Video Production
3.4 How Do You Record Good Sound?
Sound is a part of any presentation but is often overlooked. One of the most powerful ways to enhance your message is to get crystal clear sound with your images. Think how much money Hollywood spends re-recording all the sound for their films, including dialogue, in a studio. They think it is money well spent and they’ve been doing it for years (most Hollywood sound, including dialogue, is re-recorded in a sound studio and the original taken off). Using a separate microphone to the one built into your camera will make your film far more professional, with little effort. Here are some other things to consider.
Choose a good location
Research it first! There is nothing worse than finding out your planned shoot is under the main flight path for Manchester Airport!
Background noise
There is very little background noise which isn’t distracting for the viewer. If you have to have it then make it part of the film, if there is a racetrack nearby, get a shot of it and even refer to it in the interview. You could even use it as a background to stop the audience wondering, "what is that noise?"
Isolating your subject
If at all possible, get your subject somewhere quiet; a studio is ideal. If you can’t find a studio, find a quiet room, ideally one with carpets and soft furnishings. However, your interview should be held in a suitable location. Sometimes a quiet front room will be right, but when interviewing a farmer about farming methods, a field or barn is best!
Figure 3.4 Recording sound using a Boom pole.
Note the sound recordist is wearing headphones.
Microphone Positioning
The best place for a microphone is as close to the sound source as possible to get clear sound. This can conflict with the camera if the camera operator wants to get a wide shot. This is why you often see lapel mics used (difficult to hide without hearing clothes rustle though) and mics on long poles (booms).
Handling your mic
It is a good idea to do some sound tests before filming. Your lapel mic might work really well until you realize your interviewee is wearing a shell suit or squeaky leather! Rifle mics on a boom pole work really well and you can mount any sort of mic on them. Ideally your mic will have some kind of rubber mounting to separate out any shakes or noise the boom operator (op) makes. The boom op should however be aware of not fidgeting especially with hands and not swinging the mic around too much in case of wind noise. One way of stopping wind noise, which can be distracting, if not downright annoying, is a furry cover called a windshield.
Figure 3.5: Recording sound using a handheld interview microphone.
Headphones
Wearing headphones is a must if sound is to be used. It is surprising what your mind will filter out which, when you watch your rushes, will ruin your sequence. Even computer fans or fridges or a crew member with annoying breathing habits can make your footage unusable.
Good voice recording
Keep the microphone close to, but not directly in front of your subject and ask the speaker to talk in their normal voice. Beware of speakers who stress their "s’" or "p’s", try and angle the mic so it doesn’t pick these up too much. Don’t be frightened to ask them to speak clearly in a noisy environment. Ask them to repeat something if you don’t feel it was clear either because of the speaker mumbling, stuttering or a background noise. After all, they want to be heard clearly.
Recording an atmosphere
If you choose to cut at a point when a background noise is prominent, even in a quiet room, it will seem odd. Getting a separate recording of the room or location means you can add this separate layer in the edit and smooth over the cut. It will also mean you can add it when you have someone talking or coughing in a "silent" shot of a scene. If you collect these you will realise how many different sounds a "silent" environment has and how it alters your film. Think of the low rumble of engines in a ship and the power that conveys.