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Chapter 11 Sound Production for the Visual Media

Audio adds a great deal to any visual production. In video production, for example, some have estimated that audio supplies 80 percent of the information and that the video image supplies only 20 percent. Audio recordists who are preparing material to be used with images need to take the picture into account. The most common type of microphone holder used for visual media production is one that is hardly ever used for radio or other audio-only productions. Some large-scale productions, such as musical reviews, use perambulator booms, which are movable platforms that can move the mic in, out, up, down, and various other directions. Continuity and perspective are two concepts that play a larger role in visual productions than in audio-only productions. The simplest way to record sound for video is to plug the end of the microphone cable into the camera and record the sound on the tape or hard drive that is part of the camera assembly.

11.8 Continuity and Perspective

Maintaining Perspective

Keep perspective during a production. People who are arriving should sound far away at first and then nearer. The best way to accomplish this is for talent to walk away or toward the microphone, if there is room. Perspective can be less convincingly achieved by simply changing the volume of the signal.

11.12 Recording Music

Timing Sheet

A timing sheet is given to a composer and indicates places in the production that need music. You can download a sample and a fillable form below.

Example Fillable

11.16 Post Production Considerations

Sweetening

Sweetening is used to clean up sounds, fix sound gaffs and also to change the feeling, tone or impact of recorded sound. In this example, the unsweetened helicopter has been sweetened to give it a more menacing ‘after the fall of civilization’ feel.

Unsweetened Helicopter

Sweetened Helicopter

Spotting Sheet

Spotting sheets are often used as a guide for sound effects. You can download a sample and a fillable form below.

Example Fillable

11.17 Final Mix

Cue Sheet

A cue sheet is used for the final sound mix. It indicates to the audio technicians where they should bring in and take out sounds. You can download a sample and a fillable form below.

Example Fillable

Projects

Project 2: Record Sound for a Video Project

Download the music project files Download the sound effect project files Download the project specific files

Click above to navigate to the Project files folder, where you will find an animated video file with no sound. In this project, create sound to accompany the action in the video. Note the file location if you wish to import it directly into your application.

Please note: The music and sound effect project files only need to be downloaded once and used for all projects.

Quiz

Chapter 10
Location Sound Recording
Chapter 12
Internet Radio and Other Distribution Platforms