Sound for 5 minute student film

T

T:T

Member
Hi.

Some great tips on this forum, but I can't find anything that answers my questions. I'm hoping someone here can spare a minute to help...

I'm making a 5 minute film for University, and I have a mere 105GBP to spend on sound. Because of my lack of any kind of budget, I have bought the only Mini DV camera I could find with the features I wanted (timecode, firewire transport, manual focus, manual white balance, manual exposure), which is the Sony DCR-HC39E.
I know, this thing looks like a toy to me, too. But it's that or no movie.

Anyway, there's no way I'm using the internal mic.
Since I'm on my last 105GBP, and no sound, I find it highly unlikely I'll be picking up any worthwhile sound kit.
I believe my best bet is to connect an external mic to the camera, and record to the DV sound track on the tape.

Already, I'm sure you are getting a good idea of my absolute lack of knowledge in this area. :)

Because the accessory shoe is of a proprietary format, I am forced to use a Sony camcorder mic.
I'd prefer to buy the best I can get with the money I've got.

These are my options, as far as I can tell.

1: Sony ECM-HW1 Wireless Microphone
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-ECMHW1...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1235920968&sr=1-1

2: Sony ECMHST1 Stereo Microphone
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-ECMHST...p_ob_ce_image_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1235920968&sr=1-1

I am yet to find out if there is an extension cable available that will allow me to use this second mic on a boom arm.
There's no such item on the Sony site, so I'm assuming there's no such item anywhere.


So... Is there any reason I should avoid the wireless mic?
I figure, since it's digital, and will be used mostly within 20-40 feet of the camera, I shouldn't be experiencing any noticeable loss of quality. Right?



Thanks for any help. Much appreciated.

TT
 
The bad news: neither mic will give you a professional sounding track. Moreover, you do not have enough money in your budget to buy even a minimal entry-level sound package.

The good news: you can just rent the gear. For the cost of a junk consumer electret mic you can rent a fully professional sound kit for a few days.

The better news: most outfits that rent production sound gear will be willing to provide you with a student discount.
 
I am very limited in many respects, and don't know much about sound hardware. I thought renting would zap my minuscule budget in half an hour.
This is great news, if I can hire for a couple of days for that money.

Also, the film will be transferred for editing, to the only computer I have available (MacBook with 1 FireWire 400 and 2 USB2 sockets).
Does most sound equipment output to FireWire? Does anybody have any recommendations for the best kit to go for?

Bearing in mind that this is just my first film, and that it will, at most, be shown on YouTube or something.
I want my sound to be good, but it doesn't need to be cinema quality.


TT
 
Don't sell yourself short, TT; "cinema quality" sound can be achieved for well under 50GBP/day on gear. For an awfully long time, "cinema quality" could be defined as a Sennheiser MKH416, Rycote shockmount, aluminum boom pole, headphones and a Nagra 4.2. Plus an experienced opperator, of course.

Chances are you'll need to pass on single-system sound and record double-system to a compact-flash recorder like a Fostex FR-2 LE or similar. I'm sure you could find a good rental price on an old Tascam DA-P1, but cleanly transferring DAT tapes to your computer will be a bit of a challenge. Unlike DAT, newer flash recorders typically use USB connections and record to standard audio file formats (eg. WAV or BWF). Transferring FR-2 recordings to a Mac is almost exactly like copying WAV files off of a thumb drive. More sophisticated recorders such as Sound Devices or Zaxcom products also support firewire, but they're likely outside your price range.
 
That's a nice piece of kit. I thought this kind of equipment was at least into the 2000 GBP range. They've got these at Inta Audio for under 500. Shows where I'm at. :)

There's one on ebay for 385, buy it now. If only I had 385... :D

TT
 
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