Recording Screams

J

Jon Goodman

Active member
Hi all,
I have a short film coming up. It's a parody of B grade horror films ( stalker and girls).
The director has mentioned, several times, that he wanted "lots of screams". I wonder if anyone here has any tips for recording screams? Any help would be appreciated.
Cheers
Jon
 
Screams are pretty hard on an actor's vocal chords, so try to get the most out of each take.

Close-mic'ing a scream with a condensor mic may overload the mic, so it would be prudent to back the mic off a bit. To get that up-close and intimate sound, consider setting up a dynamic mic such as a Sennheiser MD421. Two mic's will also give you a better chance of getting a clean take on that first scream.
 
yeah, if you overload the mic, you buggered.

I would probably also try a limiter and compressor if you have available. Cause there is a big difference in dialog and scream volume. But there are guys on here that probably could tell you if that is a good aproach or not.

- Derrick
 
Yes, definitely run with a compressor/limiter if you've got one available. I think many small location mixers have built in limiters and you can find some decent compressor/limiters for not too much money. They'll make or break your production if you're doing some weird SFX recordings like that.
 
Compressor is not my preferred way of recording a scream. A limiter, maybe, but make sure the ratio is not high. Use two mics as suggested. Dynamic for the closeup and pull the condensor mic away. As you know, you can't really set the gain the way you want it because the loudness of the scream is uncertain. You can always do a basic yell or scream yourself and set it, hope it'll turn out alright.
 
Borrow (or rent) dynamic mics used to record drums. The Shure SM57 comes to mind. If you blow that mic, you've done something most drummers can't do.
 
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