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Category Archive: Sonido
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Foley Artistry
Sound is a super important part of any film/video production, but on big productions the most carefully recorded sound on set is the character dialogue. All the background noises from footsteps to paper shuffling is usually recorded separately. That’s where foley artistry comes in!
Foley is the art of reproducing and creating sounds for film. It was started by a true O.G. of sound,Jack Foley, in the roaring 20′s. He projected a movie onto a screen while he and his team recreated the ambient sounds in the movie that the microphones didn’t pick up during filming. The sounds were recorded onto one single track. Check out this example by Nick where a silent film is given a whole soundtrack via live performance.The art form has advanced considerably with the advent of multi-track recording. Modern foley artists can record multiple sounds in a studio and blend them together to make a complex auditory experience. Gary Hecker, professional foley artist, explains and demonstrates this process in this video by Michael Coleman.
You’ll notice that Gary’s work requires him to be resourceful and to have have a good sense of timing. He has to be able to make almost any conceivable sound with the collection of objects in his studio or his own voice and body. Whether it something simple like footsteps or a complex crash or fight scene, every moving object in the shot is accounted for and given a sound. Without all these crucial sounds, movies would seem unnaturally still, especially during dialogue scenes.Now, most of us don’t have a large studio with props and gadgets at our disposal. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make some great sound effects. Look around your house/apartment/hut with the footage you’ve shot in mind, and you’re bound to find a myriad of objects that can reproduce the sound effects you need.
Using your laptop’s internal microphone to record the sounds is effective, but not ideal for quality recording. You’ll want to use a dedicated sound recording device for this and most importantly think creatively. Something simple like the sound of celery snapping can be used to give dramatic realism to a violent action. Have fun experimenting!
by Daniel Hayek
Tagged Tv School
Capturing Good Sound
Any filmmaker today will agree that capturing sound correctly is just as important as capturing the image itself. Sound can make or break a professional or amateur production, so making sure you know your way around a microphone can’t hurt. So let’s go over some basic ways to capture sound and take your video to the next level of awesomeness we all know it can be!
Most cameras today have some pretty awesome built in features, anything from a DSLR that can shoot video to a normal handheld camera should have audio settings. The most important thing is to find out what type of sound you need to capture, this will then help you decide what equipment you may need.
For instance, when shooting in a quiet indoor area, or at the very least close to your subject, the built in audio on a camera normally works just fine.
However, when your subject is farther away or in a loud area, an external microphone may be required. Most professional productions record sound separately from the camera and re-sync it in editing, but to keep things simple, using an external microphone may be a good place to start. These can come in a variety of styles and price rangers, but let’s look at the most common ones:
Handheld microphone – Normally used for interviews or presentations, they come in both wired and wireless, and are perfect for “man on the scene” type shots.
Boom microphone – These long microphones are highly directional (recording sound where you point them). Normally used to capture actors lines from just off camera by attaching them to a long pole. They are also mounted directly on cameras to get long distance sound.
Lavalier microphone – A small clip-on microphone that attaches to the subjects clothing. Normally used on TV newscasts or sitcoms that require sound to be captured from the subject without it being obvious that there is a microphone attached.
Check out this Videopia lesson which will help you decide what microphone to use and when.
Microphones: The Proximity Effect from Videopia on Vimeo.
Once you have decided which mic fits your needs best, the next step will be finding out how to connect it to your camera. Most likely, you’ll find your camera has a 3.5mm stereo mini jack. If you’re not sure what that is, chances are you’ve at least seen one before. This is the most common audio jack and is used for most headphones and headsets for cell phones. It’s a pointy metal tip with 2-3 white or black rings around it. You can find microphones that have this connection pretty easily.
Most professional audio uses whats called an XLR connection, however most consumer cameras don’t have this connection available without the use of an adapter. If you find that your camera does have this connection, its recommended that you use it, just be aware XLR microphones often cost more than others. This connection is about a half inch diameter circle with three prongs inside it.
Check out this clip from stillmotion. Around 2:50 you can start learning about some real world applications for the different type of connections.
introduction to audio with DSLRs from stillmotion on Vimeo.
So once you’ve found your subject, the microphone you’d like to use, and the best way to connect it, you’re pretty much all set!
Tips:
Microphones that have a 3.5mm stereo mini jack normally require some type of separate power source, so make sure you have batteries!
XLR microphones normally use the power given off by the camera or device they are connected to, but double check to see if it requires it’s own power source before recording.
Before recording, try taking a 5 second video clip and playing it back with headphones. This will give you a good idea of how the camera is picking up sound, that way you can decide if you need to change locations, mics, etc.
All the microphones we talked about come in both wireless or wired versions. While wireless is more convenient, cameras can’t just support them out of the box. Make sure you the receiver you get with your wireless mic (the box that receives the sounds from the microphone and hooks up to your camera) can be connected to your cameras audio input (either XLR or 3.5mm stereo min jack).
Finally, make sure your microphone is on and the camera is set to use it! If your microphone isn’t turned on, you won’t capture any sound. The same thing will happen if you don’t tell your camera to use the external microphone (normally located in the cameras settings, however newer cameras detect the microphone automatically and don’t need to be told about it).
Finally for a quick overview of what you’ve learned, check out Vimeo’s own QuickTüt!
Tagged Tv School
Room Tone, Presence, and Ambience
A quick Google search for the term “room tone” brings up, among other things, this photo of Vimeo’s very own Casey D.:
Photo via Andrea Allen on FlickrYou might be asking yourself the following questions: What’s Casey doing all alone with that microphone? And why does he have his game face on?The answer, my friends, is simple: Casey is performing an often overlooked, yet crucial role of film and video making– recording the presence, or tone, of the room. Later, during the editing process, Casey will use this recording to help create the sound track of his video, intercutting it with dialogue to smooth out any rough or jarring editing points.Why do I give a hoot?
One of the most important aspects of film making is achieving the illusion of absolute continuity. As video creators, we know that movies are made up of many takes. Sometimes what ends up as a single scene is filmed over the course of several days, yet it is imperative that each day, every condition of the set, costume, etc. is identical. That way, the different takes can eventually be edited together seamlessly. Sound is a critical factor in this equation!
Photo via Andrea Allen on FlickrYou might be asking yourself the following questions: What’s Casey doing all alone with that microphone? And why does he have his game face on?The answer, my friends, is simple: Casey is performing an often overlooked, yet crucial role of film and video making– recording the presence, or tone, of the room. Later, during the editing process, Casey will use this recording to help create the sound track of his video, intercutting it with dialogue to smooth out any rough or jarring editing points.Why do I give a hoot?
One of the most important aspects of film making is achieving the illusion of absolute continuity. As video creators, we know that movies are made up of many takes. Sometimes what ends up as a single scene is filmed over the course of several days, yet it is imperative that each day, every condition of the set, costume, etc. is identical. That way, the different takes can eventually be edited together seamlessly. Sound is a critical factor in this equation!
What you think of as a silent room is never actually silent– there may be the subtle buzz of a fluorescent light, or the distant rumble of traffic outside. The way that these sounds bounce around in the space against objects, walls, the floor and ceiling, plays a huge part in what the room tone, or presence, sounds like. This is almost always unique, and it is this distinct “aural fingerprint” that you must be conscious of when making a video.
Recording 5-10 seconds of room tone gives you an audio texture to lay behind dialogue from several different takes, relieving the risk of ambient inconsistency. It also has the bonus of adding realism to the environment on screen!
How do I do it?
During production of a shoot, simply place a microphone in the same position and orientation as the original dialogue recording, and record 15-30 seconds without any of the actors or crew are speaking or creating any additional noise. Like dialogue, presence is usually recorded in mono.
Show me!
We put together a little video to help clarify and demonstrate room tone and ambience. Without further ado, feast your eyes upon our awkwardness. And learn, my friends, learn!
Room Tone & Ambience from Vimeo Video School on Vimeo.
by Katie Armstrong
Tagged Tv School