AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND ― In the high-stakes world of film sound, there’s no room for second chances. When an actor whispers a line with the weight of an entire scene, or lets loose a roar that shakes the walls of a sound stage, the microphone must catch every nuance. For New Zealand-based Veteran Production Sound Mixer Tony Johnson, that microphone is almost always from DPA Microphones.
“I’ve been using DPA lavs for about 15 to 20 years exclusively,” Johnson says. “They just tick all the boxes: size, audio quality, dynamic range and the ability to handle any SPL. There’s virtually no other lav I use now. They’re rock-solid, and I can rely on them in any condition without worrying about them letting me down.”
With more than four decades behind the boom, Johnson’s credits span iconic films like “The Piano,” “The Chronicles of Narnia,” “The Hobbit” trilogy and “Crazy Rich Asians.” With a trio of BAFTA and Academy Award nominations, each, Johnson has spent his career crafting soundscapes that transport audiences into the heart of the story. In recent years, his work has taken him deep into the fantastical realms of “Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” where the demands on sound equipment were as extraordinary as the visuals.
On the Avatar sequels, the challenges went far beyond hiding microphones under costumes. Many characters wore oxygen masks, their glass lenses removed for VFX. “We ran DPA 6061 lavaliers up through the masks’ air tubes, placing them perfectly to capture dialogue without obstructing the effects work,” he explains. “The mics were small and easy to hide, and the VFX team had no trouble painting them out if needed. We had 10 or 20 masks pre-rigged with lavs, ready to go; threading them on shoot day would’ve been impossible.”
When filming the “Avatar” character Spider — bare-chested, dreadlocked and constantly in motion — Johnson chose the DPA 6061 Subminiature Lavalier for its small size and featherlight weight. “With no clothing to conceal the mic, we secured the 6061 inside the wig so it sat naturally among the locks without shifting. The cable was carefully run along the wig’s interior and down to a Zaxcom transmitter tucked under the hairline. The placement kept the mic stable through stunts, avoided any body-rustle and delivered pristine, consistent sound all day.”
Johnson’s DPA kit extends well beyond lavaliers. His main boom mic is the DPA 4017 Shotgun, chosen for its reliability, resistance to RF interference and compact form factor. “The 4017 has an incredibly transparent off-axis response and low self-noise, so dialogue sounds clean and uncolored,” he says. “Its compact, lightweight design reduces operator fatigue, and the RF immunity is rock solid — I’ve never had interference issues, even on crowded RF sets.”
On “The Wrecking Crew,” a Jason Momoa-led action film, Johnson relied heavily on DPA 4097 Miniature Shotguns as plant mics to capture a tense four-way conversation inside a car. “The 4097s were brilliant,” he says. “I mounted them on sun visors, behind seats, even clipped to a laptop using DPA’s instrument clips. I planted mics everywhere They’re so fast to reposition and the accessories make them incredibly versatile. They proved invaluable for wide scenes in the film, where boom placement was tricky. Once I started using the 4097s, I got hooked; they’re just so adaptable.”
Even when facing the incredible vocal power of Jack Black on “A Minecraft Movie,” Johnson says the DPAs held their ground. “We had a 4063 [Omnidirectional Lavalier] in his costume, and he could scream and sing without distorting the mic. The mic is nearly indestructible — the high SPL handling and dynamic range meant I didn’t have to pad it down or worry about clipping. What came through was clean and consistent; exactly what I needed in the mix.”
For Johnson, DPA’s value isn’t just in sound quality, it’s the reliability, mounting flexibility and user-friendliness, which make the job possible under punishing schedules and conditions. “You can have the best-sounding mic in the world, but if it’s temperamental with wind or RF interference, or hard to rig, it’s useless on set. DPA gives me great sound and the confidence it will work every time. Whether it’s in a sweaty costume, outdoors in the wind, or tucked into a wig, I know it’s going to perform; and the mounting options make it simple to get it exactly where it needs to be.”
As he steps onto new projects, Johnson’s approach remains the same: anticipate the challenges, trust the tools and keep the audience immersed in the story. “In film, sound is half the experience,” he says. “DPA helps me make sure it’s the half no one ever forgets.” The prospect of upgrading to DPA’s new CORE+ technology, which eliminates virtually all distortion, is also something he’s looking forward to: “That’s going to be huge,” he declares.