John Agalsoff Jr. has been in charge of sound for many major television series features and commercials. At present he’s working on the hit ABC series Castle. “The show presents some unique challenges for sound in that a lot of our locations are quite noisy ” he says. “Sometimes that requires us to get creative with our microphone placement techniques.” “Some of the downtown apartment buildings in Los Angeles will double for New York ” he says. “The camera is usually at the back of the hallway with our actors approaching it. I usually position myself if possible down an intersecting hallway to reach the actors at the deep end and bring them in towards the camera reaching the deep marks as well as the close marks. K-Tek boom poles are long enough to give us the reach and solid enough to be steady.” Agalsoff uses the K-Tek 5-section KS-246 Klassic Stage Pole and Avalon short pole K-Tek Shock Mounts Sennheiser Mics and Lectrosonic Wireless Mics on this series. “One of the other things I noticed about the K-Tek is its positive locking system ” he explains. “Other poles I’ve used tend to loosen and slide whereas the K-Tek locks without effort and stays locked. “On stage we do a lot of constantly moving dolly shots and this is where the long reach of the Klassic pole really helps. When we are on the Castle Loft set we usually shoot a wide angle shot from the back of the set and bring the actors in from the front door or from Castle’s office. This puts the camera at a great distance deep in the set. With the longer Klassic K-Tek pole I am able to work from the back or the side of the camera dolly track and reach the actors as they walk and talk to their final marks usually in the kitchen or couch in the living room. On some angles I work from the staircase above the set and hang it off from above to reach the actors as they get to their final marks on the set. It is easy because the poles are solid and lightweight at the same time.” “The precinct set also offers unique challenges ” he continues. “The camera is usually at the back of the set and our actors approach their final marks from several different angles. To capture this I often have to place myself off to the side or between the cameras and reach out long with the Klassic to bring the actors in to their final positions.” With the high-pressure challenge of a weekly series there is inevitably a glitch that has to be handled. “That’s where K-Tek’s great customer support comes in ” he says. “When I need to order new or replacement equipment the company is fast and efficient. I always know they will get me whatever I need quickly and in prime condition.”
