Editing and Sound

180 Degree Rule Review CW14 CW14

Montage Definitions Soviet montage theory is an approach to understanding and creating cinema that relies heavily upon editing In classical Hollywood cinema, a "montage sequence" is a short segment in a film in which narrative information is presented in a condensed fashion.

Montage Blue Velvet Psycho Raging Bull Citizen Kane

Montage Technique Camera needs to move anywhere from 25 to 45 degrees in order to make a smooth transition When moving through different symbolic shots—it is important to change up the angles and image sizing Think about visual impact

Sound Recording Video is on the screen, but sound is everywhere! People can become engrossed in scenes with shaky camera or possibly bad lighting, but if the sound is bad you lose your audience Also, if sound peaks—over- modulates it is unusable

What is sound? Sound is energy that travels through a medium like air as a wave When something makes a sound, it causes molecules of the air to vibrate, i.e. to alternately bunch together (compress) and to move apart (rarefy)

Ears and Brain When sound waves hit your ear, they cause your ear drum to vibrate, which in turn sends nerve impulses to your brain. This allows you to perceive the vibrations as sound

Microphone When sound waves hit a microphone, they cause a diaphragm inside the mic to vibrate which generates an electrical current known as the audio signal. This can be sent to an audio recorder

Dynamic Mics Dynamic mics don’t need a battery Rugged Cheap Handle loud sounds Not sensitive to soft sounds

Condenser Mics More sensitive than dynamic mics They have a greater frequency response They need a battery They can’t handle very loud sounds

Dynamic Dynamic microphones use a simple magnet and coil of wire to convert sound waves into a signal. Here’s how it works: a thin diaphragm with a coil of fine wire attached vibrates when struck by sound waves. This causes the coil of wire to move back and forth around a magnet, creating a small amount of electricity, which flows out of the microphone’s connector and through the microphone cable.

Condenser Condenser microphones (sometimes called electret condenser microphones) use an even thinner diaphgragm than the dynamic type stretched tight just above a piece of flat metal or metal-coated ceramic, called a backplate. When a fixed electrical charge is placed on the diaphragm/backplate assembly, its electrical output varies depending on the movements of the diaphragm, which vibrates in response to sound waves. This output signalis extremely weak and subject to outside electrical interference, however, so it must be modified and/or amplified by a circuit called a preamplifier

Balanced Audio Cable XLR (X-linked lymphocyte regulated) cables have 3 pins, a circular connector and are used to deliver balanced microphone and line-level signals over long distances. An XLR cable's ability to deliver a balanced signal means that the final audio signal will have less unwanted noise from outside electrical interferences. This preserves the original audio signal, even over long distances and near other electronic devices.

1/8 to XLR Connector

Zoom mic and Shotgun

Directional Omni-directional Cardioid Shotgun (uni-directional)

Omnidirectional – An omnidirectional microphone picks up sound equally from all directions (the prefix “omni” means “all”). An omni mic will pick up sound from above, below, in front of, behind, and to the side of the mic in a 360 degree sphere. The polar pattern for an omni, accordingly, is roughly circular.

Cardiod: Unidirectional By far the most common type of unidirectional microphone is the cardioid, so named because its polar pattern resembles a heart- shaped figure.

Shotgun Doesn’t zoom in on sounds It narrows the field of sounds it’s sensitive to Cuts out undesirable sounds

Shotgun – Called shotgun because of its shape Supercardioid hypercardioid Significantly less sensitive to sound coming from the side and rear than other directional microphones. A shotgun mic’s extremely directional pickup pattern (called a line/gradient pattern) makes these popular for news gathering, outdoor sports coverage and TV/film production.

Tips Shotgun mics can be positioned slightly above, below, or to the side of the sound source, so that the mic does not appear in the camera frame. Try to avoid aiming the mic at a hard surface, such as a tile floor, brick wall, or hard ceiling. These surfaces reflect sound waves, and may reflect background noise into the microphone or cause the sound to be slightly hollow. A heavy blanket can be placed on a reflective surface to provide some temporary sound absorption. Shotgun mics are more sensitive to wind noise than standard microphones,so try to avoid moving the mic rapidly and use a foam windscreen if possible. Larger “zeppelin” or “blimp” type windscreens are usually necessary outdoors.

Audio Recorders Nagra Digital Audio Recorders

Tips and Tricks Position the mic as close to the source as possible Especially important when recording dialogue The difference between great footage and unusable footage is whether or not the dialogue is well recorded or not Controlled situations are easier to work with

Headphones Always where headphones— preferably ones that cover your ears

Problems with Camera Mics They can’t detach They tend to be omni-directional They pic up sound from the camera

External Mic Using an external mic The camera can be placed for visuals while the microphone can be placed for best possible audio Audio cable noise Keep mic and sound person out of the shot

Lavalier Mic It can be clipped to your subject’s shirt