Photo Credit: jac malloy via Compfight cc

The lectorial for week four centred around audio. We discussed things relating to how audio affects its listeners, how its recorded and with what equipment. Rachel Wilson – who did the bulk of the talking for the lectorial, stated that the things we were learning only scratched the surface of what audio encompasses, and that some courses allow students to study audio for a total of three years or more. If that doesn’t explain how difficult and complex audio is, then I don’t know what will. Now interestingly enough, the thing that interested me most about the lectorial; wasn’t even in the lectorial.

Okay, let me get this straight. It was supposed to be in the lectorial, but I guess Rachel ran out of time and couldn’t show us the rest of the slides. What I found most interesting was the technical aspect of microphones. I found an abundance of slides we didn’t get to see at the end of Rachel’s slides regarding microphones. I mostly skimmed through it, but it seemed to cover the same things the reading did.

The reason why I find microphones interesting is due to its power and potential to increase the production value of ANY video. From my experience, microphones are often overlooked by many amateur video makers. When an aspiring video maker dreams of making videos, they tend to think more on the visual side. Questions such as; ‘What camera should I get?’, or ‘What lens is the best?’, or ‘Should I get a DSLR or a video camera?’ are all reasonable questions asked by a large majority of beginners. And of course they’re going to ask questions like this! Every video maker aspires to make the most professional looking videos that they can possibly make. But as soon as they finish making their first video, and play it back for people to watch; they soon encounter a problem – no one can understand what the actors are saying! In a movie about ninjas fighting robots, all we hear is the sound of wind rushing past, with cars honking their horns in the background as a commercial jet zooms across the sky. The dream of making a top-notch film, has been ruined by the lack of audio recording. Audio and visual aspects of a film go hand-in-hand – they both require one another to function (unless it’s a silent film or an experimental film). So if either audio or visuals are neglected, the outcome of the video can quickly turn south.

As an amateur video maker, I did a bit a of research in my earlier days in regards to microphones. I remember that my first microphone was actually just a pair of earphones with the ear buds cut-off to make a makeshift lapel microphone. Funnily enough, it actually worked! After making so many videos without a dedicated microphone, I was astounded when I watched my first video with audio recorded independently of the camera. The immersion quality was improved immensely from my previous videos, and it was amazing to actually hear my friends talking without the interruption of a car zooming past. And all of this was made possible just from making a simple mod to a cheap pair of earphones. From that point on, I knew I had to get a real microphone. I soon came across shotgun microphones – also known as boom mics. These microphones are the common microphones you tend to see in movie production. In behind-the-scenes footage; you tend to normally see this microphone on the end of a big pole – also known as a boom pole. As soon as I heard about the potential of these little gadgets, I knew I had to start saving up. Eventually, I managed to save around $500, and I ended up buying my first Rode shotgun microphone, and also an audio recorder.

Now I could go on and on about my adventures of buying and using audio gear, but I think I’m getting on a bit of a tangent. The point is, if you’re an amateur – like me, who is trying to get their start on making videos, don’t forget that the camera isn’t the only piece of equipment you should be worried about. The camera is only a portion of what video-making could be, and the lack of audio can bottleneck your entire set-up. Now if you can’t afford a dedicated microphone – here’s a link to a DIY tutorial by ‘Sold With Video’ on making your own lapel mic for under $20.

So I hope this post has taught you a little something about the world of audio making, and hopefully you’ll be able to apply the things you’ve learnt to your videos from now on! Happy video-making!