Filmmaking 101: Handout: Recording Audio © Nils Osmar 2012, All Rights Reserved

Home , Boom operator (media), Camera operator

Movies have two components: video and audio. Movies are primarily a visual medium, but the quality of the audio is extremely important in the perceived quality of the final product. Good audio can save a bad movie. Poor audio can ruin a good one.

Sound conveys emotion. Video conveys information. (If you listen to a movie with the sound off, you won’t be emotionally involved in it.) (If you're scared of horror films, try watching them with the sound off; they won't scare you at all.) ______

Key points to remember:

• The audio track in a movie is made up of several different components mixed together. The components include: - voices - room tone - sound effects and foley - music

• Some audio is recorded in the field (on location) on the day of filming. Some is recorded later on in studio. Then it's treated and mixed in studio. • If your goal is to record high quality audio, all of these components need to be of high quality: - your microphone - your microphone holder - the cable connecting it to the recording device - the camcorder or other recording device the microphone is hooked up to.

• The connections between the components have to be secure. Audio is only as strong as its weakest link. (A great microphone won't sound good if its connection to the camera has a problem.)

The better your movie's soundtrack, the less your audience will be consciously aware of it. If they "notice" the audio, something is usually wrong with it. ______Recording high quality audio

There’s more to audio than just pointing the microphone in the direction of the actor who’s speaking and hoping for the best. Your goal is to record crystal clear audio with a full tonal range and no distracting background sounds, then improve it even more with your editing software in the final stages of editing.

You need to do all of the following to end up with good audio for your film:

-- record clear voices. (They should sound crystal clear with no distortion, no echo, and no unwanted background sounds) -- record clear sound effects -- record high quality room tone on the set -- record or generate high quality music -- do a good mix, and sweeten it in studio.

You may also need to do some additional audio recording in studio.

The better your field audio, the less work you have to do correcting or sweetening it in post. ______

• When scouting locations, scout for audio as well as visuals. (A location may look wonderful, but have terrible background sounds that make it problematic for filming.) ______

Types of microphones and pick-up patterns:

Built in mic in camcorder • omnidirectional - picks up background noises just as loud as voies • the volume of what you're recording changes when the camera moves. (So actors will sound louder if the camera moves in closer to them.) • only use as a last resort

Cardioid: shotgun mic • directional; screens out sound from sides and back • heart shaped pickup pattern • used a lot on movie sets

Condensor mic • bidirectional • used for interviews • used for OTS shots, two people talking • needs power

Wireless: used with lapel (lavaliere) (lav) microphones ‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒ Types of cables

• 1/8” (usually mono) • if your 1/8" cable is longer than 20' or 25’ you’ll get a hum (interference) • XLR cables are the best solution. They have three conductor wires, so cable can run for hundreds of feet, no interference. Short XLR cables can plug into each other. • XLR cables are technically mono not stereo, but the cable splits into two signals, so you can record at two different vocal levels at once. ______

Recording live actors

• Boom person needs to rehearse and practice moving with actors • Mic should be as close as possible to the actors without being visible in the shot. (And make sure it doesn't cast a shadow.) • Ask actors for their high and low volumes before filming • If your camcorder has two channels: set one loud (high sensitivity) one soft (low sensitivity). This will record two separate channels of audio. • They will sound different on the headphones. One will sound lower than the other. • Don’t adjust the levels ("ride the levels") while filming. Set them before filming then leave them alone. ‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒ Room tone

• Whenever you film anything that you'll be editing later, you should always record room tone (the background sound of the environment with no voices speaking) • Room tone adventures (dogs, planes, traffic and sirens) ______

Mixers (such as the Mackie)

• field mixers are optional • used to adjust audio signal independent from camera. • needed when using more than one mic. • Set levels BEFORE filming, not during ______

MIC LEVEL or LINE LEVEL (camcorder settings)

• Set camcorder to MIC level when microphone connects directly to the camcorder • Set camcorder to LINE level when the sound comes in through a mixer • With older camcorders, setting the switch wrong could destroy the camcorder. ‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒ HEADPHONES

• Someone should always monitoring be sound, even if that’s their only job. • Don’t trust level meters • Always use FLAT RESPONSE headphones, not dynamic response, for recording field audio. (Dynamic response headphones can "improve" the sound in ways that fool the ear and result in poor audio in your film. • Either the boom operator or camera person should monitor the sound on headphones at all times while you are filming.

‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒ RECORDING TO EXTERNAL DEVICES

• DAT: Digital audio trape recorder (two tracks) (don’t buy)

• Compact flash/hard drive recorder

• Nagra (traditional... high quality, name-brand... but extremely expensive)

• RECOMMENDED: Zoom H4n low price, has good built in mics and XLR inputs (less than $300, often on sale) ______

Slates and clappers

• What they’re for • Why we need them • How to use them ______

Troubleshooting: avoiding and fixing problems

• Never use a television set to monitor sound. Use headphones or monitor speakers • Don’t plug camcorder into same circuit as dimmer switches, refrigerators, microwave ovens, etc. • Turn off ambient sounds like refrigerator, furnace before filming (put keys in refrigerator!) • Don’t cross audio cables over or under power cables. Or cross at 90 degrees if you must. • Try to get foley on the set (doors closing, footsteps, etc.) ______Sound design (in post): Audio sweetening: Making the sound better Noise reduction and audio enhancement May not be real sound, but whatever’s pleasing to the ear Adding sound effects and foley Use echo, reverb, compression, EQ, Pitch shift, etc. ______

“VISUAL EFFECTS” in audio

Visual (video): 180 degrees Audio: 360 degrees (full sphere) Low budget? Can’t afford a car crash? Make it with sound ‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒ EDITING AUDIO

• Good video editing software (such as Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro) has audio editing capabilities

• Never use a television set to monitor sound when editing. Use headphones or monitor speaker

• If the camcorder has a button to prevent peaking, using it can prevent the audio from peaking. However, be aware that it will also turn the room tone up or down when it is doing so. So it’s not an ideal solution. • The boom person should practice with the actors during rehearsals, to get familiar with and be able to anticipate the blocking, so as to know when to move the boom out of the actors’ way, or follow them in with it.

• If you’re directing a movie, make sure the talent rehearses at the same vocal level as the actual performance. ______

Where to point the microphone

Imagine that the microphone is a flashlight, with a beam projecting straight out from it. Aim the imaginary beam directly at the mouth of the person who is speaking (not at their chest, not at their forehead). If possible, aim it from the front, not the side. If you come in too much from the side, or miss the mouth, it may sound okay to you, but sound tinny in the movie. ______

Boom poles and pistol grips

Shotgun mics can be mounted on a boom pole, locked in position on a stand, or held in a pistol grip. However the mic is held, it’s essential that no unnecessary sound or vibration be transmitted to it. ______

Holding a pistol grip

If using a pistol grip holder, keep your hand immobile in relation to the holder. Don’t move your fingers around even slightly, or the vibrations will be translated as a slight “whispering” sound, and the audio will be unusable. The microphone should be as close to the actor as possible without being visible in the frame. ______

Holding a boom pole

Some people doing boom hold it above their shoulders, with their elbows at a 90 degree angle. Others use a pistol grip mic holder.

Test moving it around to make sure the back end of it isn't going to hit any walls, lights, lamps, people, etc. The microphone should be as close to the actor as possible without being visible in the frame.

Watch out for shadows on the talent and on the set that the mic makes. Make sure any boom mic related shadows are not visible in the frame.

Important: do NOT slide your hands along the pole while sound is being recorded. (The sounds will be picked up and make the footage unusable.) Instead, move the boom pole back and forth, up and down by moving your arms, not your hands. Keep your hands locked in position. ______

Be careful not to step on the XLR cable while booming, as this can damage it. ______

If there is any buzzing, let the camera operator or director know about it. Usually buzzing is caused by electrical interference. Make sure that if the XLR cable is near any cord with current running through it, it crosses it at a 90 degree angle, rather than lying along side it. The best thing is for it not to be near the electrified cable. ______

What you should hear:

Sometimes the person monitoring sound will let bad audio be recorded because they don’t know what to listen for. They hear the actors' voices so they think all is well, but are actually recording low quality audio.

Tell them that if they hear anything other than crystal clear sound during a take, they should let the director (you) know after the take. Listen for problems such as buzzing or hissing, vehicles going by, footsteps or creaking sounds when the actors are speaking (particularly when they overlap on the actors’ voices), distant voices in the house, etc. The mic picks them all up, at much higher sensitivity than the human ear, and they can make a shot unusable. ______Room tone

Before you start filming in a new environment, stop for a moment and listen to the background room tone. That’s the tone we’ll hear at all times behind the actors’ voices. Remember to record at least a minute of room tone for each new location. It’s even good to record separate room tone in the morning and evening.