Audio Indoors vs. Audio on Location
by Stacy Trummell

A big pet peeve of mine is when digital movie productions have all the potential to be great, but things fall through the cracks...things such as AUDIO! I can't stress enough how important audio scouting is to any film production - movies or digital video production!

For example, I've videotaped countless weddings and for each of those, as tedious as it was, I made it a point to scout the audio of all locations indoor or outdoor just to know what I'd be up against during video production. And yes, it was a pain to have to drive all over town just to scout audio. But...it paid off in the end when I had to cut around certain scenes in post production. Because the only thing keeping the scene seemless and the client happy (little did they know) was good ol' smooth audio.

For my guerilla DVX100 video production, a lot of the time I'd just run and gun it, and then do ADR and foley for sound with the actors after I've gotten the scene. But...all depending on how legit your film production is you might want to go the extra mile of location scouting. Me, I don't usually don't have the luxury of time when it comes to my independent movie productions, so I just wing it. But if you'd like to go all-out with your digital film, then you might want to consider the following tips. Good luck!

Indoors

When setting up for audio indoors, you might think that it’s a piece of cake and you have nothing to worry about, right? Well, not exactly. Even if it is just a DVX 100 digital film, you still need to be aware of your subject’s blocking (the movement and placement of an actor during a scene) and dialogue. You need to know where and when they’re going to be. 

This holds true whether you’re shooting actors for your movie or shooting the bride and groom for a wedding. This also gives you an idea of your subjects’ verbal delivery style and what to expect from them in order to capture the best audio. Always know beforehand when and where you need to be to achieve ideal mic placement for your digital film or video production.

Also, be sure to perform a “sound surveillance” of the shooting area a few days prior to the shoot date. Take note of the type of obstacles that may hinder your audio. Things such as air conditioners, vents, noise from neighboring buildings, etc.

On Location

Just as there are real location scouts for a professional shoot, the audio crews are scouts too. It’s just that they “scout” with their ears. When it comes to location shoots for your DVX100 movie, there may be some factors that are not within the sound crew’s control. Such as traffic, airplanes and helicopters, barking dogs, or even just really bad acoustics.

Don’t forget to record the ambient sound (background noise) of each location!
Get at least one minute of it.

When recording the sound properties of a movie production location, it’s a good idea for everyone in your crew to be quiet in order to get the cleanest background audio as possible.

Do YOU have a cheap, low budget, do-it-yourself DVX100 tip or trick that you'd like to contribute?
If so, just email it to us and we'll post it up!

Thanks for helping the grass roots grow!