Dedicated sound guy... worth the money?

[cpreston]

As both a C100 op and a production sound recordist, I have some opinions.

I sometimes do one man band type corporate interviews with minimal set-up time and record sound directly into camera. At the level I am working at, there isn't a budget for sound, but it means that I have to do some work in post on levels. The C100 doesn't have a limiter and it's impossible to adjust the levels easily. A mixer with a decent limiter can really make life easier. I consider the C100 direct sound capture through an external mixer with a decent limter to be fine for web videos.

I personally have no idea why you would hire a boom op rather than a sound recordist. I've had people hold a boom feeding directly into camera on a few odd narrative projects, but I was not paying them and it was just one person speaking. If it's a sit down interview, buy a stand and boom holder. Even when I'm just doing sound, that's what I use.

I would never try to do a project with more than two people speaking without somebody focusing just on sound. You just lose too much time trying to focus on too many things and something is going to take a hit.

I think that people who say you should always use a sound professional have never been on a shoot in which the budget and scope just do not require somebody focusing just on sound. A sit down interviewer with just one speaker does not require a specialized sound person unless nobody else on the crew knows anything about capturing decent sound. Unless, of course, something goes wrong. Then, you're screwed.

 

[Josh Bass]

hell I've worked on more elaborate shoots/projects than that with no dedicated sound person. Internal corporate communications seems to be kind of its own world on that regard compared to narrative/broadcast. But then ive also been on similar shoots WITH sound guy, so it all depends on the particular client, and yes, budget scope. You can have two basically identical situations (corporate exec talking head shoot for internal use) where one is using a sound guy and one isnt. Why? Who knows. As long as someone on the crew knows how to set up a boom or lav for such situations and where to set levels on the cam, things usually work out fine.

 

[Noiz2]

You know a lot of how this breaks down is the end product.

If you are doing internal corporate stuff then the bar is at a different place than say a big budget narrative film. Same with documentary, ENG, you name it.

What you get with dedicated sound is generally better, or at least more dependable production tracks AND better picture, maybe, since you won't be splitting attention between sound and image.

If the shoot is simple and the end is more in the doc. ENG style then not having a dedicated sound person doesn't necessarily hurt you that much (depending on if things go wrong etc.).

On a complicated shoot or one that is going to post and is aimed at a competitive market (feature films national ads, narrative shorts) it's probably in your interests to have dedicated sound AND an actual sound post by a sound editor not a picture editor.

Basically IF your film/ ad etc. is competing for slots/ eyes/ $/ distribution then you will be up against folks who did spend some budget on sound so you are at a big disadvantage if YOU didn't. With in-house doc.s and ENG you are mostly "competing" with yourself so you can kind of put the bar where you want it.

 

[scottfs]

As they say, YMMV. I have done sound for a couple of dozen narrative films, and a number of documentaries. Because of my personal experience, I would hire a sound recordist. Even if using a boom on a mic stand. Even with lavs. Especially if I wanted to use a boom and a lab at the same time. Why? (1) Because sound is critical, vital, crucial. (2) Because if I am running the camera, I am not concentrating on sound. Too much data coming in.

In a sit-down interview, yes, I've gotten away with just me asking questions, and a camera operator running the camera. But on occasion, I have gotten burned. One interview, the subject talked with his hands, got up, moved around. Neither of us noticed clothes rustle. Not all the time, but enough to ruin an hour-an-a-half interview. That interview sits in the can, because nothing I could do could rescue it.

Hire the sound guy/gal. Get a kid out of film school or a high school kid who is in love with film and is serious and dedicated. They do exist.

And yup, I've worked with female boom operators, mixers, editors. To be honest, I never thought about their gender. I've hired people based on their talent, ability, and general work ethic.