Los Angeles, CA (November 11, 2014)—Sound mixer Joe Michalski helped NBC’s new romantic comedy series A to Z get on the fall schedule when he captured audio for the pilot episode with DPA d:screet 4071 miniature microphones.
For one particular scene, the crew was running out of natural daylight, necessitating a change to the way it was shot. “The director [Michael Patrick Jann] decided to shoot both portions at the same time, with two side-by-side cameras pointed 180 degrees from one another,” says Michalski. “Instead of using a traditional booming setup for this shot, I miked all four actors with the d:screet 4071 lavaliers, which allowed me to perfectly isolate all four voices in the recording. Everyone thought they were going to have to go back for ADR, but when I played back the audio, the director and producer were pleasantly surprised to have two completely separate sets of dialogue.”
According to Michalski, the d:screet 4071 lavaliers had a big hand in getting A to Z in front of the networks in time. “I saw Ben Queen, the show’s writer, a month after we wrapped and he told me that, other than two lines that were added after they wrapped, the editing team didn’t have to do one bit of ADR on the entire episode,” says Michalski. “He said they were able to immediately get their cuts together without having to replace dialogue, which got it to the studios in time for them to consider it for fall.”
Michalski, who has used several microphone brands over the years, says his collection of 10 DPA mics, which includes the d:dicate 4017B shotgun, serves as his primary choice. “I’ve heard a lot of competitor mics and DPA mics just sound more natural,” concludes Michalski. “You don’t have to worry about any of the problems you see with other brands; even the sheer physical difference is noticeable.”
DPA Microphones
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