Audio & Video Production Basics

Audio & Video Production Basics Brett Atwood

Microphones
Microphones can be extremely fragile
Do not blow or tap into them
Do not drop them or throw them around

Popping the “P’s”
Announcing words that emphasize p, b, or t sounds naturally produce a sharp puff of air
This can result in a pop or thumb in your recording if you speak too close to the microphone
A windscreen on the mic can help

Windscreens
Foam ball-shaped accessory for the microphone
Used to reduce unwanted sounds

Dynamic Microphones
Contains a mylar diaphragm attached to a small coil surrounding a tiny fixed magnet.
When sound wave strikes, the diaphragm vibrates.
A tiny voltage is generated based on the interaction between the magnet and coil.

Microphone Pickup Patterns

General Mic Tips
Get your microphone as close to the source as possible.
Even directional microphones pick up a little sound from most directions, so the closer the better - as long as you're not getting negative effects (plosives, mouth noises, etc)

General Mic Tips
Eliminate the Competition: Think about the OTHER sounds in the room where you are recording. Two main sources of unwanted sound are:
noise : this can be the noisy air conditioner, traffic outside, crowds in the hall.
ambience : may be the "live nature" of the room you're in, the unwanted echo.
Do what you can to eliminate the problem and place your mic as close to your subject as possible.

Lighting
Three purposes of lighting:
Provide adequate illumination for the picture to be processed correctly by the camera
To tell us what the objects on the screen look like, including space/depth relationships and time of day
To establish the mood of a scene

Hard and Soft Light
“ Hard Light” – Very pronounced; Directional ; Casts strong shadows
“ Soft Light” – Light is diffused /spread out; less shadows
People look better with soft lights

Directional vs. Diffused Light
Example:
Directional Diffused

Directional light
Hard light casts a sharp, clearly defined shadow.
When hard light is used to illuminate a face, imperfections in the skin stand out. The result is less than flattering.
But in other applications, such as bringing out the texture in leather, or the engraving on a piece of jewelry, this can be an advantage.

Diffused light
Soft (diffused) light has the opposite effect.
It tends to hide surface irregularities and detail.
Diffusers are used over the front of lights to soften and diffuse their beams. At the same time, diffusers also reduce the intensity of light.

Soft Lighting
Since soft light is more scattered, you may need more light
Soft light may be created using bounced lighting
Light source hits subject indirectly since it bounces off a reflector

How the Camera Works
“ White” light reflected off the subject is picked up by camera lens

A beam splitter fragments light into Red, Green, and Blue signals
Each signal is sent to a respective color pickup tube or chip

Camera converts light into electrical signals that reproduce original image
Bright parts of the image create a larger charge
Darker parts of the image create a lesser charge
Photosensitive imaging device within the camera encodes the scene into stream of electric impulses that become the video signal

Imaging Devices
The heart/guts of your camera is the Imaging Device
Imaging Device = transducer that converts one form of energy into another
Example: CCD

Imaging Devices
Imaging device in studio cams usually based on pickup tube or CCD (charge-coupled device )
CCD is usually cheaper than pickup tube
Amount of CCDs or pickup tubes determines the quality…and price
3CCD vs. CCD cameras

CCD
- An integrated circuit (computer chip)
Contains photosensitive “pixels” on the surface of the chip
Light hits the rectangular pixels
Each pixel emits electric signal when struck by light

White Balance
White Balance – Used to balance the color of your shot.
Point the camera at a white object (piece of blank paper or white wall)
Object should be in the same light that you will use in shooting
Press “white balance” button to adjust the sensitivity of the camera to the current light source

White Balance
An improperly white balanced camera can cause your video to appear yellow, greenish or reddish or yellower than it should.
Example:
Bad (Top image)
Good (Bottom image)

White Balance
If you move the camera into different light or the light source changes, then you will need to redo the white balance setting
Some cameras do automatically re-balance the white

Establishing Shots
Many directors follow this simple formula:
First scene shot: Wide, establishing shot to orient the viewer
Second scene shot: Closer proximity to main subject
Third shot: Main subject

Camera Angles
Use angles to keep the production interesting
Angles can be used to manipulate audience perception

High Camera Angle
Positions the camera above eye level
Camera shoots down at subject
Used to show overview of area
Used to make subject appear smaller

Low Camera Angle
Positions the camera below eye level
Camera shoots up toward the subject
Used to give sense of power to subject

Canted Angle
Camera is tilted on a horizontal plane
Used to convey sense of excitement or instability
Simply tilt the camera to achieve this effect
Use this sparingly

Subjective Camera Angle
Places the camera in the place of a character to show us a scene from their viewpoint
Also known as point-of-view shot (POV)
Used to engage viewers in the action

Capturing Motion
You should always consider the path of moving subjects and, generally, leave space in front of them into which they can move.

Capturing Motion
If you don't, here's what can happen! This jogger looks like she's going to run right out of the frame.

Capturing Motion
By placing the subject in the lower-left position, we've used the rule of thirds and given the jogger plenty of room to run within the frame.

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Audio & Video Production Basics

by Brett Atwood on Feb 25, 2007

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Audio & Video Production Basics — Presentation Transcript