Photography News Issue 58

Photography News | Issue 58 | photographynews.co.uk

Feature

Go off camera In this second and final instalment of our guide to audio matters, we consider essential accessories for great sound to go with your video footage when using your mic off camera Audio Basics: Part 2 – using amic

Words and pictures by AdamDuckworth

Watching a video should be a wonderful audio/visual experience, not some form of torture for the senses. But it is often the case that while great attention and money are lavished on getting the best quality footage, not enough respect is paid to the sound, with the expectation that the camera’s on-board mic will deliver the goods. Wrong. Obviously,what level of attentionyougive to your sound depends on what you are shooting and your aim with the finished production. Your audio-visual scenic extravaganza might rely on a melodic soundtrack from a copyright-free CD, so what you record at the time of shooting is irrelevant. But if you’re shooting something for your video blog or recording an event where what’s said is of primary importance, then the simplest advice on how to record great audio for your movies is to spend as much as you can afford on a quality microphone, then get it as close to the subject as possible. In the vast majority of cases, this means getting the microphone off the top of the camera and as close to the sound source as you possibly can without it actually being in shot. If that’s a person speaking, then getting it as close to them as you can is crucial to cutting out as much extraneous noise as possible so you can really hear what’s being said. One way of doing this is to invest in a lapel microphone – also called a lavalier or lav mic – and fastening it to their clothing, ideally avoiding any material actually touching the mic to prevent nasty rustling. Lapel mics are usually linked to a wireless transmitter box, which the subject has in a pocket or on a belt. That talks to a receiver sitting on the camera’s hotshoe which, in turn, is plugged into the mic socket. This is fine if you are in a situation where you own the kit and only need to record one

person, have the time tomic themup and don’t mind the mic itself being seen in the shot. But if you don’t have this luxury, or don’t want to see the mic, then you have to explore other options. One way is to mount your mic onto something like a mini tripod and put it in front of the interviewee, just out of the main shot. Another way is to invest in a boom pole and put your mic on top of that. Then, in both cases, use a simple cable to link the tripod- mounted mic to your camera or run down the boom to your camera in order to record the audio directly. Although there are some very expensive carbon boom poles made for professional XLR-type microphones, for mics like Røde’s DSLR-style units you don’t need a sturdy boom that costs a fortune. For about £40 for an extendable Røde boom pole and £11 for an extension cable, you have a light and portable bit of kit. Of course, you ideally need someone to hold your boompole for you but you can also fasten it to a lighting stand. This is a good solution as you can ensure it’s not in the frame of your shot and won’t move. With a boom-mounted mic, your choice is whether to have the boom above the subject pointed downwards, or below your subject pointed upwards. The best choice depends on the environment you are in. It’s always best to record in a space that does not echo too much, if you can. For example, a

kitchen with a ceramic floor and tiled walls will echo sound much more than a similarly- sized living room with plush carpet and lots of soft furnishings. So, if the floor is a very hard surface that’s likely to reflect the sound – such as ceramic tiles or polished concrete – then it can be best to hold the boom under the subject, pointing upwards, especially if the ceiling is not too reflective. Otherwise, the most common use is to hold the boom above the subject pointing downwards, as there is often more unwanted noise that comes from a ceiling in terms of echoes, fans, peoplewalking on the floor above and the like. And if you are using the mic outside, a key accessory you should definitely budget for is a fluffy wind jammer that goes on top of your mic. Also called things like a dead cat, blimp, windmuff or windshield, these simple and inexpensive covers cut down on wind noise which can be a real pain to remove in post-processing. Costing from £29 to fit a popular mic like the Røde VideoMic Pro, it’s money well spent to improve your sound. So, to sum up, if sound is an important part of your video, you need to gear up accordingly with a good mic appropriate to the situation and a way to get it unobtrusively in front of your speaker. You don’t have to invest huge sums to get quality results that will make your production much more enjoyable to watch, simply invest well in the areas that count.

If the floor is likely to reflect the sound... it can be best to hold the boom under the subject

Images To keep your mic out of shot but close to your subject to cut out unwanted noise, mount it on a small portable tripod or a boom pole.