Sound Recordist Richard Cranach (Left) showing Josh Rose (Right) their new B3 microphone.
Springfield, OR (December 19, 2011)—Graveyard Carz, a new reality show that will air soon on Discovery Velocity, focuses on restoring destroyed Chrysler muscle cars. On hand to grab every insight from the cast are Countryman microphones.
On the show, not only are the cars wrecked, they are beyond repair. Produced by The Division Productions, LLC, the cast of Graveyard Carz gets down and dirty as they restore these seemingly ‘beyond repair’ automobiles back to their past glory. Casey Faris is Executive Producer for Graveyard Carz. Sharing many of the everyday responsibilities with partner Mark Worman and sound recordist Richard Cranach, Faris is directly involved in all aspects of the show’s pre production, production, and post production. He is, without question, a ‘hands-on’ kind of guy. In the two months that Graveyard Carz has been in production, Faris reports their five Countryman B3 mics (four for production, one for backup) have become their favorite ‘go-to’ microphones.
“We initially auditioned three Countryman models,” says Faris, “and, for our requirements, the B3 worked the best. The B3’s sound quality is very natural, big, and full. Make no mistake, we’re getting studio quality audio from this little beast. We typically position the mics in the center of the chest on the inside of the talent’s tee shirt, and the audio quality we’ve been getting is unbelievably great. Our sound mixer and I were floored when we initially heard the sound from this tiny microphone.”
Faris is equally impressed with the build quality of the Countryman B3. “In terms of reliability, these mics are awesome,” Faris reports. “As is the case with any reality show, the equipment isn’t always handled as ‘gently’ as one might hope for. The mics get their fair share of bumps, drops, etc., but they continue to deliver terrific sound quality for us.”
“When we’re shooting in the field,” Faris explained, “it’s not uncommon for us to have just an hour or so to get the shots we need. We’ve had numerous occasions where, instead of setting up a boom mic and working on the positioning of the boom/operator so as not to interfere with camera angles, we’ve elected to go with the B3 and a wireless transmitter instead. We find that we’re able to get really good audio quality and the process of clipping on the B3 and a wireless transmitter is not only easier—it saves us valuable time. We’re using the B3s with Sennheiser wireless systems and the combination of these products yields terrific results with a minimum of time spent getting ready.”
Graveyard Carz
www.graveyardcarz.com
Countryman Associates
www.countryman.com
