Production sound mixer Ken Yasumoto and boom operator Josselin Panchout deployed microphones from DPA to capture the audio for Netflix French-language original Oxygène, where about 90 percent of the film is set in a medical pod, presenting very close quarters.
The film’s director, Alex Aja, and director of photography Maxime Alexandre built a second pod for ease of filming some of the tighter shots. Although there were two sets, the team utilized only one video/audio production kit, which required them to frequently move gear from one location to the other.
Users of DPA from previous work, Yasumoto and Panchout decided to primarily utilize 6060 CORE omnidirectional miniature microphones for the film because of their diminutive size and sound capture capabilities. They also deployed DPA 4080 CORE miniature cardioid and 6066 CORE omnidirectional headset mics for the film.
Panchout explains that he outfitted a pair of 6060s with Bubblebee lavalier concealers, designed specifically for the 6060. Wardrobe then used a tube to run the lavalier’s cable along a seam on lead actress Melanie Laurent’s top, which was made of fishnet material. On the other end, Yasumoto used a cable to plug the mics directly into the main pod, which was specially designed to include an active microphone jack. This, he says, helped insure more consistent, quality sound versus using it as a wireless option.
“It was a great help to hide the mics in different positions,” he adds. “It’s why I typically also use DPA’s 4060s with a lavalier concealer. Even if you have no time to find the best position for it to go in clothes, you can just take the lavalier concealer and put it inside as fast as you can with tape on it and it will work in every position.
“When we filmed her [Laurent], she spent a lot of time inside the main pod’s dome, which was made of plexiglass,” Yasumoto continues. “This material caused some strange acoustics and reverberation, especially with the air volume adjusting as we opened and closed the pod. In the end, the DPA mics that we used were the perfect solution for this job.”
In addition to the body worn mic, the pair also modified a 4080, removing all the foam and wrapping it around a wire rig from Ursa, to affix it to the top of the pod for various scenes in which the boom could not be used. Panchout explains that “this was the only solution as some lights above the plexiglass dome were reflecting onto Melanie’s face,” which made it challenging to use a boom mic during filming. Additionally, it was physically difficult to boom while the camera was moving. Therefore, the DPA mics, most especially the 4080, provided the support necessary to ensure the sound was captured on both ends.
Meanwhile, a 6066 was used for one particular sequence where Laurent was not in the pod, but in a flash-forward scene, speaking in a conference room. Since this was set in the future, Aja and produciton designer Jean Rabasse requested a more futuristic-looking mic, for which the sound team suggested the 6066. “They both loved the look of the mic, but we also still used the 6060 as a back-up to the audio capture,” explains Panchout. “So, we hid two transmitters in Melanie’s wardrobe, one for the 6060 in her shirt and the other for the 6066 headset.”
Oxygene made its debut on Netflix in May 2021. Director Alexandre Aja is best known for his French horror film High Tension and crocodile thriller Crawl.
