DV Filmmaking

Chapter 8. Digital Audio Production Techniques and Strategies

In this chapter

Microphone Types

Maintaining Sync

Strategies for Recording Good Digital Audio

Shooting a good film is all about leaving yourself options, and recording the sound is no exception. No matter how well you plan out a shot, you may come up with a better idea once you get back to the editing room. If you shoot with an eye (and ear) toward flexibility, and record your audio accordingly, you can simultaneously avoid technical mistakes and leave yourself room to take advantage of new ideas as they come to you later on.

A few years ago, I walked by a man sitting outside his apartment building on a summer night wearing a baseball cap that read “Woulda, coulda, shoulda.” It’s really easy to feel that way when you sit down to edit. If you leave yourself options, especially when you record your sound, cutting your film together can be a much happier experience.

Microphone Types

Different types of microphones record sound differently. Using different mics in combination is an excellent way to leave yourself options—if you record the signal from each mic separately, you can then choose which recording sounds best, and best fits the tone of your story. The first step is understanding the different kinds of microphones available to you as a filmmaker.

In the world of film production, microphones fall into two broad categories: lavalier and shotgun, shown in Figure 8-1. Lavalier mics are small, unobtrusive devices that attach ...