RUN AND GUN WITH SENNHEISER

 Production sound mixer Coleman Metts, C.A.S. has adopted RF transmitters and receivers from Sennheiser

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA: Time is money in Hollywood, where increasingly complex shoots and fast-changing camera set-ups mean that film and television production sound crews must stay on their toes and be prepared to 'run and gun' at a moment's notice. Production sound mixer Coleman Metts, C.A.S. has adopted RF transmitters and receivers from Sennheiser, which is celebrating 50 years of wireless technology innovation this year, in order to communicate quickly and privately with his boom operators, allowing him and his crew to keep pace with the director, yet never get underfoot.   

Metts, who adopted Sennheiser wireless technology over six years ago, operates a wireless communications setup that utilizes SK 500 G2 bodypack microphone transmitters alongside Evolution Wireless ew300 IEM G2 personal monitor transmitters with EK 300 G2 bodypack receivers. His three-man production sound team includes a boom microphone man, plus a second boom, also known as a cable person.   

"I was always using the Sennheiser half-rack transmitters but I ended up using the little portable transmitter, because I needed two transmitters - one to talk to my guys separately and one to be able to send audio to the client, the directors and producers. I am actually using both of them on different channels," shares Metts, who boasts an impressive resume of film production sound credits that include "Bobby," "Donnie Darko," "Kiss the Bride" and "Dancing at the Blue Iguana." Upcoming movie releases on which he has been working recently include "Slipstream," "Smiley Face" and "Sex And Death 101," while his television work includes primetime series such as "Without a Trace," "Invasion" and "Bones."   

"Nowadays there is just so much equipment on set as far as the camera department," explains Metts. "Everything is on a dolly, and there are Stedicams, and a lot of times they have two or three cameras running at once." Relying on cables runs the risk of getting them tangled with Stedicam operators or run over by the dolly and makes it difficult to adapt quickly to changes on the set, he says, "So my guys have to be mobile as well, in order to keep up with all this new technology."  

He elaborates, "If they're cabled to a hard line and things change quickly they can't change quickly. Having a wireless feed enables them to change what they're doing at any time with no restrictions. And if one of them is off doing something and I need him I can just call him and he can drop whatever he's doing to put out the latest fire."

Coleman Metts, C.A.S. has adopted Sennheiser RF transmitters and receivers in order to communicate quickly and privately with his boom operators and allow him and his crew to keep pace with the director, yet never get underfoot. His setup utilizes SK 500 G2 bodypack microphone transmitters alongside Evolution Wireless ew 300 IEM G2 personal monitor transmitters with EK 300 G2 bodypack receivers.

The Sennheiser RF setup proved to be a lifesaver on one recent shoot, says Metts, where both audio and picture were recorded to hard disk recorder systems. "The production used so much of my equipment that the only way I could talk back to my boom operators at all was with the Sennheiser wireless system. It was a very complex show, so that really saved me, as I had no more cables and it allowed me to stay in touch with my guys discreetly. That was a world of help."  

The Sennheiser system has withstood the punishing production sound environment and relatively dense RF spectrum of Los Angeles well, reports Metts. "It's been rock solid. I've never had any problems with it. People drop these personal monitor receivers all the time on the ground; they just do. But they've held up remarkably well. I haven't had any interference and I've never even sent one in for servicing. I'm very, very happy."

About Sennheiser Electronic Corporation

As one of the world's leading manufacturers of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems, Sennheiser is celebrating 50 years of wireless technology innovations. Established in 1945 in Wedemark, Germany, Sennheiser is active worldwide. Sennheiser Electronic Corporation is the U.S. wholly-owned subsidiary, with headquarters in Old Lyme, Connecticut.

For more information, please visit www.sennheiserusa.com