DC, MD & VA (& East Coast surrounding states) * 310.895.3464 cell * marianna.lafollette2010@gmail.com
SOUND RECORDING'S FUTURE: ZERO GRAVITY... NEXT STOP, SPACE?
How to do location sound work in zero gravity?
How to do location sound work in zero gravity?
How to do location sound work in zero gravity?
A small sound kit with just a field mixer, one shotgun mic and a camera hop
And with my VersaFlex harness that had its waist-belt attached to the bottom of my mixer, which meant that during the flight-when things float in zero gravity!--my mixer stayed glued to my waist instead of floating upward and getting in the way of my sound capture work (which would've happened if the mixer was not connected to my VersaFlex's waist-belt...Usually, for ground-level typical work, I detach this waist-belt from the rest of the main harness since it's usually not needed...).
Due to the small confined cabin space with uncontrolled movements by participants, the shooter and I agreed to a camera hop (rather than a cable tether) between the mixer and camera (with also the camera's onboard camera mic). Also, I did not use a cumbersome boom pole--instead, only a coily cable with the shotgun mic, direct to my mixer. Wireless lav mics were initially planned for the subjects but last minute, the client and all participants decided to opt-out of this mic'ing situation.
We all started out wearing the specially-designed flight suit for this zero-gravity flight and socks. Fortunately it turns out that you can after all do zero-g flotation with glasses, which is a common question if allowed or not (btw; I had planned on wearing contacts, but things happen...).
The flight starts.
How to do location sound work in zero gravity?
How to do location sound work in zero gravity?
We boarded the plane like a regular plane--which was sitting apart at a more unused section of the Dulles Airport in Virginia. We stowed our production gear up front in a special compartment, since the seat section only existed in the back--a few rows--with no overhead compartments. The bulk of the plane (in front of the back seat row) was bare and open, with this area 's walls, ceilings and floor were covered with white padding. This open, padded section is where the actual zero gravity experience occurred when the plane was in full flight, 26,000 miles up. Until then, we took our seat in the back (buckling in), and the plane took off like normal.
Later, when we reached a certain height (and as allowed by FAA rules, we unbuckle from our seat), we took off our shoes and moved freely to the front padded area. There were flight attendants who lined the plane's wall and wore large headsets that allowed them to hear and communicate with the pilots (this communication was integral in knowing when the plane will be flying up and down, from the top of the parabola to the bottom, in order to simulate zero gravity).
Zero Gravity
How to do location sound work in zero gravity?
Newton's Third Law of Motion
Zero Gravity ("zero g") is obtained by the plane flying vertical parabolas in a controlled airspace (FAA rules). The downward motion from the parabola's top crest to its bottom dip is when zero gravity is felt; per the height used (chosen by the flight company), zero gravity lasted 30 seconds each time.
As per directed by the flight attendants, when the plane was swooping upward, we all were lying flat on our backs (and staring at the ceiling--all of which, per the flight's attendants, helped to ensure less-to-no-nausea to occur). Then, at the start of the parabola's crest--when the plane then dipped to fly downward--the flight attendants yelled, "Feet up!" that was the signal for us to sit up and push off the floor, to then experience zero-gravity the next 30 seconds.
So, when the downward parabola began, I sat up and pushed off the floor and immediately zipped to the ceiling...
Newton's Third Law of Motion
Continuation of the zero gravity flight, and learning to deal...
Newton's Third Law of Motion
I immediately was reminded of the effect of Newton's Third Law of Motion, which states, "For every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction." because, approaching the ceiling was dependent upon how much I strongly posed off the floor...which at first, was very strong because I shot up fast so that upon touching the ceiling, I pushed off but then I shot outward on an unplanned sort of horizontal traveling path and angle (all the while, as I did my sound job by pointing the shotgun mic at the participant's activities in front of me).
My unexpected traveling path actually was shooting me towards my cameraman (decades experience of working with NASA astronauts, shooting their zero-G efforts) who was upright at the opposite wall, hanging on the horizontal ropes with one hand whilst filming with his full-size camera (the ropes on each side of the plane, shoulder/head-high and going front to back of the jet) that were there just for that purpose, to hang on during zero G).
"Oh, no, I'm going to hit my cameraman!" I muttered....And, a flight attendant helpfully stopped my few seconds of uncontrolled momentum by pulling me to the wall, at which time I quickly understood the method for zero-g gravity flotation: no swimming movements by limbs (a typical subconscious response warned by the zero-g instructors to not do), but instead, light pressure and movements by fingers and limbs when touching surfaces for better control of your body.
Continuation of the zero gravity flight, and learning to deal...
Continuation of the zero gravity flight, and learning to deal...
Continuation of the zero gravity flight, and learning to deal...
When the 30 seconds of zero gravity was about to end (which is when the plane got to the bottom of the planned parabola), the flight attendants yelled out "feet down!" that meant, whatever body confirgument we were doing in zero g, we needed to immediately gyrate our body so that we were "standing" vertical, with our feet below us (& head up at ceiling) so that when the parabolic dip was reached (end of the plane's downward fall), gravity would kick in, and we fell to our feet (not our head!).
The second time around (the 2nd parabola) and thereafter, at the parabolic's beginning fall downward, I just lightly pushed off the floor with one hand's fingertips and aimed at an angle for a horizontal, wall-mounted rope, which I gripped with one hand in order to control my floating body as I pointed the shotgun mic with the other hand at the participants (per the camera shot), all the while eyeballing and manipulating my mixer's sound levels, which, in order to do, I had to let go of the wall's rope, which meant, I had to be very conscious before letting go, how much my body was moving vs. being "still"
Then, immediately, we all lay down on our backs again (my sound rig resting on my stomach, my hand holding my shotgun mic in the general direction of where the contestant subject's were laying) and waited 30 seconds for the plane to climb up to the top of the next parabola, so that when we again reached this crest, we then repeated another 30 seconds of zero gravity when the plane again flew downward.
What helps with Zero-Gravity?
Continuation of the zero gravity flight, and learning to deal...
Continuation of the zero gravity flight, and learning to deal...
Ideally, when I grabbed the rope, I quickly stilled my body (which I either sort of curled in a ball, or, I lay flat (stomach down, with my legs flying behind me, like Superman), all the while making sure I could see my mixer. Therefore, when I had to let go of the rope, I just floated the few seconds while I changed the pot level of the boom mic. Then when the audio level was again well set, I quickly grabbed the rope again in order to continue to continue keeping controlled body movements...especially since other people were spinning in circles and floating around and occasionally bumping into me! This one-handed clutching of the wall rope became my main method to help me to do my sound capture work. Both hands were full with this rope-hanging method and and holding the mic, so, of course, I had no time to take pictures, sadly (although, due to the wall-mounted small cameras up and down the cabin, Zero-G did create a 5-minute video that shows me and my experience. This video will be uploaded later soon, October 2024.)
It does help if you "know your body" (how it moves, it's center of gravity) & have a good sense of balance, in order to know what you can do in zero-g and to better control your movements. (I danced for years, in addition to snowboarding, rollerblading, and mountain biking--all of which had always helped me with the many past years of balancing regular ground-level work with a full recorder rig, mics and boom.
So, keep in mind, it helps if you are dancer, martial arts, a gymnast, skater, sports aficionado, or someone who does other physical activities--anything that involves an increased knowledge about your body, how it moves and a sense of balance.
How do you do sound while shooting in Zero Gravity,
26,000 miles above land and floating like an Astronaut!?
Lastly, during my zero-g flight experience, I had to be ready to move and not stay in a one location because the shooter was capturing his shots in different areas of the plane where the contestants were bouncing around (he also occasionally was pointing the camera 360 degrees, so I either had to move with him--floating in zero-g, that was sort of difficult!--or had to turn my back to the camera in order to make my "sound profile" less noticeable for the shot--hence, I had to occasionally let go of the rope to totally float, spinning around (happily feeling the weightlessness, like an Astronaut)...again (always) while ensuring that my boom mic remains in a good position to capture the subjects, in front of the lens.
All part of my usual work, to remain out of the camera frame (i.e., the typical working production mantra of "out of sight, out of mind.").
The end result after this one-day zero-gravity flight: Success! I gained my first working experience in zero gravity and captured good audio for the project's documentary coverage, all the while simultaneously accomplishing a personal desire that I never thought would happen: I floated like an Astronaut.
(A tangent here: Gravity, the 2013 movie with Sandra Bollock that came out a year after my Zero-G experience, is a great sci-fi movie that shows and describes the zero gravity approaches and movements that I've hinting about during my story above... I loved seeing the the pros and cons of the different moves she did while trying to move in the different zero-g scenarios and learning and understanding her balance, body movements and Newton Third Law of Motion concepts. Even with my very wee bit of minuscule zero-g experience (One hour during one day only, heh!), I watched this movie with a better understanding than most people and inserted myself readily into Sandra Bollock's character and empathized with her throughout her zero-g learning experiences during the story's dangerous events. My heart was in my throat the whoooole time...).
Being a scifi buff and reading about this type of experience for DECADES (since, like 8 years old!) and watching movies taking place in space (2001 Space Odyssey and one of the best flicks that were inspirational to me at 11 years old, 1977's Star Wars), I never thought the day would come in which I would float like an astronaut, here today in our 21st century with the continuing growth of the space industry.
According to my cameraman, who took this picture, this pose is known as the "Hero Shot."
MORE ZERO-G WORK IN THE FUTURE?
I'm now "Certified for Weightlessness" due to this Zero-G flight (Hire me for future zero-G work)
Okay, well, I'm not really certified like what Astronauts obtain through NASA, but I have gone through this Zero-Gravity company's flight, and I am certainly more certified (in even a minuscule aspect) than 99.999999% of the world's population (the Zero-G company gave all participants certificates. Who else can say they're "certified"?... Lots of fun to display, eh?). Since this zero gravity experience is still in the beginning stages of being offered to the general public, it really is special to be given this opportunity. For this newly-created skill (like any), "every little bit helps," so to speak (esp. when on a path-of-mastery learning approach for lifelong goals), and I am ready to do similar production shoots that are also being done under similar atmospheric flight situations.
I did not get nauseous during this 2012 zero-g flight so, I'm ready to go for future zero-g shoots!
So, if you are a client thinking of a zero-gravity weightless production, please keep me in mind to be on your production's flight crew as your experienced Location Sound Recordist, now that I also have a "Certificate of Weightlessness," and I have gained what I know will the first of many zero-g recording experiences to arise in the future.
One of the greatest achievements of the 20th century was NASA and its space programs, and now here in the 21st century, it's the private space industry is onto verge of growing and taking a huge leap forward. We are at the beginning of creating private citizen astronauts, new space planes and technologies, and new spaceport facilities.
So there will be more space flight opportunities for non-NASA personnel, furthering expansion of the growing space industry, and creating new marketing and communication opportunities for the video and film production world. There will be an increased need for experienced broadcast production and crew personnel, in the continued quest in creating new communication materials for public relations, news stories, web vignettes and other projects that will enlighten and enthrall the public.
I plan on being there, covering it all... My Neighborhood, the World, and Beyond!
< Please check out photos from this 2012 shoot below. >
Photo Gallery #1: Zero-G Flight Moments (credit, Audio M2i website owner, Marianna LaFollette)
