Off Camera Recording

[Eshe]

Is off camera recording needed with a camera like the Canon XF100 or will a good shotgun mike be enough? What about using the shotgun mic on a boom pole? Can the mic be attached to the camera with a really long XLR cable?

I'll be doing documentaries and discussion-type web shows. I'm not really interested in making narrative films. Thanks!

 

[Alcove Audio]

As always, there is a lot you haven't told us, such as your budget, how many people participate in your
"discussion-type web show" (how many are on-camera and need to be miced), how much audio experience you have and what audio gear you already own.

The Canon XF100 does support 16bit/48kHz audio and has XLR audio inputs, so using a separate audio recording system is not strictly necessary. A good mixer will be a definite improvement over the cameras internal pre-amps and allow the PSM to control the audio without interfering with the DP. However, a completely separate audio recording system will allow the DP and PSM more freedom as they are not joined by a cable. One more factor to consider is that the separate audio recorder will most probably have 24bit capabilities, which will give you much more audio headroom.

As far as which mics to get it is usually dependent upon the specific situation. For sit-down interviews a lav is usually preferred, one for the interviewer and one for each subject, very much like what you see on a Discovery or History Channel show. Interviews in the field are done with handheld mics as you see done in newscasts. Other field work is usually done with a mic on the end of a boom-pole.

Suggestion number one - Hire a professional, or at the least hook up with a knowledgeable audio up-and-comer. You probably won't do this, so on to

Suggestion number two - As you will be dealing with varied situations on a regular basis I would suggest that you rent rather than purchase unless you will be doing these on a very regular basis. Trew Audio has a location relatively near you (Nashville) and delivers anywhere in continental North America.

http://www.trewaudio.com/rentals/nashville-mixers/

They are very affordable and have excellent support.

You probably won't do this either, so if you must purchase give us a budget and your specific priorities and we'll see what we can come up with.

 

[Eshe]

As always, there is a lot you haven't told us, such as your budget, how many people participate in your
"discussion-type web show" (how many are on-camera and need to be miced), how much audio experience you have and what audio gear you already own.

The Canon XF100 does support 16bit/48kHz audio and has XLR audio inputs, so using a separate audio recording system is not strictly necessary. A good mixer will be a definite improvement over the cameras internal pre-amps and allow the PSM to control the audio without interfering with the DP. However, a completely separate audio recording system will allow the DP and PSM more freedom as they are not joined by a cable. One more factor to consider is that the separate audio recorder will most probably have 24bit capabilities, which will give you much more audio headroom.

As far as which mics to get it is usually dependent upon the specific situation. For sit-down interviews a lav is usually preferred, one for the interviewer and one for each subject, very much like what you see on a Discovery or History Channel show. Interviews in the field are done with handheld mics as you see done in newscasts. Other field work is usually done with a mic on the end of a boom-pole.

Suggestion number one - Hire a professional, or at the least hook up with a knowledgeable audio up-and-comer. You probably won't do this, so on to

Suggestion number two - As you will be dealing with varied situations on a regular basis I would suggest that you rent rather than purchase unless you will be doing these on a very regular basis. Trew Audio has a location relatively near you (Nashville) and delivers anywhere in continental North America.

http://www.trewaudio.com/rentals/nashville-mixers/

They are very affordable and have excellent support.

You probably won't do this either, so if you must purchase give us a budget and your specific priorities and we'll see what we can come up with.

Saying things like "as usual" or "you probably won't do this, so" is speaking as if you know me. You don't, so please don't assume things or read more into my question than is there. At any rate, I spoke to my department head and I got the answer I needed. Thank you for posting, though.

 

[Alcove Audio]

My apologies, you'll have to excuse my cynicism. Because 999 times out of a thousand these are the responses I get:

"Hire a pro." "It's too expensive."
"Work with an up-and-comer." "I can't find one."
"Then rent gear; you'll be able to rent better gear than you could afford to buy." "I absolutely must own it because I shoot on impulse." Or whatever.

And they never specify a budget or their specific needs.

Then they decide that $200 (when about $800 is needed) is way too much money to spend on half of their film. It's okay to spend $1.5k on the camera, (and Starbucks and sushi every day, wear $100 sneakers, $90 jeans, etc.) but fork over anything significant for sound? It almost never happens. Then comes the shock that no festival wants to screen their film because the sound is absolute crap.


If you want to know why I'm so cynical - and in such a bad mood these days - is that I'm sick to death of the producer I'm currently working with. I sat in on the preproduction, gave about half a dozen pages of audio notes and Uncle Bobs Production Sound Checklist. He is now absolutely furious that we have to ADR three scenes. Why do we have to ADR the scenes? He would not let the AC or the fans be turned off when they were shooting because he was so hot. The director, the DP and the actors didn't mind at all as long as they were turned back on between shots. I know this for a fact because the "discussions" were in the additional audio folders (courtesy of the PSM/boom-op who recorded it all). You can barely hear the dialog over the hum and wind noise. I had to do noise reduction just to get VocAlign to work. He refused to turn his cell phone off - ruined several takes. In fact, none of the items on my checklist were given any notice; "takes too much time!" So now he is literally paying for it and I catch all of his bad attitude and carping - which slows me down, which is going to cost him more money.

So again, my apologies, you caught me on a bad day.