DPA lavaliers capture a unique sound in 'Les Miserables'

Director Tom Hooper has aimed to create a truly emotional experience for the audience who comes to see the film with crystal clear and immersive sound.

DPA Microphones has played a key role in recording the audio for the film version of the hit musical Les Misérables, which features an all-star cast including Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Samantha Barks and Sacha Baron Cohen.

Nominated for numerous BAFTAs and Oscars, Les Misérables uses an innovative technique that unites the voices involved in the live recording set with the cast singing to live piano accompaniment.

In this way, director Tom Hooper has sought to create a truly emotional experience for the public who comes to see the film. The award-winning sound engineer, Simon Hayes, was responsible for the sound capture and ensured that this unique sound in the film would not have been possible without exceptional microphones, in particular the DPA 4071 lavalier microphones.

Fifty microphones

"When analyzing different lavaliers, I had always considered the sound differences between the different brands of lavalier microphones to be a matter of taste rather than a clear situation of one brand being superior. That was until I heard a DPA that stood out above the rest."

Hayes had fifty DPA 4071 lavaliers during the filming of Les Misérables, supplied to Richmond Film by distributor Sound Network.

"Normally, when I'm shooting a movie I try to prioritize boom mics, especially if the scene is being shot with a single camera. But with Les Misérables"Tom wanted every angle to be covered on all sides to capture the perfect performance," said Hayes. Instead of opting for poles and feathers, he took the risk of using tie mics with excellent results.

Hiding the wiring in the costumes was another of the challenges of this production. To achieve this, the DPA mini-correctors played an important role so that the microphone went unnoticed by the viewer, while solving the typical problems of rubbing against clothing.

Les Misérables It was shot in fifteen weeks.