• White Gaffer’s Tape - Does not show through clothing materials like black tape will.
  
  
• Dr. Shoals’ Molefoam - Available at most drug stores. For placing lav mirophones on inside of shirts.
  
  
• Paper Clips - To mount a lavaliere onto a piece of plastic to form a pressure zone microphone
  
  
• Color Coated Plastic Ties - Great for keeping your cables orderly. The color coating will help you tell cables apart.
  
  
• Dog Collar or Bungie Strap - Helps secure cable to pants leg for hardwire situations.
  
  
• VOM (voltage ohm meter) - For tracking down audio interruptions in cables.
  
  
• Freezer Bag - In humid environment or in rain, this will help keep your microphone transmitter dry.
  
  
• Nonlubricated Condom - As above, in humid environments or in rain, this will help keep your microphone element dry.
  
  
• Microphone Cage - Some microphone manufacturers make a small metal cage for the mic element. This can eliminate clothes noise.
  
  
• Medical Tape - Use this on bare skin. Will not pull on hair as gaffer’s tape will.
  
  
• Windscreen - Most lavaliere kits come with at least one windscreen. I suggest you get a second. They have a tendency to disappear. Try for a generic. Brand name types, especially the one that came with your system, will have a premium cost.
  
  
• Alligator Clips - Preferably, use one that have plastic coatings over the grips. If you have a brake in connections while shooting live events, an alligator clip to hold the connection together can save your audio.
  
  
• Soldering Iron, Flux and Solder - With heavy bending and usage, cables and connections will ware out. This usually happens on a shoot. If you do not know how to solder, learn. It’s not difficult.
  
  
• Double Sided Stick Tape - This can help stabilize garments when they rub and cause mechanical noise.
  
  
• Fresh 9 Volt and AA Batteries - These are not the ones that you planned for on the shoot. These are the backups when you brought too few of each. Trade out each month.
  
  
• Clothespins aka Hollywoods - As with mounting gels on lights, clothespins along with rubber bands can also mount audio cables over doors, across ceilings and such.
  
  
• Rubber Bands - Wrap these around loose cables and attach cables to tripods. Can also be used to attach cables to talents belt loops.
  
  
• Shine Free Powder - Use this face powder to remove hot reflections of light from the foreheads of talent. NOTE: For hygiene safety, use a separate sponge for each talent. After use, throw it away.
  
  
• Cover Stick - Use a lighter than skin colored "cover stick" to lighten the inset between the eye and the nose bridge. This area tends to be very dark causing light problems. The lighter stick color will help reduce the problem.
  
  
• Extra Hold Hair Spray - Helps hold fly away hair. After a light spraying, lightly pat the area which is the culprit. I prefer a pump to an aerosol. When traveling possible environment problems in airplane luggage holds may cause an aerosol to rupture.

(Revisit this location often. New items will be added periodically.)

*"Molefoam" by Dr. Shoal’s and "Shine Free" by Maybelline are trademarks by their respective companies and are mentioned only as educational information for the viewer.

**All information mentioned above is for the consideration of the viewer and any use of the mentioned items is at the risk of the user. Jim Powell or associated companies are not liable for any complication due to usage.

From "The Business of Talent" by Jim Powell

Copyright Jim Powell 1998.   All rights reserved.  No reprint without written permission is allowed.

The above is for the educational purposes of the reader.