Role: Production Sound Mixer + Boom op Shoot Length: 6 days total Equipment: Sennheiser G4 lavs (ME 2), Sennheiser MKE600 shotgun, Zoom F6 recorder

Overview I mixed production sound for Bottom Feeder, a thriller short that went on to earn multiple festival selections and awards. Most of the shoot was straightforward, but two warehouse days presented a major audio challenge.

Collaboration I work closely with talent to make mic placement and boom coverage feel natural. I connected especially well with lead actor Aland Brifkani, whom I later cast in my next film — a great example of how much actors enjoy working with me in any role.

The Challenge The warehouse was fully enclosed in metal, causing extreme RF interference. Our Sennheiser G4 lavs were unusable — constant dropouts and unstable signal.

The Solution I shifted to a boom-only workflow using my Sennheiser MKE600 with the Zoom F6. I split booming duties with a newer boom op and guided her through technique to keep takes clean. For certain scenes, I boomed myself to maintain consistency.

Outcome Despite RF issues, we captured clean, usable dialogue across all six days. The director was thrilled with the audio quality given the location limitations.

Festival Recognition Bottom Feeder achieved notable success: — LA Shorts International Film Festival (Oscar & BAFTA Qualifying) — Omeleto Feature — Official Selections at Another Hole in the Head, Thriller Suspense Film Festival, and more — Multiple Best Thriller, Best Director, and Best Action Thriller awards across LAFA, Top Shorts, Golden Short, Hollywood Blvd Film Festival, Reale FF, and IndieX FF