Filming log: Think

Now that my fingers have defrosted enough to type I'll reflect on my first real experience as a sound recordist. I'll try to go deeper than "Cold. Really cold."

It was cold. Really cold. Really, really cold.

So it seems I have to relearn the winter lessons from last year: thermal socks, big gloves, as many layers as physically possible. (Edit since I started writing this: I took myself to Marks and Spencer and bought the cuddliest, softest, warmest cashmere socks you've ever seen, I'll be ready for next time.)

Overall the shoot was very good, it was a nice small crew and Murray's mum cooked us a delicious fry up to fuel us through the cold.

But more specifically to sound, I was quite excited to try putting my theoretical knowledge to practical use. I remembered all the jazz with the cables and the what-goes-where (have you ever seen the business end of a mixer? Or should I say one of the business ends since it has four? bloody complicated) and even managed to troubleshoot when it turned out we had one wrong cable.

The sound recordist's main job is to annoy the rest of the cast and crew and I performed that task admirably. I had to pause filming at several points, despite the freezing cold and the awkward locations to allow planes to pass by overhead or for a car whose engine was ticking over to leave. I found the balance between watching the action, watching the levels and listening closely to the return tricky, certainly something which needs more practice.

I'd like to do some more sound recording, perhaps alongside someone with more experience so I can learn the tricks rather than just blundering along, it's a vital and rather interesting area (though don't take that as an excuse to pigeonhole me as sound girl, Chris).