Hiding Lapel Mics

[zactommo]

So, in my 9-5 job we use radio lapels all the time, but the station I work for is not at all concerned about seeing lapel mics in shot, which is nice!

But this saturday i'm doing field sound for a shoot for one of the bigger networks, and I know their expectation is that the lapel mics will not be seen in shot. I've picked up a couple of techniques from my co-workers for hiding the mic, but i'm wondering if anyone in CMN has any tips or tricks for doing this effectivly

The big concern for me is getting clear sound, without any russelling noise etc when the talent moves, while concealing the mic under a piece of their clothing.

Thanks all!

[waynehoskins]

Have you tried the old theatre trick of hiding the microphone in the hair?

[zactommo]

I thought about that, but the situation is a wedding for a reality TV show, so I think hiding it in the hair, with the bride and groom looking directly at each could create some issues. I could see the grooms mic picking up a heck of a lot of the brides mic and vise-versa.

[cmchamp]

What element are you using?
Should be easy to hide a miniature black mic on a black tux lapel.
As for the bride, you'll probably want a female tech to aid with that.

[dewknight]

Originally Posted by cmchamp

What element are you using?
Should be easy to hide a miniature black mic on a black tux lapel.
As for the bride, you'll probably want a female tech to aid with that.

Also, you can get a small white mic for the bride (if you're able to locate one in time for Saturday). There are many that are easy to hide

[zactommo]

Originally Posted by cmchamp

What element are you using?
Should be easy to hide a miniature black mic on a black tux lapel.
As for the bride, you'll probably want a female tech to aid with that.

The station are providing the kit, and the gear and their camera crew are coming from a different part of the country, so I don't really expect to find out what i'll be using exactly untill the day.

And yes, I will get a bridesmaid to assist the the bride mic placement.

A Co-worker showed me a little trick he calls the gaffa triangle, which encloses the bottom of the element, and then allows you to stick it to the back of a lapel or the like. Seems to work alright. Has anyone tried something like this?

[johnlacko]

groom - up the back of shirt, around collar behind bow-tie (i've done it with windscreen off and on depending on mic element)

[tedanderson]

From my experience, the bigger networks usually care more about how it sounds than what it looks like. If I was in a position where I had to impress them, I'd rather risk the producer's dissatisfaction with the mic being visible than to have a completely hidden system that makes rubbing noises.

You can get away with the rubbing sound in the live theater because there is so much going on but in broadcasting, every little sniffle, scratch, and breath is heard louder than other sound.

IMPO the only way to get good audio without visible mics is to use a boom operator.