Camera Workshop 3 with Fergus: sound experimentation.

 Camera Workshop 3 With Fergus
Sound experimentation

The aim of our 3rd camera workshop with Fergus was to get a better outlook on how to maximise the quality of sound for our projects. 

we had a look at the differences between the directional microphones and their attachments. First we had a look at the Rode directional Microphone. Fergus showed us how to correctly set up the mic to the right channel so you wouldn't end up selecting the 'internal' mic. External mic should always be selected once using the Rode mics.

After experimenting with the 'Dead cat' we then went onto using the "dead wombat' on a boom pole. The boom pole was very fiddly at first and I still believe I need more practice with it because when I first set it up, It was unsturdy and kept sliding down. Ferg later illustrated the correct way of securing it and it turned out I hadn't been tightening the right part. After this, I then went onto practicing with my partner Josh, trying to tell the difference between using the dead wombat and without. 

Whilst testing both, I noticed that the dead wombat made such a difference. You could still here the background noises but it illuminated most of them enabling you to create a focus on the subject speaker. - This is something that I'm going to need for my production. I especially liked how crisp and clear the sound was from these Rode mics. they were much better than I thought they were going to be so Im excited to use these for my production. 

Josh and I also experimented with the Lapel microphones (clip mics/radio mics). 
Personally I don't think I will be using these microphones for my production because I don't really like the quality of them. They aren't as clear as the Rode mics and they sound fuzzy in my opinion.

Here is a short video I have compiled to illustrate the differences between the attachments on the mics.

After reviewing the footage I came to realise a few things. It is so important to get the levelling right when working with these external microphones because it can be a real disappointment when you go to edit and the sound is almost inaudible simply because the volume meter for the channel could've been turned up a little more. That is what happened to me and whilst listening to the footage with headphones I realised it came out of one side more than others. Im not to  sure why it does this though, maybe it has something to do with the positioning of the microphone?. Another point about positioning would be to hold the microphone as close as possible to the subject consistently without getting it in shot. You can tell when the mic has been drastically moved from the subject as the sound sounds dimmer. You can't always tell right there with the headphones, especially if you're working within a noisy background but there are ways of limiting inconsistent sound. all of which I will be taking on board for my productions. 

Sound is such an important part of the videos that we're gonna have to make and I really hope I learn to pull it off well. because theres nothing worse than spending a  whole day shooting then realising you've made a big mistake with the sound. There are so many elements to consider and master and it is my aim to do so. 

Part 2

After practicing inside, the next task was to go outside and film on location. experimenting with various shots. Sound wasn't the focus but the idea of this task was to get a feel of how different it is shooting inside (controlled environment) and shooting outside (uncontrollable environment).We had to treat it like a serious shoot and take into consideration all the health and safety hazards that come with working in an uncontrollable environment. As me and my partner were working on a very bumpy and slightly muddy ground, there were lots of health and safety issues we noticed whilst trying to conduct a shoot. 

Here is an image of the environment we chose to work in. We were both instantly drawn to this background because of the creepy nature of it. There were ropes hanging from a tree and an old abandoned building with green moss growing on the outside. 

So for my sequence, I decided to not have any sound in it and to only focus on the nature and my surroundings with a variety of shots. I had my subject walk around and explore it.


Here is the sequence I made;   

What I learnt working outside  was that there are so many things you need to take into consideration. Josh did I did a sweep of the path he would be walking on to make sure it was safe and that there wasn't any health hazards around. There was a hole and we found a piece of old wood that we were able to cover it with but even though we took some safety precautions, whilst following josh and filming, I still felt nervous because of how bumpy it was. There was a time where I actually tripped on a little piece of nettle that we hadn't seen during the sweep. It just made me realise how important it is to carry to full risk assessments when filming on location in order to illuminate the possibilities of kit getting damaged as well as actors and crew. 

Fergus watched from a distance whilst I shot josh's sequence in order to see how well we worked together and to give us feedback on what he thought we could've improved on.

He said the same things that I thought; we needed to pay closer attention to the surroundings and not just 'wing it' when filming. We filmed Josh's sequence in one take and that involved me following him a all over the little field. Some of the places that we went to hadn't been swept either so it was a little bit dangerous to do so but we later realised this when fergus brought it to our attention eve further. he just stressed how better it is to plan a shoot. I agree with this as you'll be able to get safer and better results from a shoot.