Recording location sound

[paulbland]

I have a question about recording location sound.

I understand the best way to record dialogue is to use a unidirectional condenser mic positioned as close to the actor's mouth as possible, to pick up the cleanest dialogue. My question is, what about all the other sounds around the room? the coffee mug, clothes movement, footsteps? Do we just take whatever the boom picks up, even if it's not aimed at the correct location, then replace sounds that weren't picked up well enough with foley? And how do you create a stereo mix if everything's picked up with one mic? Or do you have a second mic on set for all location sound, and create a mix in post?

Also- what if it's a scene with no dialogue. Say for example I have an actor walking down the street. What is the best way to pick up the location sounds that can be seen in shot? (E.g. kids running past, cars zooming by, a loud truck that drives past? Do I take the boom mic down to the street and aim it in the same direction as the camera, or is there a different mic setup for this type of thing? Also - would the method differ if it's a long shot or a close up?

I know there are a few questions here. If someone could give me a brief rundown, or even point me in the direction of a good in-depth tutorial online somewhere, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance,
Paul

 

[GaryNattrass]

Think of sound for picture as a blank canvas and to create the full image you need to use a variety of different colours to get what you require.

So the dialogue is only one colour on your pallet, the sound effects may be another, the background may be another but possibly in two tones for stereo and the music another etc.

You then apply all the different colours and details to your blank canvas and the blend and mix of them creates the full audio picture.

So for example you may only start with some black birds crowing painted in the middle on a blank canvas (the dialogue)

you may then add a background wash of sky in blue and white with the wind blowing in the green trees (the stereo sound effects)

you may then have a stream or lake rippling in the foreground (the music)

and a farmer walking his sheep to market and his dog barking (the Foley)

 

[GaryNattrass]

So for a given scene you may only end up with the dialogue recorded at the location and you can then add sound effects, stereo backgrounds, music and Foley to create the full audio picture.

You can chose to record additional sound on location at the time if you wish or do it later once you know what is needed for the scene, you can also use a sound effects library too and get a music score recorded or edit library music if it is required.

Blend all the elements together and you will then get your full audio picture.

 

[Josh Bass]

I'm no expert by any means but from what I understand, regarding dialogue, the idea is to KILL all the other sounds in the room when recording. You DON'T want to hear that newspaper crinkle. You DON'T want to hear that cup set down on the table. You DON'T want to hear footsteps. There are tricks to aid with this. . .wet the newspaper a little just enough so it doesn't crinkle. . .put napkins or something between the cup and the table. Have actors take off shoes if possible or walk on something soft, etc. Not always possible to do, but as much as you can.

 

[Nickpickles]

I understand the best way to record dialogue is to use a unidirectional condenser mic positioned as close to the actor's mouth as possible, to pick up the cleanest dialogue.

The best way to record dialogue might be a different mic each time. This is where a trained location sound person comes in handy. There's a lot of factors to this, including set, how wide the shot is, outside factors, the actor's voice characteristics, etc.

My question is, what about all the other sounds around the room? the coffee mug, clothes movement, footsteps? Do we just take whatever the boom picks up, even if it's not aimed at the correct location, then replace sounds that weren't picked up well enough with foley? And how do you create a stereo mix if everything's picked up with one mic? Or do you have a second mic on set for all location sound, and create a mix in post?

It can be foley, it can be one or more mics picking these elements up, it can sometimes get picked up on lavs. Depending on the situation, I might be using more than one mic at a time on a location, mixing those sounds live, then collection more sounds to add in later. We might do SFX recording in the field or at a more controlled place. A stereo mix from the field is not required as so much work will/should be done in post. If you heard what the raw boom/lav mixes sounded like before mixing on a film you'd be surprised. Post is "where the magic happens".

Also- what if it's a scene with no dialogue. Say for example I have an actor walking down the street. What is the best way to pick up the location sounds that can be seen in shot? (E.g. kids running past, cars zooming by, a loud truck that drives past? Do I take the boom mic down to the street and aim it in the same direction as the camera, or is there a different mic setup for this type of thing? Also - would the method differ if it's a long shot or a close up?

This can vary so much and can be limited by budget, time, or other constraints. Generally speaking, though, you won't be aiming the boom in the same direction as the camera. If I need footsteps for an actor I might do an overhead boom, I might just point it at the feet- it all depends.

Sorry to be a bit vague but there are seriously so many factors that contribute to good location recording that there is no "one size fits all" solution. If you have the time and energy, experiment and see what works. Read up on everything you can on the subject and keep asking questions- you're on the right track.

 

[Noiz2]

There is actually a bunch of info on all this in the stickies.

Big budget films and most experienced filmmakers work hard to not record anything but dialog during production. A lot of new filmmakers think they are saving time trying to record everything at once, this is almost always a bad idea.

The biggest reason technically to record only dialog is you need it to be clear and free of extra sounds so A) you can understand it and B) so you are not hamstrung in the edit by sounds you have to cut around.

The biggest reason artistically is that unless your film takes place on a lowbudget film set you are going to be recording the wrong sounds if you record while shooting.

I think you are also mixing up Foley (it is always capitalized) which is a very specific technique for creating sync sounds and sound FX, which are not Foley.

You will probably not do any real Foley on a micro budget film. Even big films generally don't do a lot of Foley.

But to your question, yes all of the sounds except the dialog are added in post. It is done that way because it gives the picture editor flexibility and because it lets you create the world that your story takes place in rather than getting stuck with chopped up sounds from where you shot the film.