Earplugs for actors

[Malcolm Gordon]

I want to provide hearing protection for an actor firing a blank pistol on stage; it should be unobtrusive, e.g. flesh coloured, and allow him to hear the cues. Hocks Noise Breakers here would appear to be appropriate, but they are expensive. Has anyone any experience of them? Any alternatives?

I imagine that standard 3M yellow foam ones might not pass enough speech and applying make-up to cover up the colour might affect their performance.

[casey_cole]

Make up on the yellow foams will be fine, and I would have thought they'd be able to hear the other actors fine due to projection etc.

 

Try them and see - though I would think they would be fine.

 

CC

[woody74]

it should be unobtrusive, e.g. flesh coloured... applying make-up to cover up the colour might affect their performance.

 

Make-up won't affect their performance unless you are using make-up that would dissolve the foam. And regarding color: I would use a brown instead of any kind of peach or pink, as it might make them more obvious; it might look like the actor has no ear-holes...

 

-w

[Malcolm Gordon]

Thanks for your responses - I'll try the foam.

[Boggy]

The main thing that allows you to hear with ear plugs in is practice. I hated foam ear plugs at first but have got used to them having had to wear them for my day job. I suggest the actor takes a set home and spends some time with them in. Practice also helps you to get them in and out quickly.

[casey_cole]

They can take some time to expand too - so it might be advantageous to put them in early (not in a quick scene cut) in case the actor has to come on with a finger lightly pressed to each ear to keep them in :huh:

 

CC