‘Chosen’ Mixer on Choosing RF Antennas

Walpole, MA (October 28, 2024)—Production sound mixer Mark LeBlanc discovered his wireless mic system antenna, from RF Venue, in 2015, and he’s been building his collection ever since.

“Having the ability to deploy the right antenna for a given location has proven invaluable,” says LeBlanc, a Cinema Audio Society and Television Academy member and a 40-year veteran of the industry. He found his solution in the Diversity Fin antenna from RF Venue, and later added other RF Venue antenna options for specific on-set applications.

Initially, LeBlanc recalls, “My local vendor sent me a Diversity Fin antenna to demo.” After a few days of testing, he bought the demo unit. “The compact antenna lets me place it directly in the shot, hidden in plain sight,” he exclaims. He has since added RF Venue’s CP Beam and RF Spotlight antennas to his toolkit.

In 2023, he continued, “I started working on The Chosen, a story set in Biblical times but shot in two of the most RF challenging locations of my career. We are surrounded by radio, TV and other transmission towers on all sides. Also, the sets are built with solid rock, held in place with chicken wire and cement. These issues push my wireless to the limit.”

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While RF Venue’s circularly polarized, high-gain CP Beam antenna was developed primarily for wireless in-ear monitor signal transmission, the antenna has found favor in wireless mic applications where directionality and reach are important. “While on stage, the CP Beam allows me to track the actors through our large, newly built ‘Roman’ sets,” LeBlanc says, which are 30 to 40 yards deep for some shots.

The RF Spotlight antenna (dubbed “The Pancake” by LeBlanc) is a low-profile floor pad antenna that enables wireless mics to function reliably where multiple wireless systems must inter-operate and open channels are limited. When he wants to invisibly place a mic within a set, LeBlanc says, “I’ve found The Pancake a handy tool. I can easily hide it under a table where two actors are having a conversation. The background RF drops off and allows you to concentrate just on the scene.”

“I feel every mixer should approach antennas in a similar fashion to microphone choice,” LeBlanc comments. “In the last few years, I’ve switched over to Zaxcom digital wireless and, when paired with my RF Venue antennas, I have a versatile RF palette that I can feel confident about.”