I'm seeing what my options are, and wondering how you guys deal with sound.
sound What kind of sound equipment do you guys use?
- Thread starter omarzamora
- Start date
Read my blogs here on Indie Talk.
Use the search function, there have been many posts on the subject (quite a few by yours truly).
What's your budget? $500? $5,000? $50,000?
Use the search function, there have been many posts on the subject (quite a few by yours truly).
What's your budget? $500? $5,000? $50,000?
Well, the entire budget is 3k. So, $500 seems like a fair amount for the audio.
For external recorders, THIS Thread is worth a read.
As for myself, I connect a Sennheiser ME66 directly to my camera (HVX200 or DVX100). Don't use an on camera mic, except as a backup. Put that Sennheiser (or other brand) on a boom pole and get it near your subject.
It's not rocket science. The trick is to get that microphone within 2' or 3' of your actors' mouths. I don't care if you are using a mini-cassette piece of crap, analogue recorder; if you get that mic up close, you can get good sound with modest equipment and good planning/rehearsal. Conversely, the farther away your mic is, the softer the signal level and louder the noise floor.
I usually don't have a soundman or boom operator (though you should). I usually do both - shoot the movie and place the mic on a boom stand, like this setup:
My trick is to shoot every dialogue shot in closeup, even if the finished scene is made up of wide angles. Of course, a boom pole can be hovering just above a wide shot, but I didn't even use a boom pole on my last feature. Some examples of my outdoor audio:
Audio Clip (Actual location recording of actor's voice. I duck leveled him, because the wind was blowing the plastic of our fog tent! Actress is dubbed, as are footsteps, sound effects.)
Audio Clip2 (Location recording of actor's voice and background movement. Radio voices dubbed in, using 500khz high pass filter.)
Audio Clip3 (Total location recording of both actors and their footsteps. Gun hitting the dirt was dubbed in.)
In that second clip, the radio voices sound like they are part of the scene. That's because I had the actors take their gas masks off and do the lines, while in character and still on location.
My goal is to get the voices, foremost. Footsteps, sound effects can be done post. If a woman is wearing heals, walking on metal, tile, etc., I would be sure to get a close mic'ed recording of her walking. Try to have the actors time their lines, so they don't compete with other sounds, like a door slamming, etc. The trick is to isolate each element and mix it to perfection, in post.
*Get a uni-directional shotgun microphone and get it close
*Unplug the fridge, air conditioner, flourescents and anything that buzzes.
*Let the airplane or car sound pass, before recording.
*Monitor with good headphones and have the director (or a second pair of ears) double check the levels.
*Be careful of pointing the mic at smooth surfaces, as they bounce secondary audio (echoes, reflections).
*Use a clap board, especially if using a second device for recording. This way, you can sync the clap sound to the image of the clapping, in editing.
*Some cameras (like the panasonics) allow INPUT 1 to also be recorded to INPUT 2. This allows you to set a separate level for the left and right side. Record one side at nominal (for normal speech) and have a second, lesser level for capturing yells, gunshots, anything loud. This way you have a channel that won't clip (distort). Use your editing program to separate the levels and choose freely between them.
*Get controlled audio for outdoor scenes like 2 guys talking and driving a noisy convertible. It will need to be dubbed, so record the scene, without the car moving, but with the actors in character, so you have location audio. Same with boat scenes, airports, etc.
*Before every new scene (location), record 30 - 60 seconds of ambient room tone. You can mix this in for background, when editing. This will help cover the audio differences when cutting between actors. Ever watch a car scene, where the background audio changes with each cut? Same with parks or any place with background noise. Record the chirping birds and singing crickets.
*Bring an acoustic baffle or padded board to block wind or noisy background. Use a windscreen. Even a blimp and wind muff is susceptible to wind, so monitor to make sure. Here's my daughter with my pistol grip blimp:
Those blimp outfits are rather expensive, so I realize you might not have it. Use common sense to block out the elements. Parking your car or placing crew in the right spots to block wind can also help.
You don't need expensive equipment. You need some creativity and decide, beforehand, that your goal is to get the best audio possible. As mentioned, I gather background ambience, sound effects (which I usually foley), and dialogue. I put them on separate tracks and I ramp/duck the levels on the voices so that their level is low, when not speaking. (Let the background be the constant.) Most editing programs have filters, so that you can filter out line hum or high buzzes that often sneak into the source audio. Of course, it's easier to enhance good audio than to polish up a low, noisy signal. Garbage = garbage out.
As for myself, I connect a Sennheiser ME66 directly to my camera (HVX200 or DVX100). Don't use an on camera mic, except as a backup. Put that Sennheiser (or other brand) on a boom pole and get it near your subject.
It's not rocket science. The trick is to get that microphone within 2' or 3' of your actors' mouths. I don't care if you are using a mini-cassette piece of crap, analogue recorder; if you get that mic up close, you can get good sound with modest equipment and good planning/rehearsal. Conversely, the farther away your mic is, the softer the signal level and louder the noise floor.
I usually don't have a soundman or boom operator (though you should). I usually do both - shoot the movie and place the mic on a boom stand, like this setup:
My trick is to shoot every dialogue shot in closeup, even if the finished scene is made up of wide angles. Of course, a boom pole can be hovering just above a wide shot, but I didn't even use a boom pole on my last feature. Some examples of my outdoor audio:
Audio Clip (Actual location recording of actor's voice. I duck leveled him, because the wind was blowing the plastic of our fog tent! Actress is dubbed, as are footsteps, sound effects.)
Audio Clip2 (Location recording of actor's voice and background movement. Radio voices dubbed in, using 500khz high pass filter.)
Audio Clip3 (Total location recording of both actors and their footsteps. Gun hitting the dirt was dubbed in.)
In that second clip, the radio voices sound like they are part of the scene. That's because I had the actors take their gas masks off and do the lines, while in character and still on location.
My goal is to get the voices, foremost. Footsteps, sound effects can be done post. If a woman is wearing heals, walking on metal, tile, etc., I would be sure to get a close mic'ed recording of her walking. Try to have the actors time their lines, so they don't compete with other sounds, like a door slamming, etc. The trick is to isolate each element and mix it to perfection, in post.
*Get a uni-directional shotgun microphone and get it close
*Unplug the fridge, air conditioner, flourescents and anything that buzzes.
*Let the airplane or car sound pass, before recording.
*Monitor with good headphones and have the director (or a second pair of ears) double check the levels.
*Be careful of pointing the mic at smooth surfaces, as they bounce secondary audio (echoes, reflections).
*Use a clap board, especially if using a second device for recording. This way, you can sync the clap sound to the image of the clapping, in editing.
*Some cameras (like the panasonics) allow INPUT 1 to also be recorded to INPUT 2. This allows you to set a separate level for the left and right side. Record one side at nominal (for normal speech) and have a second, lesser level for capturing yells, gunshots, anything loud. This way you have a channel that won't clip (distort). Use your editing program to separate the levels and choose freely between them.
*Get controlled audio for outdoor scenes like 2 guys talking and driving a noisy convertible. It will need to be dubbed, so record the scene, without the car moving, but with the actors in character, so you have location audio. Same with boat scenes, airports, etc.
*Before every new scene (location), record 30 - 60 seconds of ambient room tone. You can mix this in for background, when editing. This will help cover the audio differences when cutting between actors. Ever watch a car scene, where the background audio changes with each cut? Same with parks or any place with background noise. Record the chirping birds and singing crickets.
*Bring an acoustic baffle or padded board to block wind or noisy background. Use a windscreen. Even a blimp and wind muff is susceptible to wind, so monitor to make sure. Here's my daughter with my pistol grip blimp:
Those blimp outfits are rather expensive, so I realize you might not have it. Use common sense to block out the elements. Parking your car or placing crew in the right spots to block wind can also help.
You don't need expensive equipment. You need some creativity and decide, beforehand, that your goal is to get the best audio possible. As mentioned, I gather background ambience, sound effects (which I usually foley), and dialogue. I put them on separate tracks and I ramp/duck the levels on the voices so that their level is low, when not speaking. (Let the background be the constant.) Most editing programs have filters, so that you can filter out line hum or high buzzes that often sneak into the source audio. Of course, it's easier to enhance good audio than to polish up a low, noisy signal. Garbage = garbage out.
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Hire a soundman who has his own gear. You can get a semi-experienced guy with a field recorder and a boom for $100 a day easy (outside LA, New York, etc...)
Odd advice Gonzo, for somone who is wondering what
audio equipment he should buy.
I use a Senheisser ME66 and a K-Tek KE-110CC Boompole.
I don't own an audio recorder. When I shoot without a
recordist I just plug into my camera.
audio equipment he should buy.
I use a Senheisser ME66 and a K-Tek KE-110CC Boompole.
I don't own an audio recorder. When I shoot without a
recordist I just plug into my camera.
I'm probably getting the sennheiser ME66, but I have another question. What's this about levels, and how do I mess with them? On the mic, in the camera, editing?
Well,
Levels are the audio levels - the volume of the audio being
recorded. The mic itself doesn't have level control, that's
where the audio recorder comes in. You can turn the volume
up or down depending on how loud or soft what's being recorded
is. A good recordist will "ride" the levels during the scene. If
you are recording directly into the camera that's nearly impossible
to do. You will set the level and leave it there. So if you want to
"mess" with the levels you will need an audio recorder to plug
your mic into.
Levels are the audio levels - the volume of the audio being
recorded. The mic itself doesn't have level control, that's
where the audio recorder comes in. You can turn the volume
up or down depending on how loud or soft what's being recorded
is. A good recordist will "ride" the levels during the scene. If
you are recording directly into the camera that's nearly impossible
to do. You will set the level and leave it there. So if you want to
"mess" with the levels you will need an audio recorder to plug
your mic into.
Sound for picture is a two step process. Sound levels recorded on the set, even when recorded by a professional, are not going to be the levels used in the final mix of the film. The job of the production sound mixer is to capture clean, "hot" audio (meaning minimal noise and good solid levels) on the set. The job of the audio post team is to polish and enhance what was recorded on the set.
There will be transients (momentarily loud sounds, words or parts of words) that will need to be tamed - or low levels that will need to be raised - in audio post with automated level changes and EQ. You will also have to clean up a multitude of extraneous sounds that always make their way onto the production sound tracks - coughs, floorboard creaks, camera whir, etc. During a long follow shot in one scene from the project on which I am currently working the character is running around a building and down a long alley; you can hear the cameraman, boom-op and others running with the actor - it sounds like a herd of stampeding buffalo. I will have to remove that audio entirely and replace the characters footsteps with Foley and his breathing with ADR.
There will be transients (momentarily loud sounds, words or parts of words) that will need to be tamed - or low levels that will need to be raised - in audio post with automated level changes and EQ. You will also have to clean up a multitude of extraneous sounds that always make their way onto the production sound tracks - coughs, floorboard creaks, camera whir, etc. During a long follow shot in one scene from the project on which I am currently working the character is running around a building and down a long alley; you can hear the cameraman, boom-op and others running with the actor - it sounds like a herd of stampeding buffalo. I will have to remove that audio entirely and replace the characters footsteps with Foley and his breathing with ADR.
Camera and Editing. Some cameras allow you to plug in one microphone, but set 2 different levels. The first level (Left) is for normal voice recording. The second level (Right) can be set lower, so that unexpected audio peaks, from yells, slams, pops, etc. that distort level 1 can be saved on level 2, without distorting. During editing, you can fade your normal sound take into the low level take, when the loud signal comes on.
As Directorik said, having a soundman riding inputs on a mixer would be a great way to go. If you can't do that, make sure you are paying attention with your headphones. If you hear distortion, you have set your levels too high. Half of your problems can be avoided, by careful monitoring.
For some good practice, you can record and edit someone whispering quietly, then have someone else barge in with a loud voice, "What's going on here!" Now, mix the scene in your editing program and see if you can blend the very different signals, so that the whisper is strong and the yell is not overpowering.
EDIT: I see Alcove's post. Good point about the footsteps, etc. Usually, I foley my footsteps. We had a tracking shot of a man walking. In the raw audio, you can hear the truck that the camera was on. I took it all out and added background noise (birds, breeze) and added in new footsteps.
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Odd if he's looking to be a sound recordist. Not odd at all if he is a fimmaker looking at a way (within budget) to get good sound on his film.
I always do the same thing. And we do it right on the set or
location.
I usually don't have much of a post sound budget so it's essential
to get as much as I can during production. It's a nice habit to
get into for us movie makers without much money. A good recordist
will keep all those things in mind and I'm willing to take the
time to get some Foley (and even ADR) right there during
production. It usually drives the First crazy, but everything
drives a good First crazy.
For example: A walk and talk through a door. After the master shot
I get a clean recording of the walking and door opening and
closing with no dialogue.
An actor has a glass with ice in it. After the master and any wide
or full shots I make sure to get audio of the actors moving the
glasses around and while shooting the CU's I make sure there is no
ice in the glasses.
I recently had a scene where an actor dropped a large envelope on
a wood table during a line. We shot it normally - then without the
line - then with only the line. In post I had everything I needed
without having to do any Foley or ADR.
And it was fun to watch the First start twitching....
Yes!! I'm learning to do more of that, as the actors are still in character, not just with the dialogue, but even how they walk. Unless you have a pro-foley room, with soundproofing and multiple walking surfaces (gravel, concrete, tile, dirt, grass, etc.) the location dubs are so much easier to blend, because they were done at the location you see on screen.