From: "Steve Cottrell"
Even though we used video cameras rather than dslr's, we were taught to
record the audio separately to ensure we got good quality sound. Once
the sound was edited, the video was edited to fit the soundtrack.
When you say record the audio separately I presume you mean to use
microphones and an audio mixer, but what was the medium for recording
the sound?
In most video production the sound is recorded by a microphone(s) and
routed back to the camera using balanced audio and recorded at the same
time as the video, either on tape, optical media, or as is now becoming
more common, solid state.
The point is, DSLRs come with cheapshit 3.5mm unbalanced audio-in ports.
This is totally unsuitable for routing the sound back to the recording
media, especially at professional 48 khz level.
That's why proper video cameras have balanced XLR inputs to take audio
straight from a mic (mic-level) or via a portable mixer (line-level).
On broadcast and feature film drama the sound is often recorded totally
separately onto digital media, increasingly solid state. For most
broadcast applications this is overkill and overly expensive.
DSLRs are used more frequently now but have serious limitations re the
sound as mentioned above. They also can be awkward when used handheld
because they have to 'weight' to them. Smaller 'proper' video cameras
suffer this also, being fidgety and jittery in the hand. Of course, this
may be desirable and even sought after by the director, in which case it
becomes the perfect tool for the job.
Very few professional broadcast productions would use a DSLR as a main
camera, especially with dialogue being recorded, although there are
notable exceptions. More likely to be something like Sony's F-35 for
high budget and F-3 for more modest productions.
News and documentary is drifting away from DVCam and XDCam to solid
state in the form of XDCam EX - namely the PMW-500 hardware.
Video journalists carry PMW-EX1 cameras by the dozen.
That said, if the subject matter warrants it, they'll take footage from
an iPhone if they want and fuck the sound.
Just sayin ;)
The video cameras were JVC GZ-E10 or something similar. It's been two
years since the class & I don't know if JVC has introduced a newer
model. GZ-E10 is what B&H shows as an entry level digital camcorder. The
audio captured by the camera's on board microphone was used for a sync
track.
The school also had a couple of more expensive Sony HandyCams, but those
went to the Photojournalism students.
I was in Portrait Studio Management, and we only got to *look* at the
high-level stuff in class, not actually check it out for hands on.
Audio was captured with a Zoom H4n & a pair of RØde NTG 1 microphones.
The Photojournalism students had access to better audio equipment as well.
I think part of the reason they had us use the equipment they did was
because it was cheap enough so students could afford to buy the same
stuff after graduating if they wanted to continue with video production.
Both the camcorder and the audio recorder took SDHC cards. I used my own
cards so I wouldn't risk someone overwriting my stuff on the school's
equipment before I could transfer it to my permanent storage.
We didn't have a slate, but a notepad, magic marker and "3..2..1..CLAP
(hands) sufficed.
The semester final assignment was to produce a 5 minute interview video
with an 'A' reel, a 'B' reel and supplemental audio. We had preliminary
assignments to allow us to learn the various parts.
The 'A' reel was the entire standup of the interview from start to
finish so the clock would run continuously and the 'B' reel was video
details to fill in the story. The supplemental audio was any sound
"effects", especially those that went along with the video "details" we
captured for the story, along with any background music we chose to add
to resulting video.
I think I've probably forgotten the proper terminology.
We worked in pairs with one student handling video and the other the
audio. The student shooting the video was the Producer/Director/Boss for
the story. The student doing the audio captured the audio the
Producer/Director/Boss decided to have captured.
Once the first student had his/her audio & video captured, we traded off
& the partner became the Producer/Director/Boss so we could collect the
audio & video for his/her story.
We did a rough edit in Final Cut Pro before finalizing the sound track
in Audacity. Then we did a final video edit in Final Cut Pro to make
sure the video was properly synchronized with the audio. Exported it as
a .mov movie and used iMovie to make a DVD with proper professional
looking titles and menus.
I did my story on a guy who had one of those small, itinerant carnivals
that set up in a shopping center parking lot - the cost of buying the
rides & operating them and how the economy had affected his business.
I don't really remember, but I think I got an 'A' in the class.
Which is pretty much why I didn't see the K-01 not having a microphone
jack as a drawback for video.
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