Category: Cinema School

Audio is often the most neglected part of indie cinema.  Creators will spend time and money crafting the best image they can, but very little of either to record excellent audio.

Think about the last time you saw a movie with a great image, but the lip-syncing was just a little bit off or perhaps it was in a language you didn’t understand.  Did you keep watching the movie?  If so, was it distracting?  Were you able to adjust?

Now, think about a time when you had amazing sound but the image quality was decent, but not great.  Did you continue watching it?  Were you able to adjust?

Out of the two situations which one is less annoying?  Believe it or not, most people will choose great sound with okay video over a great image with mediocre or non-synced sound. With that in mind let’s talk about basic sound design. 

The first thing we need to think about is equipment and how it will be used.

The platinum rule of collecting sound for cinema is never using your camera’s internal microphone unless you have no other choice.

Current cameras are able to produce very beautiful images; images that often rival large Hollywood productions. The sound recorded on these cameras, however, is subpar at best.  More than that, the sound captured is only as good as your distance to the subject.  Audio quality and clarity decrease whenever the distance from the subject increases.

Now, that said, if you only have a camera the world will not end.  You can get acceptable audio out of a camera’s internal microphone.  You just have to work a little harder and plan your set-ups better.

Example:  You’re filming an interior dialogue scene featuring two actors. If you have an external recorder and a boom microphone you can to frame wider shots from farther distances.

With only the camera’s internal microphone you can still get similar shots, but you have to keep the microphone closer to the talent or make alterations to the scene. This may mean shooting a wide master shot that is not dialogue dependent.

Perhaps instead of having dialogue during the wide shot, you have them enter the scene and exit the scene during the wide shot or you use it to emphasize certain actions within the scene.  You would then shoot the character dialogue with matching over the shoulder frames.

Outdoor Scenes and Set-ups

When shooting outdoors with only the camera for both audio and image you need wind protection.  Sure, there is a wind noise filter option on most digital cameras, but it will not be enough to help you get passable sound.

Wind noise is not one consistent frequency that can be edited out of the audio mix. Your best option is to avoid it completely.

I typically use my camera audio just for reference sound. It can sometimes assist with audio syncing. Whenever I am using my camera outdoors I typically use a fuzzy wind barrier. 

Fuzzy Wind Barrier for Cameras

Initially, my fuzzy wind barrier consisted of a small stuffed animal from the local thrift shop. I cut off a small section of its fur and use a removable adhesive, such as some type of sticky putty, to place the fur over the microphone input of my camera.

Eventually, I bought a more expensive but quality mini-muffs for my audio set-up, but my makeshift fuzzy barrier was pretty effective.

Did it prevent all noise from being recorded? No, of course not, but it did provide basic wind protection.

That said, let’s move away from internal microphone audio capture. We can do much much better.

Boom Poles and Microphones

If you have a dedicated audio person, a shotgun microphone mounted on a boom pole is probably your best bet to get high-quality sound.  It’s portable and nearly unbeatable for sound acquisition.

Unfortunately, if you are working alone, swinging a boom pole while also recording is next to impossible.  There are cases where a very dedicated camera operator was able to place the pole under his arm and get sound and get passable video and sound, but this is not something you should ever try to do. 

An alternative may be to get a boom stand and use the arm as a stationary boom operator.  It will be a little bit of a hassle but it is easier than trying to boom it yourself and a lot less expensive than purchasing two lavalier systems to record dialog with two or more actors.

Wireless Microphones (Lavalier Microphones)

A lavalier will allow you to get sound from longer distances and in situations where on-camera sound and boom microphones just will not cut it.  They also make it possible for a one-person crew to get professional quality sound. 

Unfortunately, that convenience comes with high difficulty and cost.  Getting great audio from a lavalier microphone takes planning and patience. 

Moreso, unless you have the budget for a high-end wireless system, you may end up with more frustration than it is worth. And then there is the issue of interference.

The details are really in the transmitter/receiver units and there is a major difference between the professional and consumer versions in both usability and affordability.

At the bottom of the spectrum, you have lavaliere microphones that are hardwired to the transmitter.  Thus, are not easily replaced.  Lavalier microphones operate analog in the VHF range and are known to have issues with interference and dropouts.

Now, you can get decent results with patience and constant monitoring, but that can be a lot more hassle than it is worth for most independent media producers.

Even a mid-range priced system can have issues with interference creating noise.  While steps can be taken to lessen the occurrences of noise and interference, it can still occasionally pop up.

The high-end systems are less prone to issues but are extremely expensive. 

Just as prevalent as interference is direct contact or friction causing noise.  Using a lavalier to record talent takes the employee or an experienced mixer or a very dedicated sound person.  For the one-person crew, it may be a bit too time-consuming to pursue.  Not to mention the fact that you need a full system for each actor in a given scene.

Audio Recording Basics and Hacks

1- Choose a location that allows you to get crisp sound without echo or distortion

2- Make sure all devices that cause noise or interference are turned off or removed from the shooting area. 

3- Get your camera as close to your subject as possible.

4- Make sure your talent is aware of the microphone’s position

5- Record at least a minute of room tone.

• Room tone is the recorded sound of a room when no dialog or action is ongoing.  It is taken with everyone this in position but silent.  It is used to bridge the gap between sounds in post-production.  It’s essential that you get room tone for every set you will be using.

6- Editing is your friend.  Sometimes you just have to use what you have.  Editing the sound files to create better flow or consistency will allow you to turn average sound into something better.

Listen to what is being recorded. 

Your first job is to find out what noises are present in your locations and if they can be eliminated.  Nothing feels worse than getting back to the studio and finding out that you’re really great audio was ruined by a ticking clock or a strange humming noise that fades in and out at random intervals.

You need to scout each location with a micro recorder before choosing it for production. Record every area you are considering. Bring the recording home.  Listen to it.  If you find it to be acceptable without a cast and crew roaming around, chances are it will be okay during the shoot.

Your next job is to know your equipment.  You need to know exactly what each piece of equipment does and how it does it.  You also need to know how to maximize your equipment in both practical and impractical situations.

Set sound levels.  Correct levels. 

You cannot get proper sound if you don’t know how far you can push your equipment.  You need to know what levels give you the best signal to noise ratio at various distances.  You need to be able to tweak these levels when needed by the use of vision and sound.

Example:  If you know that you need to be at a certain level at a distance of 4 feet but a different level at 2 feet, you must be able to make that change instantaneously.

Your job is to get the microphone is close to your talent as possible without getting it in the shot.

Levels

Saying you have a great location very low noise you still want to get the microphone is close to your talent as possible. This allows you to have a better signal-to-noise ratio.

The signal-to-noise ratio is basically the difference between usable sound versus background noise.

What is noise?

Have you ever seen a poorly lit video with grainy randomly moving particles in the dark areas of the image?  Perhaps the particles were even visible in the brighter areas as well. These particles are visual noise. They are the by-products of poorly exposed shots.  The less light a scene has the more likely noise will be produced in the background of the image.

Many filmmakers are obsessed with getting very moody images in-camera. They want to maximize dynamic range and have shots that go from extremely dark to extremely light.  Or perhaps, they seek to create eerily dark scenes with one light or sometimes no lights.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to control the look of your image during production. Getting as close as you can to the final image in-camera can save you a lot of post-production time. Unfortunately, starving the sensor of light and underexposing can often be less beneficial than properly exposing the image and adjusting the look.

Exposure

Exposure is the amount of light (controlled by the aperture) captured over a very specific amount of time. 

Another way to define it is exposure refers to the amount of light that is let into the camera sensor. The more light received, the brighter the image. Conversely, the less light received, the darker the image.

While the camera producers will often talk about how many stops of dynamic range a specific camera has, the amount of really usable information typically resides within a much smaller range. 

For Digital Cameras you typically want to try to fit everything within 2 stops above or below perfect exposure. 

Anything more than two stops over may risk being overexposed.  This overexposure will result in a loss of image detail in the brightest areas of the photo.  Anything less than two stops under could possibly be underexposed.  This will result in the introduction of noise. Of course, this also depends on the camera you are using. Some cameras have much more latitude in either underexposure, overexposure, or both.

Aperture

The aperture, also known as F-stop, controls how much light hits your camera’s sensor or basically the size of the opening in the lens when a photograph is taken.

A higher aperture setting means less light is being allowed into your digital sensor.  While a lower aperture setting means more light is allowed into your digital sensor.

ISO

The ISO setting can affect the brightness of the image by digitally altering the brightness of everything in the image.  This comes at a price, as raising the ISO introduces noise and degrades the quality of the image.

Shutter Speed | Shutter Angle

Shutter Speed or the Shutter Angle of a camera for video is typically locked at 180° or 1 divided by double the frame rate used. This was a practice that started to mimic the amount of motion blur seen in film-based motion pictures with a mechanical shutter.

Example: 24 fps would have a 1/48 second Shutter Speed setting.

As such, while the Shutter Speed | Shutter Angle can be modified to increase or decrease the brightness of a scene, it does so at the expense of the motion cadence of the image.

Example: 1/40 shutter or a 216° Shutter angle would increase the brightness of the scene by a third of a stop, but it would also introduce a bit more motion blur in the image.

Proper Exposure

What is proper exposure? Proper exposure is composing or capturing a scene that is not too bright or too dark for image details to be clearly seen without extreme loss of detail through overexposure or underexposure.

An overexposed image will have areas of the photo that are blown out or too bright for details to be seen.  There is usually very little image detail in the overexposed areas of the picture.

An underexposed image will have areas of the photo that are too dark for details of the image to be clearly seen. When the image is brightened in post-production noise will often muddy or obscure detail.

A better approach for both overexposure and underexposure is to light the image for maximum detail and create the mood you seek in post. That said, you can still manipulate the scene to be as close to your final image. You just need to do it in a way that allows you the greatest amount of flexibility.

The best way to manage the exposure of a scene is through proper set design and controlled lighting. 

For example: Let’s say you are lighting a very moody scene in a haunted house.  The main character is holding a flashlight.  Many novice directors or cinematographers would want minimal light to convey the eerie darkness of the scene.  This is a mistake.

It’s far better to light the scene properly while accenting it in the direction you want. In this case that may mean getting enough light on the characters and the parts of the background you want to highlight, but allowing other areas to be slightly darker. You would then employ a super powerful flashlight, and slightly lower the light in the path of the beam to aid in its visibility.   

Beginning Lighting Setup

When lighting an interior scene it is often best to begin with a 3 point light set up featuring:

1- Key Light:  This is the main light studio light that gives the majority of the lighting to the subject.  It is usually set up at an angle toward the face of the actor you wish to shoot, but on the opposite side of the camera.

2- Fill Light:  This is a light used to fill in the shadows left on the subject by the Key Light.  It is less intense than the fill light.  It lightens shadows enough to illuminate the subject while allowing enough shade to provide contrast.

3- Backlight: This light is typically overhead and behind the subject.  It provides a sort of rim or halo to the silhouette of the subject, giving it depth.

This is only your basic lighting setup. If you stick with just three-point lighting your scene will be bland and lifeless. This is where art design and creativity come into play. It is also where you need to have a bit of lighting knowledge.

Example: You’re lighting a scene with a woman sitting at the table reading a book by candlelight. You would like to be able to see her face, her actions, bits and pieces of the background, as well as give the illusion of candlelight.

If you lit the scene with candlelight by itself the image would be underexposed. You could, however, create a key light coming from the general direction where the audience would perceive the candle casting a light.

Your fill light and backlight would be subtle enough for her to be made out but not bright enough that it would distract the audience from the scene.  Your background light would shine on the part of the background that you want to show, but it too, would, from the basic direction of the light the candle is supposed to be throwing.

Now, let’s keep in mind what we learned earlier. There must be enough light for the shot to be exposed properly. It is far better to bring down the brightness of the shot in post-production than to introduce noise to the shot through underexposure. 

Putting it all together

Begin each scene with one light.  This is typically the practical light that will be viewed by the audience as the source light.  Once you have established this light you can then set your key, back, and fill light. 

After those lights have been established you can stylistically choose what parts of the scene you want to feature. There are no limits other than the limits you impose upon yourself.

Camera:  Do the best you can do with whatever camera you have or can get. A camera is essential, but don’t obsess over it. It can be analog or digital.  It can be Standard Definition, High Definition, or even Ultra High Definition. It doesn’t really matter as long as you can tell the story.

High Definition currently comes in 4 main flavors:

High Definition – 1280 x 720 progressive

Full High Definition – 1920 x 1080 progressive

Ultra High Definition – 3840 x 2160 progressive

Cinema 4k – 4096×2160 progressive

External Audio Recorder:  Proximity is crucial with audio. The closer you are to your subject the higher quality your audio will be. In-camera sound, even with an external microphone can be hit or miss due to less than suitable in-camera pre-amps. 

Instead of using the camera’s pre-amps or internal microphone, opt for a microphone pre-amp or an external recorder with XLR and line capability.

Shotgun Microphone:  A cylindrical shaped microphone used for collecting audio directly in front of it while rejecting audio from the sides and rear. Shotgun microphones have a more steamlined focus than a conventional microphone.

A shotgun microphone is most useful in outdoor environments; especially in conjunction with a boom operator or boom stand.

Wireless microphones:  Wireless technology can be a bit more difficult to set up, but using a wireless microphone will give you the ability to get excellent audio from a distance.

Wind Reduction:  Wind reduction equipment is essential for capturing audio outdoors.  It can be the difference between below-average sound and exceptional sound.

Boom Stand: An alternative to having a sound operator with a boom pole is using a boom stand.  This stand allows you to place a microphone on a telescoping pole.  It is not as handy as having someone boom the talent, but it will allow you to get similar audio coverage during shots featuring little movement.

Boom pole:  If you have at least one person to help you with your program this is the job that a person must have.  A good boom operator is worth his/her weight in gold.

Booming tip:  When booming overhead aim the microphone at the chest of the actor.  This will allow you to get more bass, created a fuller more rich sound.

Booming tip:  When booming from below aim at the actor’s mouth.  Aiming at the chest will capture too much bass.