Crockery dampening

[Mike Peter Reed]

Worked on a shoot where the crockery was really noisy (2 x drinking from cup and saucer) and I couldn't use camera tape to deaden the noise because it would be in shot and likely visible in the HD format (for the CU we removed the saucers of course).

Apart from using custom props, how else have you dealt with the perils of crockery noise?

[Christian Dolan]

Did the clinking eat any dialogue? Or was it just noisy in between? If it's between, then post can take a pass and make the clinks less objectionable.

If it's a scripted shoot with actors, I usually ask them to move the prop business to spaces between sentences, or to hold it while the other one is talking. Sometimes the director will balk, saying that it impacts the "naturalness" of the performance, to which I silently say :"BS".

Everything that we do, from lighting to set dressing to the script that tells them what to say is an unnatural contrivance. One more won't hurt, especially if you have pro talent, whose jobs are to take these contrivances and make them feel natural.

So, yeah, my $.02. Guess I'm in a rant-y mood today. :)

-Christian

[Mike Peter Reed]

It was more a problem with reverb in the characteristics of the reflective walls and smallish room. The high frequency reverb would crash the dialogue at times. The director and actors all understood that any overlap was a potential headache for the edit. I would usually stick some camera tape around the base of the cup but the HD camera was close enough that it would be easy to spot. For the closeup singles we removed the saucers entirely, so there's still clean takes. Guess I just felt a little unprepared and annoyed at myself for not being able to magically produce soundproofing blankets for the off-frame walls ....

[Christian Dolan]

Guess I just felt a little unprepared and annoyed at myself for not being able to magically produce soundproofing blankets for the off-frame walls ....

What, you didn't have that huge team of utilities in the sound department run and do that for you?

Oh, wait, I'm thinking of the army of grips available to the DP. Silly me. :)

Sorry to be a wise-acre. I've had some rough shoots sound-wise myself lately.

Thanks,
-Christian

[Chris Gillette]

Ahh, the loud spikes of a knife and fork hitting a plate during dialogue capture. I know the pain. I have encountered this situation twice, and both times I have kindly asked the art department if the plate can be replaced with a soft plastic one (as found in most common picnic / camping kits). In both occasions I have never been cursed for my request, and whilst it doesn't completely eradicate extreme cutlery noise - it at least takes the top edge off of the sound...

[Kip Gynn]

If you have the time for it to dry, (about 4 hours if you keep it warm)

Apply CLEAR GOOP around the rim of the bottom of the cup and let it harden. An 1/8 of an inch should be thick enough.
It will "rubberize" the bottom of the cup.

It's also a handy form of liquid insulation for wire splices and some strain relief applications.

It smells a lot while drying. I usually take it outside to dry.

[Sean Armstrong]

I've found that if it's cups or plates, the best thing to do is cut thin strips of moleskin to go around the bottom of the cup or plate. If you're careful and you've cut the strips thin enough, you can match the curve perfectly and no one can see it.