For photographers wanting to make the transition to video, knowing how to capture great audio is crucial. However, as Rachel Worsley discovers, most photographers are not paying enough attention to it. She speaks with professional photographers and leading sound experts to gain an insight.
Why audio is important
Photography is all about the image and photographers tends to concentrate on lighting, composition and the subject. It’s not too dissimilar to video, really. While the vast majority of photographers trying their hand at video tend to do so with their DSLRs, in the process many tend to forget the one crucial element that makes video good: audio. Photographer and motion expert Ian Waldie agrees. “A lot of shooters tend to underestimate the importance of audio. You could have an ordinary looking video and good audio and people will still watch, but if you have a beautifully shot video with terrible audio, no one will watch it.” Audience is also a priority for Melbourne-based Matt Taylor, who runs content creation company Milkmoney Films. He is often involved in commercial and corporate shoots with clients including Red Bull, Nike and KFC. “Without good audio, you will lose your audience. It’s as simple as that,” he says.
Brisbane-based photographer Patrick Hamilton, who also shoots photos and video for corporate clients, knows this all too well. “Quite often, especially with corporate shoots, they want an interview slotted into the overall video, such as members of their staff talking about the industry that they wish to work in. You’ve got to make sure that the sound is great,” he says. But it’s not just corporate or commercial clients who are looking for great audio.
Hamilton says the demand for video, and consequently great audio, is acutely felt in photojournalism. “With the decline of print, web and digital have become more important and they all want more video, not just still images.” He says companies like AFP and Bloomberg have called on him to develop more B-roll, which is overlay footage that can then be packaged into video news stories. The huge emphasis on capturing the sounds of subjects speaking in video clearly, and not just capturing them visually, is forcing photographers to take sound seriously. “Photographers already have a good eye and a good way of storytelling. Now they have to use that skill in video, and part of that is knowing how to capture good quality sound,” says Hamilton.
The consequences of terrible audio can be time-consuming, expensive and a dent to your overall credibility as a videographer, so it’s important to nail it first time around. And Waldie says that he’s had to shoot for clients that needed video shot again because the original audio, captured by someone else, was just awful.
Tools for the job
Capturing good quality sound is a difficult art to master for people who work in audio-only fields, let alone in the complex world of video. The dizzying variety of sound-related equipment, set-ups and tools available on the market is only compounded by the differing advice found online. However, all photographers and sound experts agree on one thing: never use the in-built mic in your DSLR camera, if you can help it. “It’s ghastly,” says Waldie. “It picks up noise and wind really easily which ruins the quality of your audio. It even picks up your fingers moving over the camera and pressing the buttons.”
To get great quality sound, professional photographers need to consider three things: a decent quality recorder, microphone and appropriate syncing software. The common recorder for many photographers like Waldie is the Zoom H4N. “It can record audio into the video track, and also a separate track to the SD card,” he says. “You can then mix that easily in a video editor like Adobe Premiere Pro.” It’s a similar set-up for Taylor. “We use the Zoom H4N and sometimes the Zoom H1, but we rely on Sennheiser wireless mics for interviews.
Sometimes, we also use the Sennheiser 416 mic which is an industry standard boom mic,” he says. For Waldie, getting high quality sound means achieving true stereo. “True stereo is all about the two sound channels, on the left and right, coming together in a way that makes audio very easy to listen to,” he says.
The purpose of the video must come into play. When it comes to interviewing people, lavalier or lapel mics are a must. These are small microphones that are commonly attached to people’s clothing, and are often found on TV sets. Waldie recommends a mixture of lavalier mics and a boom mic for best quality sound in this situation. “Lapel mics pick up what the subjects say, and the boom mic picks up another channel which creates a nice stereo effect,” he says.
Hamilton though, is a big believer in the boom mic. “I use a RØde shotgun mic – one especially designed for a DSLR. The quality of sound is amazing, and it’s not too expensive.” For Hamilton, the shotgun mic holds several advantages. Although it is quite sensitive to sound, it also has a narrow field, so that it doesn’t pick up as much background noise that would otherwise be picked up by an in-built microphone.
While photographers do lean towards popular brands like Zoom, that does not necessarily mean it’s the best quality recorder out there, according to sound recordists like Mitch Lewis. He recommends using Sound Device’s 788T, which holds up to eight channels and has a time-coding device that automatically syncs with the pictures generated by the DSLR. “This means you don’t have to manually sync all the video to the audio that you capture,” says Lewis. “And this is a real time and cost saving.” However, he still thinks highly of the Zoom H4N, but understands its limitations. “The mics can generate audio that’s a little bit thin and hollow, unless you pair it with a good shotgun mic. They all do a similar job at the end of the day. It really depends if you want to step up your production to the next level by using industry standard software that is used in movies, for example.”
The same can be said for lapel mics. “I use Sanken Cos-11 electrosonic mics, as they’re commonly used for television,” Lewis says. “Generally, they are very durable, with great sound. They are also more professional, as you hide them easily under layers of clothing,” he says. However, if you can only afford lapel mics, placement and location is crucial. “If it’s going to be visible, use a standard lapel clip and attach it anywhere on the chest,” Lewis suggests. If it’s a polo shirt, try the bottom button. It really depends on the application. I personally go for under the collar or V-neck of the T-shirt, but every application is very different.”
For Waldie, it’s essential to invest in quality equipment. Headphones, for example, are critical to ensure you are getting the right sound. “You need to get closed-in headphones that shut out external noise,” he says. It’s a big mistake not to listen back to the audio through the camera. Often, listening through the headphones helps photographers detect unwanted sound or noise that otherwise wouldn’t be picked up.
Seeking help
With so much to worry about when it comes to sound, it’s not surprising that some photographers choose to outsource that aspect altogether. And this is certainly an approach that Waldie favours. “When budget allows, I hire a sound engineer to come along who makes sure I’m doing the audio right. It just takes so much work and I’d rather focus on my photography.”
The job of the sound recordist is to ensure that the best possible audio accompanies the video footage recorded. They are typically trained in audio production, and usually at an accredited school, such as the School of Audio Engineering. They may specialise in recording studio environments, or come through other media-related paths such as news and current affairs. As a result, they have intimate knowledge of industry-standard sound equipment that will enhance the quality of sound. Lewis believes that photographers have enough on their plate as it is. “A photographer has enough to think about. If you’re doing any kind of interview, investing in a sound recordist is a great idea. If you try to do everything at once, certain things will be lacking, and usually it’s the audio that lacks the attention it deserves,” says Lewis.
Getting expert help is also part of Taylor’s strategy at his company, Milkmoney Films. “Leaving it to a professional sound recordist makes things less complicated,” he says, “especially when we’re doing anything involving video at live music venues. But Hamilton thinks photographers are better off teaching themselves about the intricacies of sound rather than recruit a sound recordist. “When you quote for jobs, you have to build them in the price,” he says. “And that might mean losing the job. “At the end of the day,” Hamilton says, “it just comes down to education and testing things out yourself. It’s the biggest learning curve, but as you get better and more proficient at it, you’ll understand better how it fits with the whole process of making a high quality video that clients will value,” he says.
The location factor
Lewis says that despite your best efforts with getting a good mic to producing great quality sound, at the end of the day, it comes down to the environment that you’re in. “The best thing you can do is control your situation and environment, even if that means closing numerous doors, unplugging fridges, turning air conditioning off and putting towels under doors,” he says.
He also says there are some types of environments which are not conducive to good sound. “Concrete rooms especially look great on camera, but they are terrible for audio because sound bounces off the hard walls very easily. I would avoid shooting in such situations altogether if possible. Remember, audio is about 50% of what makes a good video.”
A sound future for photographers
As more and more photographers move into video, it’s imperative that the importance of great quality audio not be ignored. In the meantime, photographers should get used to producing good quality sound before accepting assignments from potential clients. “Research and practice, test everything beforehand before you go on a job. Know what you’re doing when you turn up,” says Waldie. “Treating audio as an afterthought is a mistake that should be avoided.”
CONTACTS
Victor Ha: www.hdslrvideoshooter.com
Patrick Hamilton: www.patrickhamilton.com.au
Mitch Lewis: www.boomtimeproductions.com.au
Matt Taylor: milkmoneyfilms.com
Ian Waldie: www.ianwaldie.com