Total Praise
I was hit up about a week before the shoot and basically had to say yes before my brain had time to talk me out of it. No long pre-pro calls, no slow ramp-up... just “we’re shooting, you in?” So I pulled up, figured it out on the fly, and learned the entire rhythm of a film set in real time. I said yes before I fully knew how I was gonna pull it off… and figured the rest out in real time. Day one, the first location felt like chaos. I was scrambling, adapting, learning how fast things actually move when cameras are rolling and people are waiting on you. By day two at the second location, something clicked. I got ahead of the process, moved with intention, and started trusting my instincts instead of second-guessing them. What mattered most was realizing I belong on set. That pressure forced me to level up immediately, creatively and professionally. By the end, the project didn’t just sound good, this project flipped a switch for me. It took sound from something I liked into something I knew I had to lead with creatively.
Client
Palmer Williams III
Year
2025
Services
Production Sound Mixer, Music Coordination
Category
Short Film
The Situation & The Goal
Context
Hired on very short notice (≈ one week before shoot) as the on-set production sound mixer/recordist for Total Praise, a short film musical tribute project inspired by Glee.
Project directed by Palmer Williams III, an emerging Atlanta-based director.
Two-day shoot across multiple locations, including a large auditorium and a smaller performance room.
Challenge
First major professional film set operating as the sole production sound mixer.
No prior access to professional production audio gear; all equipment had to be sourced, rented, or assembled quickly.
Limited pre-production coordination and minimal advance technical planning, including unfamiliarity with:
Field recorders (Zoom F8n)
Multi-lav setups
Timecode workflows
On-set sound department protocols
Fast-paced environment with live musical performances, crowd audio, dialogue, and children among cast.
Goal
Capture high-fidelity dialogue, ambient, and performance audio suitable for professional post-production.
Ensure audio integrity across all takes despite limited prep time, unfamiliar gear, and evolving on-set conditions.
Process
Accepted responsibility under tight timelines, committing to learning professional on-set sound workflows rapidly.
Researched, sourced, and assembled a full production sound kit on short notice, including:
Zoom F8n field recorder
Sennheiser G4 wireless lavalier systems (6 units total)
Rode NTG-5 shotgun microphone
Rode handheld boom pole
Zoom H4 with XY mic module for ambient/crowd capture
Professional XLR cabling, SD media, headphones, and accessories
Advised production against consumer-grade wireless microphones, steering the team toward industry-standard lavalier systems.
Self-trained overnight on Zoom F8n operation, including:
Track arming, gain staging, trim vs. transmitter gain
Polywav recording
Solo/mute workflows
Template creation and file management
Developed improvised lavalier concealment techniques, using:
Moleskin
NexCare clear skin tape
Cloth tape
Executed on-set sound capture across multiple scenarios, including:
Lav miking adult actors and a child performer
Boom mic placement for dialogue and singing
Plant microphone strategies for group performance capture
Piano and live performance recording
Crowd and room tone recording
Collaborated with cinematography team to ensure mic concealment did not interfere with framing or blocking.
Coordinated with post-audio by:
Providing notes on clipped takes
Communicating expected post-processing needs (e.g., declipping tools)
Recruited and trained production assistants as ad-hoc sound assistants, enabling:
Faster mic placement
Delegation during high-pressure moments
Additional crew members receiving audio credits
Adapted and improved workflow significantly between Day 1 and Day 2, demonstrating rapid learning and operational refinement.
The Results
Successfully delivered usable, high-quality production audio across a complex, music-heavy shoot.
Audio was accepted into post-production without reshoots; post-audio nearing completion at time of report.
Director and crew expressed satisfaction; sound quality deemed strong enough to warrant a callback for a subsequent film project.
Multiple crew members proactively requested contact information for future sound work opportunities.
Established credibility as a dependable on-set sound mixer despite limited prior experience.
Personal Takeaways & Skills Gained
Technical Skills Developed
Professional field recorder operation (Zoom F8n)
Wireless lavalier systems (Sennheiser G4)
Gain staging, trim management, and multi-track recording
Mic concealment and plant mic strategies
Room tone and ambient capture
On-Set Production Skills
Understanding film set pace, hierarchy, and collaboration
Coordinating with DP, wardrobe, and post-audio
Managing sound responsibilities independently under pressure
Leadership & Adaptability
Rapid self-education under deadline
Training and supervising assistants with no prior audio experience
Improving workflow and confidence between shoot days
Professional Growth
Identified the importance of earlier audio involvement in pre-production
Built confidence operating as the sole sound authority on set
Transitioned from theory-level audio knowledge to real-world production execution