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When you are shooting a video, the audio production will be just as important as the shots you put on tape. If you are conducting interviews on the street, background noise is not going to be a major issue. However, if you are creating a feature film or a short webinar, any background noise can become a distraction. It may not sound like much when you’re recording, but when you get into the video editing room, you will hear every iota of background noise possible. Trying to add effects to the sound recordings will become a nightmare and you will realize that you may have to re-record everything for sound from scratch. Close Quarters Depending on the final quality video that you expect, you may be able to get away with using the camcorder’s built-in microphone when you’re in close quarters. However, depending on the quality of the camera, the audio portion may be mono not stereo and will be embedded with the video itself. If you want to be able to edit the audio separately from the video, then you’ll want to use an external microphone recorded on a separate digital file. Noisy Environments When you are filming in a noisy environment, you’ll want to use what is called a “close” microphone. This is a microphone that is held close to the source of the sound you wish to record. These microphones feature ambient noise reduction and offer the best clarity of voice for the audio level you’re recording. In a Hollywood production, you would see these kinds of close microphones in use on boom arms dangling over the actors. If you’ve watched any behind the scenes footage, you will see that the sound engineer is attempting to get the boom mic as close to the actors or the sound they recording as possible. Using a lavaliere or handheld microphone will generally pick up sound in a three-foot circle around the target. These are omnidirectional, but if you set up the microphone properly, it is not likely to pick up a great deal of background noise. Unpredictable Environments In unpredictable environments where background noise can come on powerfully and suddenly, use a shotgun microphone. A shotgun microphone is sometimes referred to as a decent utility microphone. These have a wider range than other microphones (from 10 feet to 30 feet) and offer more flexibility than a built-in camcorder microphone. A shotgun microphone is also considered a “directional” microphone. This will allow you to record from a considerable distance and will pick up sound patterns only along one axis, rather than omnidirectional. Choosing the best microphone for video production will depend on a number of factors. Determine what kind of environment you will be recording in and what your specific needs are and that will determine the best microphone to use. Rick Davis, an experienced TV Producer/Director, invites you to increase your knowledge of video and television production. He has plenty of free how-to videos and PDF cheat sheets to help make your video productions easier. To see more details on this topic check out his YouTube video entitled:Easy Video Editing.
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