In the video department, I sometimes joke about our goal, other than to make compelling, creative, well-shot and edited videos, being this: to have picture and sound move together.  This isn’t really a joke.  Picture, especially the moving kind, is obviously key to your video.  But sound counts too.  Sound is in fact, integral in a good video, be it interview clips, sound ups, voice over, sound effects, or music – stock or original.

I am not a sound engineer, but I do know what I want things to sound like. I also want to be able to hear clean audio when I am tasked with recording audio myself, on Same Day Web Videos or Videojournalist projects for example.

Last December, I was hired out as a VJ to film one of the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC)/Canadian Women in Communications (CWC)/Microsoft Speakers Series’ sessions.  Prior to the event, I had a conversation with a dejected employee at the venue who was planning to overhaul the in house audio system…the following month.  My event was being held in a meeting room where the outdated sound system was off limits.  Literally, I could not plug into their PA system even if I wanted to. None of the cables I had in my portable camera case would work.  The photo displayed below reveals a MacGyver technique that enabled me to record the sound that could either be seen as (a) make-shift and unprofessional or (b) genius.

What you see in that snapshot taken from my Blackberry, is a directional shotgun microphone taped to the arm of a chair.  Moments before the talk started, I positioned the chair front and center stage, out of my shot, to capture the audio.  A couple of crafty fixes in Final Cut Pro and ta da!  A video, with audio, moving together.  My job is to get the job done.   This was a job, well, done.

We face challenges regarding sound all the time.

Without fail, as soon as you set up your shot and are ready to roll on a take, something will happen to mess up your audio.  In my experience, these things have included, but are not limited to: a phone ringing, a sledgehammer, a boat, a dog barking, an air conditioner, a heater, people gossiping in the lunch room, a fridge, a baby, an intercom, music, a plane, a train or an ambulance, an elevator, a fire alarm, a fire truck, radio interference in an wide array of buzzes, hisses, hums and whines…you get the idea.

Two words:  room tone.  This is not exactly the sound of silence, but it’s a close second.  Room tone is when you get everyone on set to be silent then hit record for 30 seconds.  This allows you to have a bit of raw, uninterrupted sound from the environment where you were filming.  Should you need to cover up any of the possible interference factors above, you will, hopefully, be able to replace it with some room tone in your edit.

A lot of video production is troubleshooting.  And when you fix a problem, audio or otherwise, and are able deliver what was asked, on time, within budget, it’s a good day.

“The sweetest of all sounds is praise.” – Xenophon, Greek Historian

Comments

Comment from Ingrid
July 6, 2011 at 8:24 am

and you deserve praise;
job well done.

Comment from Timothy Muirhead
July 6, 2011 at 9:32 am

Here, here, tell it to the people. Good sound can save bad video while bad sound can destroy well shot video. Room tone is your friend.

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