Stuff-A-Must For Your Gaffer's Bag (Ditty Bag)

wWhite Gaffer’s Tape - Does not show through clothing materials like black tape will.

wDr. Shoals’ Molefoam - Available at most drug stores. For placing lav mirophones on inside of shirts.

wPaper Clips - To mount a lavaliere onto a piece of plastic to form a pressure zone microphone

wColor Coated Plastic Ties - Great for keeping your cables orderly. The color coating will help you tell cables apart.

wDog Collar or Bungie Strap - Helps secure cable to pants leg for hardwire situations.

wVOM (voltage ohm meter) - For tracking down audio interruptions in cables.

wFreezer Bag - In humid environment or in rain, this will help keep your microphone transmitter dry.

wNonlubricated Condom - As above, in humid environments or in rain, this will help keep your microphone element dry.

wMicrophone Cage - Some microphone manufacturers make a small metal cage for the mic element. This can eliminate clothes noise.

wMedical Tape - Use this on bare skin. Will not pull on hair as gaffer’s tape will.

wWindscreen - 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.

wAlligator 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.

wSoldering 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.

wDouble Sided Stick Tape - This can help stabilize garments when they rub and cause mechanical noise.

wFresh 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.

wClothespins aka Hollywoods - As with mounting gels on lights, clothespins along with rubber bands can also mount audio cables over doors, across ceilings and such.

wRubber Bands - Wrap these around loose cables and attach cables to tripods. Can also be used to attach cables to talents belt loops.

wShine 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.

wExtra 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.