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"I selected the DP30/C because it would address a possible need to have a mic that could easily be hidden because of its nonstandard shape. Until that day I never considered using an Earthworks mic because the literature showed it to be a studio mic."
While shotgun microphones are a more traditional choice for location recording,Mark found the DP30/C provided a number of benefits that made it a clear choice for location recording despite its non-traditional shape:
"The DP30/C rejects sound coming from the rear as good as, if not better than, some shotgun mics specifically designed to reject sound. It's extremely low vertical footprint allows me to use it in scenes that otherwise a microphone would not be able to get in."
The very first film Mark used the DP30/C on was a SyFy original movie called MonsterWolf. The production sound mixer was in a large government office building and was having trouble with some of the other mics he had in his kit at the time. Mark:
"I threw the DP30/C on the pole as a last ditch measure and was blown away by the results. Since then, the DP30/C has made an appearance in every movie I've mixed since."
All interior scenes for the award winning movie Beasts of the Southern Wild were recorded using the DP30/C. Additionally, the horror movie MaskMaker used the DP30/C for all interior and some exterior scenes. And Mark just wrapped up the movie The Outsider staring Craig Fairbrass and James Caan, which features a scene in a large office building that used the DP30/C on an 18 foot boom pole. Mark:
"It's one of the most natural sounding mics I've ever used. Very little coloration of the sound as presented to the mic. (...) What the DP30/C has given me is a tool that is extremely useful in high reflective areas such as large office building where a normal shotgun mic would struggle with the reflections. The DP30/C simply captures the dialog in a very natural way."
While on set for Beasts of the Southern Wild, the DP30/C’s 150dB SPL handling came in handy. Says Mark:
"Being a drum mic, it can handle high decibels, which young actress Quvenzhané Wallis had a lot of. It was the only mic in my kit that did not get overloaded!"
