Sync Sound Session

What I Learned In The Sync Sound Session.

One of the most important things that I learned in the sound session was the use of a clapper board. Having edited sound and footage before, and struggled to sync both together, it was imperative to take notes on the use of the clapper board. Clapping it at the beginning of the shoot, due to the nice, clear, crisp clap sound it makes, will make it easier to sync the audio and the footage together. This is especially useful for the documentary, as each interview will consist solely of talking, which, if synced badly, will stand out. If there is no clapper board available, however, we were taught we could clap with our hands, or knock the boom mic for the same effect.

Another integral part of the session was learning about the various different types of microphones, such as omni-directional, cardioid microphone and directional microphones. For our interviews it is clear that we must use a directional microphone such as a rifle microphone due to the fact that it is better for picking up dialogue as it blocks out all of the sound behind it. If pointed toward the subject, preferably from above, it will remove the noise pollution from outside or around the room, and clearly pick up the dialogue of the interviewee. However, using an omni-directional microphone such as a lavalier microphone would also be effective in picking up a clear voice regardless of whether
the subject is talking directly at or to the microphone itself. Both of these pieces of equipment will be used in our interviews.

It is key that the sound recordings are perfectly made. Should something interrupt a recording such as a car passing by or a person walking into the room, the recording should be made again. We must be prepared to rerecord some of the interview, and ask the interviewee to repeat themselves. This is because while we could easily cut away from a bad shot, a bad piece of audio could ruin the whole documentary.