DPA mics called in for Mad Max
Published: MEA
NAMIBIA: A variety of DPA Microphones’ products were put to use for the filming of Mad Max: Fury Road in the Namibian desert. Production sound mixer, Ben Osmo, used d:screet 4063 and 4062 miniature microphones during the filming.
‘I love DPA mics because they have a transparent sound and are the best for wind noise,’ said Mr Osmo. ‘For this film, Leon Hart at DPA’s Australian distributor Amber Technology, suggested I use d:screet 4063 miniature microphones because they matched the voltage outputs of my Lectrosonics SMV and SMVQ transmitters. I have been using DPA lapel mics for many years because they have the most transparent sound of any lapel mic currently on the market.
‘We used low sensitivity d:screet Miniature Microphones for the eight principle cast members who were inside the War Rig cabin and these provided all dialogue and all transmitted sound effects,’ he continued. ‘At the same time we placed a lot of hidden DPA d:screet mics in the cabin for effects and for catching the action. We also positioned them around the engine bay, near the exhausts and transmission and up on the top of the War Rig, and they were used in other vehicles and on the vast supporting cast.’
Andrea Hood was responsible for placing the DPA Miniature Microphones inside the actors’ costumes so they remained invisible. ‘She was an immense help because she sewed the mics into costumes and made small pouches on the key costumes, especially those worn by the wives and Furiosa,’ recalled Mr Osmo. ‘We came up with a couple of interesting positions to place them in Max’s jacket and inside his t-shirt. We couldn't tape them to his outfit because it was covered in oil and dirt, so Andrea sewed them into the back of his shirt. Location Assistant Brendan Allen and Andrea came up with suggestions of where we could place the DPAs in his jacket and we trialled them all, with me listening for rustle and wind noise. Finally we decided to place two Miniature Mics on each side of his jacket so that when he turned around he would still be on mic. The high wind fluffies were also used and these were instrumental in keeping the wind at bay.’
Filming an action movie in the Namibian desert did present some issues for the sound equipment, but Mr Osmo got round this by placing most of the hardware in temperature controlled road cases or inside his van. But the radio mic transmitters and DPA and boom mics were always out in the elements, all being hidden inside costumes or blimps.
‘We never lost a mic due to the environmental conditions – they performed very well,’ said Mr Osmo. ‘Overall, the DPA d:screet 4063 miniature microphones were definitely the best choice for dialogue.’