Production Sound Recording for Major Motion Pictures
Overview
A Pro16 digital snake is the answer when it comes to recording and mixing production audio elements on location during the filming of major motion pictures. Details
Key Features
- Simplifies workflow and saves time in setup and transitions
- Reliability and robustness of the products on location production shoots in harsh environments
Products Used
- Pro16 Series
- 1 AN-16/i-M Mic Input Module
- 1 AN-16/i Input Module
- 2 AN-16/o Output Modules
Minimal Gear, Maximum Results
Mark Ulano, an Academy Award-winning production sound mixer, has been using an Aviom digital snake since he discovered the benefits on the harsh wintry Philadelphia set of Rocky Balboa in 2006. Ulano has used his Aviom gear on the set of all his movies since, including Kill Bill, Disturbia, Grindhouse, Death Proof, Iron Man, State of Play, and Terminator Salvation.
His setup is a simple 16x16 snake, but Ulano relies on the flexibility that it offers him, the time it saves on the set, and the durability of the system. Ulano uses an AN-16/i-M Mic Input Module to send the actors’ mics and the boom mics from the mixer near the set to an AN-16/o Output Module in his recording truck. This output module sends the signals into his Yamaha 01V96 console, and then an AN-16/i Input Module connected to the digital mixer sends 16 returns, including interruptible feedback (IFB), Ulano’s monitor mix, and music playback, to an AN-16/o on the set.
Production Sound Mixer
Ulano prefers the Aviom digital snake to an analog one because of its flexibility and its simple setup. Setting up an analog snake can take a lot of time, and because it’s bulky, it is not easy to move the snake to a new location for a scene change. In addition, in an environment where there is a lot of activity and traffic, if an analog snake suffers any damage, it is not simple to replace. Cat-5 cabling is not only much less expensive than copper and readily available, but it is very simple to replace and move. Ulano describes using Cat-5 as “so elegantly simple and powerful that it makes me wonder how I ever lived without it.”
As Ulano wrote in the September/October 2008 issue of Millimeter, “The Aviom digital snake allows me to have the recording systems and console farther away from the remote cart so they can be protected from extreme weather conditions. Because of the plug-and-play, modular nature of the system, I can run multiple sets simultaneously and enjoy the dramatically reduced costs of maintaining a Cat-5 cable versus an analog snake. Although they’re ultimately similar in their end result, traditional snakes on every level are tremendously more cumbersome, less robust, and significantly more expensive. Now, all we do is turn on the Aviom gear, plug in the Cat-5, and turn on the radio receivers, and we’re ready to go.”
