Recording Sound

Not every shot requires good, clean audio. If you know that you’re shooting B-roll, and you know that you won’t need clear nats, then don’t worry about recording sound. However, if you are recording sound (for example, if you’re interviewing somebody), then use these tips:

• Always use a voice recorder.
• Always test the voice recorder BEFORE you shoot that important interview. Test it with headphones so you can hear exactly what the recorder hears.
• You can also use headphones while shooting to monitor camera audio. Make sure that the camera is set to interpret that jack as headphones instead of AV output or you will hear nothing but a loud buzz in the headphones.
• If you can’t use a voice recorder, record in a completely silent room.
• Try to hear the sound like a microphone would: is there an air conditioner or fan blowing? Are fluorescent lights or computer monitors making a buzzing sound? Can you hear people talking or walking outside of the room? Can you hear traffic noise outside the room? Our brains naturally filter irrelevant sounds, but our cameras aren’t smart enough to do that. They will pick up every little sound in the area. Therefore, you must start to listen to your environment in a whole new way. Too much ambient or natural sound will ruin your audio.
• Encourage your interview subjects to speak loudly, clearly and slowly. Also, many people start their sentences at normal volume but then become much quieter by the end of their sentences. Be wary of this, and gently encourage interview subjects to speak at the same volume throughout.
• Never, ever let the interview subject hold the voice recorder. If someone has to hold it because there's no place to put it, then you hold it and point it directly at their mouths.
• Beware of the interview subject who constantly pounds his/her fist or taps his/her finger against the desk or table. Your voice recorder will pick up those sounds and they will be louder than the interview audio.
• When recording a voice-over, SPEAK SLOWLY, LOUDLY AND CLEARLY. Do not rush through your voice-over because it will be very difficult for the audience to understand it. Voice-overs that are too fast, mumbly, inaudible or otherwise incomprehensible MUST be re-recorded. They will definitely not make it onto Manual AM.