna spend time securing mics to hair, cheeks, etc etc. I am having trouble getting enough gain b4 feedback, but with some EQ thats getting better.

My main issue. 5/6 of the actors are TEEN GIRLS. I'm a 16 year old guy.
I'd rather not walk up to them and tell the girl to put the mic pack closer to the back and hide the cord under her shirt. That just sounds wrong?? Or should I just get over it?

How should I phrase it so it looks professional, yet not overly-stupid or perverted?

 

[mbenonis]

Re: Hiding Wireless Lav mic's...

I think you should "just get over it." I think its perfectly reasonable to ask the female actors to go to their dressing rooms and put their mics on under their shirts. I personally would also see if you can get some craft wire at a store like Michaels and make some ear hangers for the mics so you can get the gain before feedback you need. Just make a little loop of wire that fits around the ear, and either twist the clip around the mic cord or gaff the wire to it. The actors should also wear the mic packs under their costumes if there is room to do so (usually, there is). We have custom made elastic bands with pouches for this, but they may be able to use their bras or other underclothing to clip the pack to.

 

[loki]

Re: Hiding Wireless Lav mic's...

I normaly put the mic pac on their bra strap, it only gets wierd if they are primary school kids.

lol, i remember a show i did, the first thing i said to all the female actors was "Turn around, i need to put my hand down your back" (Strange enough it did not get a reaction)

Anyways, i digress, My advice is to get over it.

 

[Anonymous067]

Re: Hiding Wireless Lav mic's...

"Turn around, i need to put my hand down your back"

Anyways, i digress, My advice is to get over it.

I don't know how comfortable I am saying this?

 

[mbenonis]

Re: Hiding Wireless Lav mic's...

Just remember, you're just doing your job. The more matter-of-fact you are, the less uncomfortable the situation.

 

[jkowtko]

Re: Hiding Wireless Lav mic's...

I second the "bra pack" -- they work great there, you can't really see the bulge of the pack, and it keeps the waist clear of beltlines.

I'm actually going to try creating "backpacks" for the guys using the same pouch but with a sling to go over both arms, to get the pack in the same position between the wing bones. If anyone's already done this, please let us know how it went.

Fortunately I have a female apprentice who just graduated high school this year and has helped on the kids/teens productions for two summers -- so there hasn't been an issue with the girls mounting their bra packs. For the adult actors, the women usually could care less. But they can also help each other with pack mounting.

The older and more experienced these actors get, the less they care about prancing around backstage in next to nothing. If you have any veterans around you might ask them to help to pacify concerns.

 

[waynehoskins]

Re: Hiding Wireless Lav mic's...

It doesn't have to be you putting your hand down their backs; they might could do that themselves. Just tell 'em where to put the transmitter pack and how to run the cable. And if you explain first that it makes the show better, and them look better, to have a hidden cable and transmitter pack rather than the cable dangling in front of them to a transmitter pack on their belts, and then explain how to put it and where to put it, your burden might be eased.

 

[greghouse]

Re: Hiding Wireless Lav mic's...

Now I know you are 16, so you are not an "adult" in legal terms. But once you become an adult, have someone there to vouch for you that this is your job. I had a older friend once who was threatened with a suit because a teenage female actress claimed she was groped. I am pretty certain you will not get into trouble at a church. But elsewhere, be careful how you act.

 

[scubadiver305]

Re: Hiding Wireless Lav mic's...

i am kinda the same position as you were and what we do is we have cloth bags that someone made that the actors can tie around their waists under their costumes, so they do to wire and everything...you just have to make sure they do it right. and a good way that we found to position the mic is clear, waterproof medical tape. you cant see it and it is very versatile. you can fix the gain problem just by moving the mic to the hairline or taping it to the cheek.

 

[lieperjp]

Re: Hiding Wireless Lav mic's...

If your makeup and costume crew is responsible enough, enlist their help... That's what happened at my High School and is what I do at college. I basically hand out the mics to the actors if I am sound or helping the sound op out by changing out batteries and handing out mics, the make-up people know where it is supposed to go and how to hide the element and the cord. That way, when help is needed, I don't have to run from something else that I am doing and I don't find myself in an uncomfortable position. Also, the first time you hand out the mics in rehearsal, explain exactly where they should be clipped. Explain to all the actors at once, if possible. Most of the leads I work with now are well-trained.

Good doggie!!! Just let me clip your leash, I mean mic on and you can have a treat...

 

[bobbithy]

Mic Belt Preferences

Hey all-
On Monday we started our two week rehearsal/build period for our next production, "7 Brides for 7 Brothers." I've decided it's time to build all new mic belts for our cast of 23. It's been a while since we've replenished our stock, and most of our current stock are waist ones (the mic packs sit within the small of the back)- we also have quite a few backpack mic belts (elastic straps like a backpack and the mic pack sits in between the shoulder blades).

Seeing as how "7 Brides" is a heavy dance show, and we'll have people rolling around, doing lifts, etc etc- I'm looking to build underarm belts for the men, and thigh belts for the women. We have one underarm one which I'm using to make a pattern, but we dont have any thigh ones.

My question is this: does anyone have any pictures or patterns of these things that I might be able to procure? I have some sketches of the mic belts that I've drawn up and am going to make mock ups of- but if anyone could offer some words of advice or guidance/opinions that'd be awesome.

Thanks!

 

[chausman]

Re: Mic Belt Preferences

What mics do you have? Some of the sennheisers can probably survive, as long as they are secure.

I've never heard of putting a mic on someones arm or thigh, and I would, personally, put the mics in their respective belt on someones waist, or have them place it on their bra strap. But thats just me.

Welcome to ControlBooth!

Feel free to introduce yourself in the New Members forum! I know we have several people in the Milwaukee/Madison area!

 

[chausman]

Re: Mic Belt Preferences

Apparently this got moved, and I had answered it, but my answer didn't follow it...

What mics do you have? Some of the sennheisers can probably survive, as long as they are secure.

I've never heard of putting a mic on someones arm or thigh, and I would, personally, put the mics in their respective belt on someones waist, or have them place it on their bra strap. But thats just me.

Welcome to ControlBooth!

Feel free to introduce yourself in the New Members forum! I know we have several people in the Milwaukee/Madison area!

 

[shiben]

Re: Mic Belt Preferences

Apparently this got moved, and I had answered it, but my answer didn't follow it...

I think either is a fine thing... In the bra anywhere tends to be a pretty decent place, you will need belts for men... On the dance belt can be made to work, thigh holders work, How much rolling around is your choreographer having them do? Lifts it wont matter if its on the belt or not...

 

[Toffee]

Here: http://musical-instruments-and-equi...nsmitters-beige--compare-prices--sc1089039921

I am sure you could find one cheaper though but there is an idea of how to make one.

 

[jglodeklights]

I don't have any template advice, unfortunately; I just have some advice regarding determining placement and how many of the belts of each type to make. The theater I am currently working with had a party this season consisting of the sound engineer, costume shop manager and wardrobe supervisor in which they remade quite a few of the Mic belts. The first thing the sound engineer did was to create a wooden mock up the wireless pack they are using to make sure the pouch for it was of the correct size; not good, even if you put some form of top safety catch on it, if the pack is able to move excessively within the pouch. How she has also handled the question of where to put the mic pack is actually very simple. She gives stage management a sheet and asks them to have all actors note preferred placement of the pack at either waist, bra, back or other. The actors know their blocking and choreography (or at least they should have some idea of it). She then goes to the costume shop to confirm that the placement will work based on each actor's costume, and to get the measurements of each actor. This allowed her to accurately gauge how many of each belt she had to make (or modify).

I'd caution about being dictatorial with placements of the packs. Underarm may make sense to you because it is out of the way; to the men in the cast it might just prove annoying to have it there. Maybe, though, they won't care. By working with the actors and costume shop to determine placement (I know time is short, but it is the same here as well), you'll make sure the cast is happy and have a better chance of not crushing a pack or ripping the mic wire out of one in the middle of the show. Working with the costume shop will also allow you to possibly get some of the measurements you will need, like chest size. You may also need to go and get some thigh sizes if you go the route of thigh placement. Especially on the legs in a dance show, if it is too tight or too loose you will have same major issues with either the actor being extremely unhappy or your pack going flying (which would likely annoy the actor as well).

 

[EustaceM]

In the past I taped the mic near the hair line or close to the cheek and ran it down the actors hair, clipped it with small pins and ran it down their shirt, coiled it to the pack where it is placed on their belt.

For one show, I made little "packs" out of fabric and velcro that will hold the transmitter and prevent any damage such as sweet. They were cheep to make buy buying fabric and velcro from Joanne Fabrics. I got the idea from looking at mp3 holder that people use for the gym and instead of it attaching it to the arm it would attach around actors stomach. Lots of ideas can spring up from weird places.

I've gotten more effective when it comes to hiding mics because lots of my directors wanted to keep their visibility as low as possible saying" mics kill reality".

I've used the method of hiding mics in the set and set props but I don't like using this idea for musicals. It works very well for non-musicals though.

I've read an article about how the professionals paint the mic wire to match the actors make up and be hidden more efficiently. How would you paint the mic to achieve that effect without damage?

 

[bobgaggle]

Mic in Hair Parts

I'm not a sound guy and this question has been bothering me for a while...

I've worked in theatre for a few years and noticed that when mics are placed on the forehead they always run the cable up the back and through where ever the hair is parted. However I've never seen an effort to adhere the cable to the scalp, always just the forehead and base of the neck. The result is that the wire has some slack and will be seen riding loose and free above the scalp.

What if the actor/actress parted their hair in a different position, ran the mic wire through, then re parted their hair to cover and conceal the wire? Does anyone do this? It seems like it would keep the wire anchored better and make it more invisible, especially in small venues and black box spaces.

 

[Stookeybrd]

Re: Mic in Hair Parts

What if the actor/actress parted their hair in a different position, ran the mic wire through, then re parted their hair to cover and conceal the wire?

Yes, this is called a false part. In addition to a false part I use wig/toupee/extension clips to keep the lav locked into the hair rather than use any tape at all. The gentlemen over at Brighter and Louder have a write-up of The Clip Method(scroll down half way). If the budget allows, the lavs will be painted the color of the actors hair to ensure better concealment.

If the A2 has done their job well(and they sound system allows for it) the microphones will be hidden so well that you can't even see the actor wearing a mic. I can personally guarantee that everyone(except the bass player) in this picture is wearing a lav. In fact, one of them has a dual rig.