Here is a little slideshare on how we could have practised our sound skills better, for the future

1. By Jack Archer

2. Online courses...
 There are many courses available online that could
potentially broaden my knowledge of sound and
effectively, improve my usage of sound when studying
Media Studies at A2.
 Some of the types of courses available include:

3. Free Available Online Courses...
 Advanced Structural Dynamics and Acoustics: This is the
study of acoustics and how sound moves and how it is perceived. This would
possibly help us choose the correct microphone to use, depending on the
distance between the camera and our actors and also the shot location.
 Digital Audio Courses: This course allows individuals to learn,
create and share digital audio which caters for those who require further
skills to keep up with technological advances. Students are able to use digital
software (such as Final Cut Pro and Audacity) to edit, record and produce
renditions of soundtracks. This course would be especially good, as we
produced a rendition of a rendition of a song for our final production.
Therefore this course will enable us to gain a better understanding on how
sound can be manipulated and edited together, in case these skills are
required for A2.

4. Any more?!
 The technology of music courses: Similar to Digital audio
courses, this course introduces students to technical software and
advances on how to make and edit music/ sounds. Students learn how
best to store a music file on converged devices (such as computers) and
how to send out audio too (via web 2.0 etc). Therefore, this course
would be good for us too, as it could also improve our understanding of
how soundtracks and sound clips are put/ edited together, to further
improve mainly our editing skills at A2.

5. What resources are available at
school??
 The Editing software for sound that are available are:
 Final Cut Pro X
 Audacity (although we didn’t use this for our production.)
 The types of Microphones that we can use at school to
record sound include:
 Lapel Microphone
 Rode Microphone
 Boom Microphone
 [The actual camera- although the sound quality is not as good as if
microphones above are used.]

6. Which ones did we use for our
production??
 For our production “The Longing” we used all three
microphones mentioned on the previous slide. We didn’t
use the actual camera as a recorder of sound as the quality
was not as crisp as if we used the microphones available.

7. How could our use of microphones
have been improved??
 Our final draft of our production excluded a lot of planned dialogue that
we originally used in our first couple of drafts of our production. This
was mainly to increase the pace of the opening sequence and reflect a
media product catered more for a niche, sophisticated audience who
would not need everything explicitly told to them. However , another
reason for this was because we had issues with recording dialogue. We
had correctly connected the Rode Microphones to the cameras (and
turned them on!!) but when playing the footage back, there was no
sound recorded (not even background noise!) Therefore we weren’t
effectively able to practise our sound skills.
?!

8. So... When recording sound what
elements do we need to consider
when choosing the most
appropriate microphone to use?

9. LOCATION.
 If we were using a Rode microphone and a dolly, for
example, we would need to consider location as the surface
on which the dolly would roll on might cause the dolly (and
effectively the camera) to shake and make the associated
sounds. The Rode microphone would pick this sound up
and affect the quality of the recording. This was an issue we
found when we initially filmed dialogue whilst tracking on
uneven concrete.
 In addition, whether the location is inside or outside would
fundamentally affect the acoustics created as a result of the
sound made. Therefore, for outside spaces a Rode or Boom
microphone would be the better option. For indoor spaces,
a Lapel or Rode microphone would most likely be best.

10. WEATHER CONDITIONS.
 Windy conditions can cause disruption and affect the
quality of sound from Lapel and Rode microphones,
therefore decreasing the quality of the recorded sound.
However, the Boom would be an appropriate option, as
it comes with a furry protective jacket to impede air
flow.
 These precautions would obviously not apply to
interior locations.

11. CAMERA TO ACTOR PROXIMITY.
 The amount of space between our actors and the
camera would affect the type of microphone that is
best used.
 Normally, if the actors are a fair distance away, a Boom
or a Rode microphone would be the better option as
these microphones are able to pick up sound over
longer distances.
 If our actors are quite near to the camera, a Lapel
microphone would be sufficient.

12. QUALITY OF SOUND PRODUCED.
 The Lapel is probably the best way of gaining crisp and
clear sound footage, as the actor/ speaker is within a
closer proximity to the microphone than with the
other microphones available at school.
 But, if a location shoot is purposely done when it is
windy for example, the sound would possibly need to
be slightly muffled to reflect the nature of the weather
conditions. Therefore, the Boom would be the most
appropriate choice.

13.  Let’s hope that for A2:
 The camera and Rode microphone are able to connect
with each other. (!)
 That after considering the elements mentioned and
explained previously, that we choose the most
appropriate microphone to use and produce the best
sound quality possible and that is appropriate to our
task.
 That we’re actually able to show off our sound skills
without it affecting the pace of our product (and the
overall effect on our audience.) 