Recording underwater dialogues is not impossible with DPA microphones

The company's new miniature d:screet Core microphones fit so well inside a full-face diving mask that some of the recorded dialogue is good enough to be used in a feature film.

Working with sound underwater is never going to be easy, but thanks to the improvements in audio quality offered by new amplification technology Core de DPA, the sound mixer for film and television Ivor Talbot He has been able to overcome a multitude of communication issues that might have otherwise caused problems in his most recent film project.

Talbot, who has worked in many prestigious films such as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and The Woman in Black, discovered the advantages of Core by DPA while working at 47 Meters Down – Uncaged, an action film about sharks that was shot primarily in a water tank at Pinewood Studios.

As a die-hard fan of DPA microphones, Talbot already owns a selection of miniature omnidirectional microphones D:Screet 4061 from the company that he always uses as lavalier microphones. However, for this project, DPA's distributor in the UK, Sound Network, suggested trying miniature omnidirectional microphones d:screet Core 4071 with Presence Boost. Microphones with Core by DPA technology offer clearer, more open sound across the frequency spectrum. Water and moisture resistance has also improved, thanks to the nano coating and tight sealing of the sensitive electronics, a useful feature when planning to mount them inside a full-face diving mask.

"Getting the right microphones was crucial in this film because they provided a means of communication, which was just as important as trying to record the actor's dialogue. We had four or five actors in the water tank and they all needed to communicate with each other, as well as with the director and the overwater dive coordinator. I spent a couple of days testing different microphones and found that most of the systems weren't clear enough and couldn't withstand the air pressure inside the mask. In fact, they were so hard to hear that it became physically painful," Talbot explains.

On the contrary, the sound of the d:screet Core 4071 microphones was very clear and allowed everyone to be heard perfectly.

Talbot is confident that "Core by DPA technology made a huge difference in sound quality," Talbot says. "From a communications standpoint, they offered a clean, consistent sound, and what really surprised me was that we were able to record some useful dialogue as well. I certainly didn't expect that. Their low sensitivity and ability to handle air pressure made them well suited for underwater work and even made the oxygen tank regulator and bubbles sound better."

Miniature mics

The small size of DPA's range of d:screet microphones was also an advantage because Ivor Talbot was able to place them inside the actors' diving masks without them being seen.

"From the beginning they told me that the director did not want to see a microphone, but that he wanted it hidden so that they would not obstruct the actors' faces and as low as possible so that they would not cover the actors' mouths. When you're wearing a diving mask there's not much room for anything else. There was literally a porthole on the side of the mask that we could put a microphone on and luckily the screet microphones were small enough to fit," he adds.

Directed by Johannes Roberts and starring Sophie Nélisse, Brec Bassinger, Corinne Foxx, Sistine Rose Stallone and Brianne Tju, 47 Meters Down – Uncaged It tells the story of four teenage divers who decide to explore a ruined underwater city. Their adventure quickly turns to horror when they discover that they share a claustrophobic labyrinth of submerged caves with the ocean's deadliest shark species. The film is a follow-up to the 2017 film, 47 Meters Down, which grossed over $61 million worldwide.

During filming, Ivor Talbot used his own omnidirectional microphones in Miniature d:screet 4061 to pick up dialogue when the actors were on dry land. But his positive experience with Core by DPA technology has inspired him to upgrade all of his DPA lavaliers.

Other articles about DPA