There are many videographers out there, just starting out, thinking that sound is not as important as the footage. Well, that is WRONG!!! Believe it or not, I used to believe the same thing. I am currently shooting for Xerox and Pandora in San Francisco, and shooting for them reminded me how important it is to have good quality sound!
When shooting interviews, you have to make sure that the interviewee is heard just as well as the interviewer! What is the best way to do this? The best way is to use lapel microphones. Audio Technica makes excellent microphones for a very good price on eBay. I highly suggest buying a few of these microphones if you plan on shooting interviews.
Let’s remember this simple saying…”Footage is half and sound is the other half.” You never want to deliver bad sound but excellent video. You HAVE to be consistent with both, otherwise your client will never hire you again!
If you are going to shoot a wedding, make sure that the people you intend on shooting are microphoned. There is NOTHING worse than shooting a wedding and delivering great footage with bad sound. It has happened to me which is why I am bringing up the wedding example. When this happened to me, I felt so embarrassed because I thought that the footage was the most important part. But boy was I wrong. What was really embarrassing was that the CLIENT TOLD ME THIS. But I WAS THE PROFESSIONAL!!! Or so I thought I was. This happened to me when I first started getting into this kind of business about 7 years ago. Lesson well learned.
So remember, that sound is just as equal to the footage. NEVER FORGET THIS! MY mistakes were brutal, but taught me how to become an excellent cinematographer, and this is what I want for YOU!
