Hello,

I am about to begin a 4 week production right in the middle of the
biggest cicada hatching in 17 years. Have any of you southern
recordists had experience with dealing with these rather noisy bugs?
I have already told the production that they will, in all likelihood,
have to make the bugs a part of the "ambience" of the film. I heard a
rumor that clapping large boards would shut them up for a few minutes.
But this sounds kind of crazy and not very practical. I am currently
planning on using a very directional mic and lavaliers whenever I can
to keep the source and the mic element in close proximity.

Any advice is appreciated. And, no, I don't think the post house has
the "cicada" filter . . .

-Matt

Hello,

I am about to begin a 4 week production right in the middle of the
biggest cicada hatching in 17 years. Have any of you southern
recordists had experience with dealing with these rather noisy bugs?
I have already told the production that they will, in all likelihood,
have to make the bugs a part of the "ambience" of the film. I heard a
rumor that clapping large boards would shut them up for a few minutes.
But this sounds kind of crazy and not very practical. I am currently
planning on using a very directional mic and lavaliers whenever I can
to keep the source and the mic element in close proximity.

Any advice is appreciated. And, no, I don't think the post house has
the "cicada" filter . . .

-Matt

Hello,

I am about to begin a 4 week production right in the middle of the
biggest cicada hatching in 17 years. Have any of you southern
recordists had experience with dealing with these rather noisy bugs?
I have already told the production that they will, in all likelihood,
have to make the bugs a part of the "ambience" of the film. I heard a
rumor that clapping large boards would shut them up for a few minutes.
But this sounds kind of crazy and not very practical. I am currently
planning on using a very directional mic and lavaliers whenever I can
to keep the source and the mic element in close proximity.

Any advice is appreciated. And, no, I don't think the post house has
the "cicada" filter . . .

-Matt

Matt wrote:

Hello,

I am about to begin a 4 week production right in the middle of the
biggest cicada hatching in 17 years. Have any of you southern
recordists had experience with dealing with these rather noisy bugs?
I have already told the production that they will, in all likelihood,
have to make the bugs a part of the "ambience" of the film. I heard a
rumor that clapping large boards would shut them up for a few minutes.
But this sounds kind of crazy and not very practical. I am currently
planning on using a very directional mic and lavaliers whenever I can
to keep the source and the mic element in close proximity.

Any advice is appreciated. And, no, I don't think the post house has
the "cicada" filter . . .

-Matt

Mark Ulano was asking the same thing a couple weeks ago on the Deva users'
group. My suggestions were a)magpies -love- to eat cicadas and b) shoot in
the
cool part of the day; they tend to get noisy in the afternoons. The first
item
above is just kidding. I've heard from other mixers that a good watering
from a
fire hose will shut them up for a while, tell the producers they may have
some
additional ADR to look forward to...

Good luck!

John

Hello,

I am about to begin a 4 week production right in the middle of the
biggest cicada hatching in 17 years. Have any of you southern
recordists had experience with dealing with these rather noisy bugs?
I have already told the production that they will, in all likelihood,
have to make the bugs a part of the "ambience" of the film. I heard a
rumor that clapping large boards would shut them up for a few minutes.
But this sounds kind of crazy and not very practical. I am currently
planning on using a very directional mic and lavaliers whenever I can
to keep the source and the mic element in close proximity.

Any advice is appreciated. And, no, I don't think the post house has
the "cicada" filter . . .

-Matt

Hello,

I am about to begin a 4 week production right in the middle of the
biggest cicada hatching in 17 years. Have any of you southern
recordists had experience with dealing with these rather noisy bugs?
I have already told the production that they will, in all likelihood,
have to make the bugs a part of the "ambience" of the film. I heard a
rumor that clapping large boards would shut them up for a few minutes.
But this sounds kind of crazy and not very practical. I am currently
planning on using a very directional mic and lavaliers whenever I can
to keep the source and the mic element in close proximity.

Any advice is appreciated. And, no, I don't think the post house has
the "cicada" filter . . .

-Matt

Hello,

I am about to begin a 4 week production right in the middle of the
biggest cicada hatching in 17 years. Have any of you southern
recordists had experience with dealing with these rather noisy bugs?
I have already told the production that they will, in all likelihood,
have to make the bugs a part of the "ambience" of the film. I heard a
rumor that clapping large boards would shut them up for a few minutes.
But this sounds kind of crazy and not very practical. I am currently
planning on using a very directional mic and lavaliers whenever I can
to keep the source and the mic element in close proximity.

Any advice is appreciated. And, no, I don't think the post house has
the "cicada" filter . . .

-Matt

A few years back during another cicada "peak" I worked on a short film that
was shot completely outdoors. We tried firecrackers and airhorns, but as
others here have said, it only works for up to a minute and begins losing the
effectiveness quickly.

We couldn't fog the buggers - I was told it had something to do with the
organic registration of the farm we were working on.

I believe one of the local farmers came up with an idea that worked a little
better. Some farmers use a propane-powered canon to chase the birds out of
grain fields. The canon builds up a pocket of gas in a small chamber and then
a spark ignites the gas with an almost subsonic "WOOF!" This kept the cicadas
at bay for between 2-3 minutes.
On several occaisions when the canon was set off during the shot, the "WOOF"
was filterable in post and the take was saved.

You can find these online if you google : propane canon or bird canon. The
ones I have found online are much fancier than the one we had - leading me to
believe ours might have been homemade - but I do not recommend you go that
route.

Your results may vary - but it worked for me. The tough part was getting
production to discipline itself and include the "WOOF" in the process before
"ROLL."

Good luck to you.

Dave Winston
Winston Sound

Hi Matt,
Nights.... your doomed.. Unless!

Enjoy;
Sincerely
Ron Scelza CAS

http://discuss.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/zforum/04/metro_gordon041604.htm
Cicadas: Good Enough to Eat?
David George Gordon: Author, Biologist, Entomological
Epicurian
Friday, April 16, 2004; 2:00 p.m ET

For David George Gordon insects are the makings of haute
cuisine and, in a few weeks, the Washington, D.C.
metropolitan area is about to be flooded with enough product
to feed hordes of entomological epicures. Gordon, a
biologist and author of the "Eat-a-Bug Cookbook," says in a
Friday Metro section story, Cicadas: The Other, Other White
Meat, that cicadas about to emerge from a 17-year marinade
in the soil of the Eastern United States should be
considered a delicacy.

Hi Matt,
Nights.... your doomed.. Unless!

The cicada problem is due to humidity reacting with dirt on their hind legs.
Posthorn sells a solution that you can use to clean the dirt from the cicada
legs that alleviates the problem.

The cicada problem is due to humidity reacting with dirt on their hind
legs.
Posthorn sells a solution that you can use to clean the dirt from the
cicada
legs that alleviates the problem.


"Ron Scelza CAS" <walawala@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:GC7oc.101615$7a5.53072@bignews6.bellsouth.net...
Hi Matt,
Nights.... your doomed.. Unless!

Enjoy;
Sincerely
Ron Scelza CAS


http://discuss.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/zforum/04/metro_gordon041604.htm
Cicadas: Good Enough to Eat?
David George Gordon: Author, Biologist, Entomological
Epicurian
Friday, April 16, 2004; 2:00 p.m ET

For David George Gordon insects are the makings of haute
cuisine and, in a few weeks, the Washington, D.C.
metropolitan area is about to be flooded with enough product
to feed hordes of entomological epicures. Gordon, a
biologist and author of the "Eat-a-Bug Cookbook," says in a
Friday Metro section story, Cicadas: The Other, Other White
Meat, that cicadas about to emerge from a 17-year marinade
in the soil of the Eastern United States should be
considered a delicacy.