
With two decades of experience in filmmaking, Sound Recordist and Natural History Sound Specialist Ellie Williams brings a host of location experience and training, along with a good deal of passion, to every shoot. Williams' work has taken her to six of the world's continents for projects with the BBC, Netflix, Apple, National Geographic, Disney, Amazon, PBS and HBO, as well as the White House.
A longtime DPA Microphones user, Williams has deployed the brand's 6060 CORE Subminiature Lavaliers for a multitude of unconventional outdoor applications. From recording sounds of nature and wildlife, to interviews with substantial figures, Williams utilizes the microphones for creative and authentic sound capture. The DPA 6060 microphones are absolutely brilliant; I adore them, she says. The warmth and depth they give off is unbeatable. I won't use any other lavalier mics.
Williams has also found that the DPA 6060s ensure that she can subtly get microphones right into the heart of the action, while still capturing pristine audio in less conventional film settings. This includes her work on the Apple TV documentary Earthsounds, for which she was tasked with capturing the sounds of elephant seals in their natural habitat.
We noticed that the seals were not fond of the boom mics, so I neatly tucked a wireless transmitter and 6060 into a pouch and bongo-tied it onto a piece of driftwood, then gently slid that right under the seals' noses, she explains. It was the perfect way to record without bothering the animals. Not imposing on the wildlife while we film is really important to me. The fact that I could get a small microphone of DPA quality in there, and capture very lovely recordings without intruding their space, was amazing. The mic picked up all the detail of breaths snorts and bellows while I was recording happily up in the dunes; it was magic.
Williams also recently deployed the DPA 6060 lavaliers to record in the Amazon Rainforest. I was hoisted up to the level of the tree canopy and had to record myself talking for the behind-the-scenes part of the program, so I stuck a DPA mic in my helmet, she says. I couldn't monitor the sound as it was too distracting, so we had to get the recording right on the first take. For me, the confidence that DPA provides meant that once the mic was setup, I didn't have to worry about my audio; it worked great.
Durability also plays a huge role in Williams' choice of microphones for these applications. Compared to other mics I've used in the past, DPA mics are extremely robust; they have such craftsmanship, she adds. Much of my work takes place in remote spots with exposure to the elements, so having something reliable, that can survive those conditions is a must.
In addition to wildlife recordings, Williams often relies on her DPA 6060s for interviews with high-profile figures and government representatives. Included among these are legendary UK broadcaster and natural historian Sir David Attenborough, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, former U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, and Swedish Climate Activist Greta Thunberg. There's no way I would use anything but DPA lavaliers on all these famous people, she says. I'm always amazed by how well the 6060 stands up against a good boom mic; the quality of sound is incredible. The lavaliers are so small that you can easily hide them in plain sight, which helps reduce clothing rustle, and the wires are wonderfully soft and durable.
Williams adds that DPA has provided the opportunity to share her incredible encounters with others. I'm so lucky to get the chance to have these very interesting, intimate experiences and, in doing so, gain a new perspective on the natural world. The ability to accurately record these moments and share them with others is what makes it all worth it. The mics are so versatile; I'm never phased by having to record something niche and new with them in my sound kit. I carry my 6060s wherever I go recording in the world - they are literally always with me.
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
30/08/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has adopted its FY 2025 Regulatory Fees Order that establishes the regulatory fee rates for the broadcast stati...
29/08/2025
Australian Red Cross and SBS launch training to help workplaces in the fight aga...
29/08/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
29/08/2025
L3Harris Technologies has concentrated decades of expertise across the entire enterprise to develop affordable and reliable best-of-breed solutions to rapidly c...
29/08/2025
BURBANK, Calif. The CW Network and the Pac-12 Conference have announced a new media rights deal that will extend their broadcast partnership beginning with the ...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK Gracenote has released a new analysis of its global video dataset showing that the number of FAST channels grew nearly 14% from Q1 2025 and 76% since 2...
29/08/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Harmonic has announced a series of improvements to its live sports streaming solution that the company said will improve fan engagement, protec...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES Fox Corp. and YouTube TV last night announced a renewal of the full portfolio of Fox networks, including Fox News Channel, Fox Business...
29/08/2025
Budapest, Hungary, August 2025 - The integration of Microsoft Teams Rooms (MTR) with Lightware's Taurus universal matrix switchers delivers a new level of f...
29/08/2025
Frequency, the engine behind many of the world's best-known streaming television channels, today announced it will launch Studio Live, a next-generation uni...
29/08/2025
In an era when AI and cyber resilience are essential, Scality will mark the 10th anniversary of Scality Day on October 16, 2025 in Paris. This flagship global e...
29/08/2025
Disguise's In-House Creative and Technical Teams Pre-Visualised, Programmed and Delivered Content for the Experience, All Powered by EX 3+
Technology solu...
29/08/2025
Disguise will be demonstrating the latest workflows for TV, film and live events on a number of partner booths at the show
Disguise, the industry-leading tech...
29/08/2025
STOCKHOLM, Sweden Accedo will showcase Accedo Compose, its AI agent-powered modular orchestration layer that assists streaming providers in transitioning client...
29/08/2025
LOS ANGELES Cineverse has announced that it is working with Xperi to bring four of its streaming channels to automobiles for the first time as part of the DTS A...
29/08/2025
DALLAS & ATLANTA Gray Media has announced an agreement with the sports streaming service Victory+ to simulcast 17 Dallas Stars NHL games in 15 television market...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK AND CULVER CITY Comcast NBCUniversal and Amazon have announced new and extended distribution agreements that will expand the content available on their...
29/08/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. RED Digital Cinema will feature its Cine-Broadcast Module supporting live broadcast workflows during IBC2025, Sept. 12-15, at the RAI Ams...
29/08/2025
29 Aug 2025
Kyivstar Rings Opening Bell at Nasdaq Marking Landmark Listing and ...
29/08/2025
More than half of all NFL games live on Sky for the first timeFriday 29 August 2025
Sky Sports has announced a new three-year deal with the NFL, extending its ...
29/08/2025
Back to All News
RIV4LRIES: The Trailer of the New Series With Samuele Carrino ...
29/08/2025
Get ready for an inspiring and emotional insight into the world of competitive Irish dancing with My Story: Tomi Champion of the World airing on RT 2 this monda...
29/08/2025
RT has today announced that David McCullagh is to be the new presenter of RT Radio 1's flagship Today programme, which airs every weekday at 10am, replaci...
28/08/2025
By Kristin Feeley, Director, Documentary Film & Artist Programs
If you want to tell untold stories, if you want to give voice to the voiceless, you've got ...
28/08/2025
Directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, Sundance Institute-supported Amer...
28/08/2025
Corridos have been a cornerstone of M sica Mexicana for generations, telling stories rooted in everyday life. Now, a new chapter is taking shape: motivational c...
28/08/2025
Los corridos han sido un pilar de la M sica Mexicana durante generaciones, contando historias enraizadas en la vida cotidiana. Ahora, un nuevo cap tulo est tom...
28/08/2025
Earlier this month, we promised our Verano Forever party would bring the heat, a...
28/08/2025
L3Harris will provide the Polish F-16V fleet with the Viper Shield electronic warfare system as part of an upgrade program....
28/08/2025
Bilbao, August 26, 2025 - AgileTV, an international television and video technol...
28/08/2025
Ken Wilkinson is an Emmy Awards nominated New York audio engineer who specialises in production sound mixing for film, commercial, episodic and documentary work...
28/08/2025
NEW YORK FuboTV today announced that it will launch Fubo Sports, a skinny bundle that focuses on sports with a subscription price of $56 monthly....
28/08/2025
NEVADA City, Calif. At IBC2025, Sept. 12-15 at the RAI Amsterdam, Telestream will debut its new Global Ingest strategy, introducing a next-generation ingest arc...
28/08/2025
Dr. Rhoda Bernard Releases Groundbreaking Debut Book on Accessible Arts Educatio...
28/08/2025
TAG Video Systems, the leader in software-based IP end-to-end workflow monitoring, deep probing, and real-time visualization, has named Oliver Gappa as Sales Di...
28/08/2025
AI-based voice enhancement will be among a series of innovations making their IBC 2025 debut on the DHD stand B46 in Hall 8 at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Cent...
28/08/2025
Telef nica Servicios Audiovisuales (TSA), the leading system integrator and service provider in the media sector in Spain, with the support of Appear, the globa...
28/08/2025
To fully immerse sailing fans in the world's biggest offshore yacht race, production company, Optical Media turned to LiveU's On-site Production solutio...
28/08/2025
Working with Calrec on its most recent overhaul, radio and television broadcaster, WNED has migrated to a fully IP infrastructure with multiple Type R consoles,...
28/08/2025
Cleeng, the Subscriber Retention Management (SRM ) inventor, has unveiled Cleeng Pro, the first-ever direct-to-consumer (D2C) subscription management platform t...
28/08/2025
Zixi, the industry leader in live broadcast-quality video over IP, today announced that French media distribution platform OKAST has selected Zixi to enable rel...
28/08/2025
Solution offers a streamlined, speaker-free architecture to optimize integration with premium external loudspeakers and advanced loudness metering
Nixer Pro Au...
28/08/2025
Cinegy, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has announced a strategic partnership with Vision One Touch Film Production Services L.L...
28/08/2025
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, will debut its new Global Ingest strategy at IBC2025, introducing a next-generation ingest architect...
28/08/2025
Tier 1 operator selects Broadpeak to power high-performance, unified CDN solution across Norway, Sweden and Finland
Broadpeak, a leader in streaming and moneti...
28/08/2025
Leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced that 24 Frames Digital, one of India's leading live event streaming service providers, has chose...
28/08/2025
Meet VisualOn at IBC2025: See What's Next in AI-Powered Video Streaming Join VisualOn at IBC2025 and discover how our AI-driven Optimizer and advanced media...