7
The number 1 thing i want from a location recordist (apart from good, clean dialogue coverage, of course) is room tone. It's very important that you record this with exactly the same mic set up that you've been using to record the dialogue, and the same mic positions too. A slight change of angle can alter the character of the sound, so try to keep things as ...
6
Having been on both sides (sometimes on the same project) of production and post, here's what I like to see:
Of course good clean dialog. If good clean dialog cannot be had, then good clean wild lines taken immediately after the setup is finished. Take this with the same mic you have been using - shotgun, hypercardoid, lavs, etc - so the tone can be ...
5
I'm not sure I understand if you mean fix it in post or on set...
If it's in post:
I'd start by setting the levels so that they match somewhat. If the BG noise is too high in one scene I'd try and de-noise it. If the de-noising don't sound good, just forget about it and try to cut around it. Setting the levels and using EQ to match the previous clip can ...
4
One of the best sounding period dramas in recent years IMHO was the King's Speech. Here's a great video interview with the production mixer. He specifically addresses the issues of recording period dramas outside.
Usually period pieces have a pretty decent budget to pull off the production design, sets, costumes, car rentals etc.. Some shoot exteriors on a ...
4
Best sound rolls I ever got came from Teddy Haleron at FJH Studios in Houston for the film All She Can (formerly Benavides Born)
I've never met him, but the stuff they turned in was so good I had to look him up and let him know how much I appreciated it.
everything was slated and file named appropriately. Some things were tail slated but nothing went ...
4
Hi Auddity,
I have a 722 and there's a few cool features I turn to that are helpful:
you can record simultaneously to hard drive and compact flash (menu setting 6: Rec: Media Select). Recording media rarely fail, but capturing on both media at once covers your bases
if you are recording stereo, you can gang/combine the pots for easier level control (28: ...
4
Such a great opportunity! I encourage you to record the everyday hustle and bustle of life…you probably won't need to travel too far to find really interesting material. Try settling in somewhere for a couple of hours; once people forget you are standing around with a microphone they will return to their normal behaviors, much like nature recording.
And ...
4
Sometimes I ask that the Director to wait a few seconds after frame is called by the cam operator. If there's not enough time there. I ask for 15 seconds to 30 seconds of quiet before cut is called on the 'final' take of a scene.
The truth is room tone is mostly used from the takes themselves.. not from the separate room tone recording. The only time you ...
4
Assuming it's a "standard" sort of scene... Two Shot (won't really get wide in a car), OTS, OTS and a couple of CU's, then the most important thing you can do is to make sure you get LOTS of room tone (ie background sound) for each setup. Inevitably the noise is going to be different from one side to the other, and an editor(you or another) will need that ...
3
.One extra thing apart of the already mentioned above. As sound dudes we are very aware (much more than mortals) about the sound quality of our recordings. To add consistency to your recordings a trick is mach your best (cleanest/driest) recordings to your crappiest one (after you have done everything you can to improve this bad recording) People tend to ...
3
If it were me, I would have asked the director:
"Why isn't the lighting the exact same on the beach as it is in the hallway? Why didn't you place the key light in the exact same spot and have the same exact exposure and backlight as you had from the sun on the beach than the florescent light in the hallway? Lighting guys I know would have lit the scene to ...
3
Value-wise, this seems like a smart series of buys. It's also modular, as you get better mics and preamps in the future. Besides headphones, though, you'll also want cabling and a stand or boom; for lightweight portability and cost, I use Manfrotto 001B Nano light stands with 1/4" to 3/8" adapters for pistol grips. You can always use a painter's pole or make ...
3
Desert ambiences and open-air markets spring to mind. I have a friend who grew up there; let me ask her what else to go after.
Addendum: @Rob - She says,
"We went to a small city called Al-Khobar all the time to go shopping, and there's some hustle & bustle of cars, buses, people walking & talking, etc. Except for the language, though, it's
not ...
3
Generally when recording you're looking for the best signal to noise ratio possible. If you record something too low then need to turn it up later in post, you're also going to be turning up all the unwanted noise.
Personally I try to record as hot as possible without clipping or activating limiters. This may mean initially backing off the gain a little in ...
2
The other few that you mention there would be my first port of call for extras - wild tracks, backgrounds etc all really useful.
I'd try and get all my room tones backgrounds with a different mic to my shotgun-its my preference to have atmosphere tracks stereo- so i'd record ambience/room tone with a matched pair of mics or a stereo mic, sometimes on a ...
2
I think you'll find that it's really simple to operate. As powerful as it is, the routings and settings are supremely straightforward. Probably the biggest key concept to remember is that INPUTS can be mapped to TRACKS, and it's not always input L to track 1 and input R to track 2, but front LEDs indicate the track mapping, so again, it's pretty easy.
I ...
2
Good starter kit - now just get out there and do some field recording, you'll soon adapt, modify or change the gear to suit your own particular needs as you progress.
Just a couple of shortcomings with your gear - (1) you will definitely need wind protection for the inbuilt mics on the Marantz; which you could make yourself out of faux fur, if strapped for ...
2
Nathan and Paul have already given you some great tips. Here are my thoughts:
Take the time to setup all of your monitoring presets before you go out in the field
I always record with the limiter on
Transfer your recordings off the machine after your session and format your drive, you don't want to be out in the field, run out of space, and have to ...
2
I second Tim for doing post work as well, although in my experience usually I'm the one extending the contract/deal to the client than their production company doing it to me, unless it's a larger studio entity and/or there's any NDA associated with the show.
Occasionally I do handshake deals, but it's highly selective only only with a select few ...
2
Get an iPhone 4S, strap it on and clip the mic somewhere near enough to your mouth that it works properly. Use Siri to dictate hands free in between shots.
2
Firstly, directors get a kick out of running the sound guys down unless, of course, they're doing it for free.
Secondly, if you can close your eyes and still get a reasonable idea of the location just from listening, then the sound is good. Only reduce location noise when it detracts from the focal point of the recording. Even then, don't overdo it - just ...
2
If you keep your radio mic in a similar area all the time (which can be difficult with wardrobe changes, but that's part of the challenge!), that should be consistent and not contain too much noise. A big thing to watch out for though, is clothing rustle.
Booming is a trickier proposition. You want push that thing so far into frame that the camera op starts ...
2
As a side note. I have been known to add crap to sell less than stellar performed ADR.
Example several shots of couple walking and talking. Down stairways corridors etc.
Lavs unusable. Added reverb (of course) and fake lav noise rustling. As viewers we have been used to hearing lavs ins scenes like his and the added rustle really sold it. Without it it was ...
2
It might sound great but probably not a very practical mic to use in the field because of the big AC power supply. Looks like they made a battery powered supply for it but it looks pretty big too. Not to mention how difficult it might be to find one in good working condition and the cost of maintenance. For what this mic would probably go for there are most ...
2
My first guess is no. In order to get synchronous playback from your recording device, while playing video back from a 5D, you would need one device to chase timecode from the other. The 5D has no provisions for timecode whatsoever (and they can have slippy internal clocking for video to begin with, so watch out for that in post). In that post you linked to, ...
2
Yes, it can be done, but you'll have only mono sound on the 5D. Next week I'll start the post of a project where they've done it this way:
For the audio to get in the 5D, they used this mic adapter:
(http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/674341-REG/Beachtek_DXA_5DA_DXA_5DA_DSLR_Cameras_Passive.html)
The sound girl send a mono mixdown signal, wireless to ...
2
VER (Video Equipment Rentals) has a location in South San Francisco.
I highly recommend this company.
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