Five don’ts
1.
Don’t’ say “We’ll fix it in post!”
Yeah right! How many times I’ve heard this one. Get it right
on set. Don’t move on until you do.
2.
Don’t underestimate the sound guy
If you listen to only one guy on a set, it would be the
sound guy. When he said “um, there was a plane in this take” he is right.
3.
Using the microphone of the camera will not
do!
The right type of microphone must be used:
·
ultra-directional for external locations,
·
directional for interiors
·
non-directional for cramped interiors.
4.
Don’t underestimate the location!
Before you shoot a frame listen for the background noise and
then eliminate it or DON’T shoot there once there is a reverb or echo or WIND on
a recording YOU CANNOT TAKE IT OFF!
5.
Don’t ignore the room tone.
Avoid this by always record a “wild track” – or ambient
sound = one minute of total silence on a set, before or after the main shooting
– to have a neutral background sound.
7 Do’s
·
Plug-in mics are better than built-in mics
·
Omni-directional mics favor the loudest sounds
·
Point uni-directional mics directly at sound
source
·
Protect mics against wind noise
·
Shoot several takes of every setup – hopefully
one will have pristine sound
·
Listen back through high quality headphones (or
laptop) don’t wrap your shoot until you know the sound is good
A MUST
The Clap: when recording sound and video on different
sources, CLAP at the start of each take so that you can line up the visual of
the clap with the sound of the clap in post and the audio is all in-sync.
Two tools
Zoom:
Get this as
close to the actors mouth as possible
(but not in
the frame)
Two actors?
Get two mics?
Try
different levels and listen through headphones to
a rehearsal
before recording a real take.
 |
Rode:
Attach to
your camera and record to same SD Card
This mic is
good no more than 6 feet away. After that you
will lose
sound quality.
Make sure
the Rebel knows it is using the external mic
Learn more: http://www.lockergnome.com/news/2012/09/20/how-to-use-a-rode-videomic-pro-with-a-canon-t3i/
No Zoom? Use
your iPhone – quality is comparable and better than built in mic.
Learn more
TASK
·
Take one of each microphone (zoom, rode) in your
group
·
Take one of each SD card (standard and micro)
·
First set up the zoom with headphones and test
levels before the actor begins
·
Listen for background noise/wind. Eliminate it
by moving somewhere quieter.
Record an actor outside with the following dialogue:
This is me. I am recording sound.
(Loudly) IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE GOOD SOUND
(quietly) it is important to record it well
(normal) I promise to use mics correctly all year so people can hear
my movies
REPEAT with the RODE
Do it again such that everyone in the group uses both tools.
