I have a DSLR canon T2i, i also have a rode video mic for it and magic lantern installed so i can remove most background noise and record audio levels. How can i avoid having the audio levels sound different when cutting clips? for example i shoot 3 angles for a dialogue scene, how can i assure each one doesn't sound out of place or have it where you can tell i cut by the different audio level when cutting them together?
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keeping audio levels the same.
- Thread starter peter917
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The Rode VideoMic is a noisy mic, ditch it for a real mic. The T2i, even with Magic Lantern, can't record good audio; you need a real recorder. It sounds like you're mounting your mic on top of the camera, that's something else to avoid for good audio. It needs to be boomed as close as possible to the talent without being in frame, and it needs to point directly at whoever is talking.
A real recorder and someone running audio will help record levels stay where they're supposed to, it's too hard focusing on making the shot look good AND audio sound good. Even with a full crew and solid gear, you'll want to treat it in post and adjust levels and eq and add reverb to dry takes and edit dialogue from different takes to get the best sound ever. Depending on the product, compression and what not will help too.
Good audio takes a lot of experience and work! Treasure your audio guys haha.
A real recorder and someone running audio will help record levels stay where they're supposed to, it's too hard focusing on making the shot look good AND audio sound good. Even with a full crew and solid gear, you'll want to treat it in post and adjust levels and eq and add reverb to dry takes and edit dialogue from different takes to get the best sound ever. Depending on the product, compression and what not will help too.
Good audio takes a lot of experience and work! Treasure your audio guys haha.
"how can i assure each one doesn't sound out of place or have it where you can tell i cut by the different audio level when cutting them together?"
This is basically what audio post production is all about. It can take an experienced audio guy several hours per minute of screen time. An inexperienced audio guy may spend tens of hours per minute and still never get it right.
This is basically what audio post production is all about. It can take an experienced audio guy several hours per minute of screen time. An inexperienced audio guy may spend tens of hours per minute and still never get it right.
The microphone moves to within 2-3 feet of the actor and stays there. Each take focusses on the actor you're currently focussing on, not moving the microphone at all... if your shot is a two shot - obviously, the microphone won't be able to be that close to your actors or it'll get in frame... I like to boom down between them then and turn the boom from one actor to the next BETWEEN their lines of dialog. the actors should be putting gaps between lines for the editor to cut (film is not stage). If their ego says, but we're in the moment -- that moment doesn't exist on the screen, leaving gaps will allow the editor to make them look as good as possible (generally the editor decides when an actor will cut the other off by overlapping their dialog).
At the end of each scene you're shooting, get a solid minute of silence recorded... everyone on set is SILENT and the microphone records the ambient noise of the place.
When cutting your dialog, remove everything but the dialog from the tracks. Then place the "room tone" (silence track) under the dialog between the pieces of dialog. You can fade into and out of the roomtone to make it less noticeable where those start and stop... just make sure that the fades start and end before the edge of the clip.
boom, decent dialog tracks without hard cuts... just putting in the room tone will do an amzing thing to your audio if you do nothing else between the cuts.
Perception counts too, J & L cuts (starting audio before or after the picture cuts) will motivate the cut and the audience will notice the cut even less... when they both change at the same time, it can be jarring... making the audience WANT the cut helps them accept the change more easily.
Psychologically, if we hear something, we want to see the source of the sound -- hardwired to do so, survival and all that. start the dialog, then cut to the actor after the first word or two. You'd be shocked at what you can get away with just using the J cut. With the L cut, the picture cuts first, then the audio.. generally used to show a reaction to what's being said by the other actor... again, the audience has identified the source of the sound and now WANTS to see the effect the words are having emotionally on the other person/people involved... if you can cut where the audience WANTS you to cut, you'll be able to get away with alot more in the edit.
At the end of each scene you're shooting, get a solid minute of silence recorded... everyone on set is SILENT and the microphone records the ambient noise of the place.
When cutting your dialog, remove everything but the dialog from the tracks. Then place the "room tone" (silence track) under the dialog between the pieces of dialog. You can fade into and out of the roomtone to make it less noticeable where those start and stop... just make sure that the fades start and end before the edge of the clip.
boom, decent dialog tracks without hard cuts... just putting in the room tone will do an amzing thing to your audio if you do nothing else between the cuts.
Perception counts too, J & L cuts (starting audio before or after the picture cuts) will motivate the cut and the audience will notice the cut even less... when they both change at the same time, it can be jarring... making the audience WANT the cut helps them accept the change more easily.
Psychologically, if we hear something, we want to see the source of the sound -- hardwired to do so, survival and all that. start the dialog, then cut to the actor after the first word or two. You'd be shocked at what you can get away with just using the J cut. With the L cut, the picture cuts first, then the audio.. generally used to show a reaction to what's being said by the other actor... again, the audience has identified the source of the sound and now WANTS to see the effect the words are having emotionally on the other person/people involved... if you can cut where the audience WANTS you to cut, you'll be able to get away with alot more in the edit.
Most like the Tascams better than an H4n. I use an H4n, and it's fine, but I was seconds away from buying a Tascam when a buddy said "Hey I have a recorder like that, you want it?" and gave me a an H4n haha.
And I'm pretty hard on the VideoMics. Some people have managed some decent audio with them, just not mounted on their camera. If you can sell it in favor of another mic it will make a huuuge difference.
There's a lot of posts here on "What mic" and "what recorder" and "DIY audio gear" like boompoles and what not if you're on a budget.
And I'm pretty hard on the VideoMics. Some people have managed some decent audio with them, just not mounted on their camera. If you can sell it in favor of another mic it will make a huuuge difference.
There's a lot of posts here on "What mic" and "what recorder" and "DIY audio gear" like boompoles and what not if you're on a budget.
Capturing the audio properly in the first place goes a long way towards getting smooth levels. But you need to level them out in audio post as well with volume automation. It is not unusual to correct levels syllable by syllable.
I mention often that each category of audio - Dialog, Foley, Sound FX Ambience/BG, score/music and the mix - can take anywhere from one to eight hours each. At the low/no/mini/micro budget level this is not always practical, but I have spent 700 hours on a 100 minute, 80 hours of which was spent mixing.
I mention often that each category of audio - Dialog, Foley, Sound FX Ambience/BG, score/music and the mix - can take anywhere from one to eight hours each. At the low/no/mini/micro budget level this is not always practical, but I have spent 700 hours on a 100 minute, 80 hours of which was spent mixing.