ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

11 years, 5 months ago - Daniel Cormack

In one word: YES!

Sound is too often overlooked. It can be as basic as the dialogue being audible (this is a surprisingly common problem, given the acoustics of some cinemas and the exigencies of independent film production). But even if it is audible, then it still sounds amateurish and unless you're doing a sort of 'found footage', this-is-supposed-to-have-been-shot-on-a-mobile-phone-within-the-internal-reality-of-the-story type set up. If you've got good quality sound you can always dirty it up, but it's harder to do things the other way round.

11 years, 5 months ago - Ian Barbour

5 days into this thread, I'm curious to know... do you have your footage yet? And if so, is it what you need? Will it stand up when viewed side by side with others going for the same roles? If you're still trying to piece it together, contact me at ian@dropkickfilms.com. I may be able to help with very short turn around time.

11 years, 5 months ago - Ryan Say

It's always best to do sound externally, but if you don't want to deal with that there are other ways.
Buy an iRig (Amazon it) and then download an app like MoviePro. This combo allows you monitor your audio aurally and visually. Depending on your mic, it sounds more than passable.

11 years, 5 months ago - simon hornett

For a showreel I would invest in quality shots. Dump the iPhone and get a DSLR operator and a recordist. A little time and care will go a long way to making something worthwhile that will show your talents off and get you better work.
Failing that the cheapest, okay, so so external recorder is a H2n. http://www.zoom.co.jp/products/h2n

As a sound recordist for film and tv I would be very distressed with the final sound but in this circumstance it may be fine.
Also if you have two iPhones then there is an app from Rode that you could record sound onto the phone. You will need a rode lapel mic that plugs into the top of the phone. http://www.rodemic.com/software/roderec

This will be much better than a mic on the floor but still has it's disadvantages.

Failing that get a recordist.

11 years, 5 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

The sound recording on all phones and even pretty much all camcorders ducks badly. Best bet is (assuming you don't get a recordist to do the job) something like a zoom Handy which you can position just outside the shot frame, then sync in post. If you've ever wondered why people use clapper boards/slates with take numbers visually and audibly recorded, it's for this reason. The sticks clapping make it easier to sync in post. Pretty much all the movies you've ever seen are shot with separately recorded audio.

11 years, 5 months ago - Clive Bates

I agree with Paddy, use a clapperboard, number it and announce the number on the audio so that it can be married up in post. The audio from the phone may be dreadful... use someone who can be a sound recordist/boom operator for you, it is well worth it. Trust me I have worked as a 2nd Assistant Cameraman and now as an Editor... Good luck!

11 years, 5 months ago - Deva Palmier

You can always clap your hands in frame to sync your sound, which you can cut out later. A steady sharp clap. Paddy is right you need separate sound. Then bring everything together with an editing tool.
I'm shooting with an iphone at the moment and I really love the quality. If you can colour grade the picture in Final Cut Pro - even better.
Good Luck!
Best, Deva