Holophone’s H2-PRO was recently utilized for surround sound capture on the set of the independent film, Fireproof.
The story follows the struggles of firefighter Captain Caleb Holt as he attempts to save his marriage by adapting the old firefighter’s adage at home: never leave your partner behind.
Production Sound Mixer Rob Whitehurst and Sound Designer and Post Audio Mixer Nick Palladino called upon Holophone’s H2-PRO to capture ambiance sound and special effects for the film.
When working on a project about firefighters and burning houses, there are a lot of very intense sounds that need to be captured, with not a lot of opportunities or time to capture them.
The sound team needed to record as much of the atmospheric sounds as possible in order to create a more realistic experience for the viewer and they found the Holophone’s H2-PRO an ideal surround solution.
“Because there were so many sounds during the filming of several different intense scenes, we had to run multiple mics and setups,” says Palladino.
“We only had one house to burn down; we couldn’t burn another one down, so we had one shot to get the sounds of that burning house.”
“Sure, you could use needle drop sounds from a library, but it helps the viewer feel as though they are right there if they can hear the actual pop of air in heated wood right when they see it.”
The crew spent two full days at the location of the burning house, which was also being used by the local fire department for training, first doing the inside scenes and then the exterior burn.
While the special effects team was setting up its next shot, the sound team set up the Holophone on the side of the street to capture surround audio of the fire trucks driving by. Palladino also recorded audio from inside the trucks in order to offer a more realistic sound perspective to those scenes.
Holophone was also used to record the sound of the fire itself, including the pumper trucks at high rev, the sounds of water coming out of the hoses at high pressure and indistinct yelling and talking of firefighters in the background.
“When working on an independent film, you have to try and get as much sound as you can while it’s happening, to keep the cost at a minimum,” explains Palladino.
“Having the H2-PRO with us minimized the amount of wild track we normally would have to record because of its unique, multi-element design. Another of the major things I love about the Holophone is its low profile.”
“It’s so compact that it doesn’t get in the way. It really just disappears into all the other stands and gear on set and that’s important for me as a mixer to not take up more space than I need to, especially in tight spots.”
“I love that the Holophone is a no brainer since all the mics are balanced,” adds Palladino. “You can just plug it up, put it in the set and hit record. When I get back to my 5.1 mix suite I can hit play, close my eyes and I am instantly at the location without any other work. Holophone was the most practical and best sounding surround solution I could find.”
