Audio & Video Production Basics
Brett Atwood
Microphones
Microphones can be extremely fragile Do not blow or tap into them Do not drop them or throw them
around
Popping the “P’s”
Announcing words that emphasize p, b, or t sounds naturally produce a sharp puff of air
This can result in a pop or thumb in your recording if you speak too close to the microphone
A windscreen on the mic can help
Windscreens
Foam ball-shaped accessory for the microphone
Used to reduce unwanted sounds
Dynamic Microphones
Contains a mylar diaphragm attached to a small coil surrounding a tiny fixed magnet.
When sound wave strikes, the diaphragm vibrates.
A tiny voltage is generated based on the interaction between the magnet and coil.
Microphone Pickup Patterns
General Mic Tips
Get your microphone as close to the source as possible.
Even directional microphones pick up a little sound from most directions, so the closer the better - as long as you're not getting negative effects (plosives, mouth noises, etc)
General Mic Tips
Eliminate the Competition: Think about the OTHER sounds in the room where you are recording. Two main sources of unwanted sound are: noise : this can be the noisy air conditioner,
traffic outside, crowds in the hall. ambience : may be the "live nature" of the
room you're in, the unwanted echo. Do what you can to eliminate the problem
and place your mic as close to your subject as possible.
Lighting
Three purposes of lighting:Provide adequate illumination for the
picture to be processed correctly by the camera
To tell us what the objects on the screen look like, including space/depth relationships and time of day
To establish the mood of a scene
Hard and Soft Light
“Hard Light” – Very pronounced; Directional; Casts strong shadows
“Soft Light” – Light is diffused/spread out; less shadows People look better
with soft lights
Directional vs. Diffused Light
Example:
Directional Diffused
Directional light
Hard light casts a sharp, clearly defined shadow.
When hard light is used to illuminate a face, imperfections in the skin stand out. The result is less than flattering.
But in other applications, such as bringing out the texture in leather, or the engraving on a piece of jewelry, this can be an advantage.
Diffused light
Soft (diffused) light has the opposite effect.
It tends to hide surface irregularities and detail.
Diffusers are used over the front of lights to soften and diffuse their beams. At the same time, diffusers also reduce the intensity of light.
Soft Lighting
Since soft light is more scattered, you may need more light
Soft light may be created using bounced lighting Light source hits
subject indirectly since it bounces off a reflector
How the Camera Works
“White” light reflected off the subject is picked up by camera lens
How the Camera Works
A beam splitter fragments light into Red, Green, and Blue signals Each signal is sent to a respective color
pickup tube or chip
How the Camera Works
Camera converts light into electrical signals that reproduce original imageBright parts of the image create a larger
chargeDarker parts of the image create a
lesser charge Photosensitive imaging device within
the camera encodes the scene into stream of electric impulses that become the video signal
Imaging Devices
The heart/guts of your camera is the Imaging Device
Imaging Device = transducer thatconverts one form of energy intoanotherExample: CCD
Imaging Devices
Imaging device in studio cams usually based on pickup tube or CCD (charge-coupled device)
CCD is usually cheaper than pickup tube Amount of CCDs or pickup tubes
determines the quality…and price3CCD vs. CCD cameras
CCD
- An integrated circuit (computer chip)
Contains photosensitive “pixels” on the surface of the chip
Light hits the rectangular pixels
Each pixel emits electric signal when struck by light
White Balance
White Balance – Used to balance the color of your shot.Point the camera at a white object
(piece of blank paper or white wall)Object should be in the same light that
you will use in shootingPress “white balance” button to adjust
the sensitivity of the camera to the current light source
White Balance
An improperly white balanced camera can cause your video to appear yellow, greenish or reddish or yellower than it should.
Example: Bad (Top image) Good (Bottom
image)
White Balance
If you move the camera into different light or the light source changes, then you will need to redo the white balance setting
Some cameras do automatically re-balance the white
Establishing Shots
Many directors follow this simple formula: First scene shot: Wide,
establishing shot to orient the viewer
Second scene shot: Closer proximity to main subject
Third shot: Main subject
Camera Angles
Use angles to keep the production interesting
Angles can be used to manipulate audience perception
High Camera Angle
Positions the camera above eye level
Camera shoots down at subject
Used to show overview of area
Used to make subject appear smaller
Low Camera Angle
Positions the camera below eye level
Camera shoots up toward the subject
Used to give sense of power to subject
Canted Angle
Camera is tilted on a horizontal plane
Used to convey sense of excitement or instability
Simply tilt the camera to achieve this effect
Use this sparingly
Subjective Camera Angle
Places the camera in the place of a character to show us a scene from their viewpoint
Also known as point-of-view shot (POV)
Used to engage viewers in the action
Capturing Motion
You should always consider the path of moving subjects and, generally, leave space in front of them into which they can move.
Capturing Motion
If you don't, here's what can happen! This jogger looks like she's going to run right out of the frame.
Capturing Motion
By placing the subject in the lower-left position, we've used the rule of thirds and given the jogger plenty of room to run within the frame.