I am listening to a stack of Hi8 videotapes (remember them?)
And yes, you read it right. I’m listening. Nice pictures but the sound is what counts because I am trying to pull off audio clips to use in a radio program I’m doing. Because I can’t go to Chennai before my deadline.
When you’re not looking at the pictures, it becomes evident very quickly what sounds good and what doesn’t. Here are a few tips that spring to mind when you’re doing a videorecording and you want to get good sound (which of course, you do)
a) Determine what’s the most important. Is it the picture or the sound? If you’re doing an interview where the person’s voice is the most important, you might need to sacrifice the nice picture for the good sound. In this case, I am listening to an interview done outside in India. There are some very wild birds .. lots of kids crying and the voices can only be heard by straining one’s ears. So find a quiet room (ya, I know, that’s a tall order anywhere in India .. but at least find a QUIETER room).
b) Set the camcorder up as close to the person speaking as you can. Keep in mind that the microphone that comes built in the camcorder is called an OMNI-directional. Which means it picks up all around you. It’s like a wide angle lens on a camera. So just like you’d walk in closer to get a close-up with a camera, get in closer to get better sound.
c) For the clearest voices you can get, use an external mike. Not every camcorder has an external mike jack .. it’s well worth it to buy a camera that does. Your best solution is a clip-on (lapel) mike with a long cord. You won’t hear the crying kids or the funky bird as much .. if they’re loud, the bird and the kids will still be there. But they’ll be in the background and they won’t distract your audience or obscure the voice of your subject.
d) The above will only work if you have one person who you need to hear. If you have two people, have the person doing the interviewing hold a hand mike. Or have another person hold the mike and move it between the two people talking (best to frame it so that the mike handler isn’t in the frame)
e) Don’t record outside on a windy day. The wind makes noise as it passes over the mike, which makes a really nasty sound. If it’s really gusty, you might not be able to salvage anything.
e) WEAR HEADPHONES! I cannot stress this enough. That way, you’ll hear whether or not the balance between background sound and the foreground sound (ie. the sound you REALLY want to hear). Not every camcorder has a headphone jack … if you’re serious about this, buy the one that does.
Hope this helps … on the plus side .. there is some great Indian music that I’ll be able to use .. and a few other surprises too. And I am reminded .. there is no such thing as quiet in India.
