Digital Video - December 2007 - (Page 26) DV 101 Bring the NOISE SIMPLE STEPS TO ENSURE SOLID SOUND RECORDING ON LOCATION. BY JAY HOLBEN C oming up through the camera side of filmmaking, sound was never my forte. In my early days, I was notorious for making silent films so that I didn’t have to deal with sound—only later making an infinite number of mistakes before I started getting my tracks right. Cinematographers and sound mixers have a kind of natural animosity, a bit like cats and dogs. We get along, and can even be best friends, but we often end up circling each other with our haunches up, trying to stay out of each other’s way. With that in mind, I decided to offer a number of tips on how to better incorporate professional sound artists at each stage of production. Some of the following is in turn specific with regards to narrative filmmaking, documentaries or ENG work, though many of the same principles apply to all three disciplines. panies, such as Audio-Technica, that offer high-quality condenser microphones at reasonable prices. The general principle in recording location sound is to get the mic as close to the talent as possible to get the cleanest, purest sound. Generally this is done with a shotgun microphone that’s held over the actors’ heads and aimed at the speaking performer. This is a solid technique because the directional aspect of the microphone also picks up all the actor’s motions, footsteps, and things they’re working with in their hands, in a very natural-sounding way. BRING ON SOUND EARLY An important thing to consider when you’re incorporating a professional sound artist into your project is to get them involved early on in the process—especially if you’re doing location work. When scouting locations with your cinematographer and production designer, be sure to have your production sound mixer along with you as well. They will notice (that is, hear) potential problems BASICS APPROACH long before you will. Sometimes a particular location becomes If you’re doing your own sound, be careful about what gear you nothing short of a nightmare because of ambient noise that renacquire. It is, truly, the one real area where you get what you pay ders the production sound completely unusable, or requires for. The most expensive microphone is almost always going to be expensive post work to correct. The location may be perfect visuthe better choice, so get the best mic that you can afford. ally, but if it’s near a busy street and all your diaCondenser microphones are your best bet follog is peppered with inconsistent traffic lowed by dynamic and then, at the bottom of For more DV 101 sounds, you’re in for a world of hurt later on. If the barrel, ribbon. These terms refer to the tips and technique, check our Jay’s blog, you’re looking at a location with very low ceiltype of transducer inside the microphone that with new entries posted on ings, noisy wooden floors or lots of tight corriactually converts sound to electronic signals. Tuesdays and Fridays. Visit dors, these can all be nightmares for your Condensers, at the top of the list, are usually DV online. sound department and they may recommend the most expensive, but there are a few comdv december 2007 www.dv.com 26 http://www.dv.com http://www.dv.com
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