How to record the best sound in film and television production

Good audio material is really a fortune for movie audio, and to get good audio, we must start with live recording. Generally speaking, in live film recording, the key work is to pick up the dialogue of actors. In order to ensure the quality of dialogue recording and facilitate the later sound production to achieve the overall artistic effect required by the film, attention should be paid to the improvement of dialogue clarity, intelligibility and signal-to-noise ratio when recording on site.

1 live recording

First, dual systems are preferred, regardless of whether the camera can record or not.

Of course, it is also very convenient to record the sound directly on the camera, and there is no need to synchronize the clappers, and there is no need to align the position before post-editing. There is always sound in the image file. I can't find the movie file or the sound file. Of course, the camera is an image capture device, and it has also made great progress in the past few years in terms of sound performance. However, compared with professional recording equipment that has also made great progress, it is always dwarfed. For example, 24-bit resolution, no compression and sampling frequency as high as 96KHz (even 192KHz) are invisible on the camera.

Although the bit of 16 seems to be enough, theoretically, the dynamic range of 24 bits of 144dB is not needed. Indeed, the played 16 bit is enough, but in the process of recording, it is always rare to use 16 bit accurately and completely. 24 bits provide a broad space for the dynamic range of recording, so that post-production does not have to hit a wall everywhere. Another advantage: dual system recording means that there is no need to pull a bunch of wires for the camera. Photographers don't have to worry about accidentally making mistakes in recording settings.

Second, professional boom operators.

In the recording work, we should first put the microphone in the best position. In the synchronous recording of shooting, in order to prevent the microphone from appearing in the picture, we should try to keep the microphone close to the sound source. Boom man is the first key to successful recording. The microphone is misplaced, and the sound engineer can do nothing but worry. Unless he does it himself, he will become Booman. But if the sound engineer has to deal with other jobs, Booman should have full-time staff, not only full-time, but also experienced.

He must understand sound phenomena, preferably acoustics. You should also understand the microphone, and you should also understand the relationship between light and shadow. It is not that the microphone should not appear, and the shadow of the microphone and boom cannot appear. He must be like a flexible cat, moving quietly and silently, without tripping over wires or tracks, or bumping into a camera rocker or tripod. He must also hold the fishing rod high for a long time like an athlete, just as soldiers used to practice spearing.

Third, don't think that post-production can fix everything.

It has been more than 80 years since the sound film came out, but the same mistakes have happened again and again. The importance of sound is always behind the image. So as long as the picture is ok, the sound problem can be solved later. The car outside the picture made noise and was "repaired" by the later computer. As a result, I had to go back to the recording studio and spend a lot of manpower and time doing a job that only needed to be filmed again at the shooting scene. Everything, as long as there is no background noise.

Fourth, playing the board and recording.

Slamming is very important for the production of dual systems without time code. Shooting content can not only make the camera shoot the record of the clapper, but also read and record these contents at the beginning of the file, which is of great help to file management. It's easy to edit by yourself. The problem is how to explain things clearly when you give your materials to an editor you have never met.

Fifth, the collection of environmental sound.

Be sure to collect enough ambient sound before shooting, and there should be no obvious and easily recognizable sudden sound. Staff, please keep quiet. If there is unacceptable high noise in the environment, clean it up before shooting. Maybe it's the sound of air conditioning, maybe the live performance of the band next door, maybe the traffic, maybe the sound of water and the wind. ......

Sixth, wireless wheat is not a lifesaving elixir.

Wireless is a magical choice. In the era when everything has been wireless, wireless wheat seems to be taken for granted. However, the digital TV broadcasting channels in the United States have turned many radio stations into waste, and the invisible wireless signals in the air will make the sound of radio stations unusable. You must be prepared. What if the wireless microphone doesn't work? Today's small high-performance tape recorders are smaller than wireless pocket machines, which may be one of the tools you can use.

Seventh, there is no such thing as "superelevation pointing to wheat"

Let's just say. If you compare a microphone to a lens, you can only choose fisheye, super wide angle and small wide angle.

Gun Mike = long lens? Don't be silly, the gun-shaped wheat can only be compared to a small wide angle at best. And unlike images, sounds can be framed. If you heard it, it is almost certain that the microphone heard it, too. Therefore, the microphone must be closer than the camera. Yes, you can get closer.

Frequently asked questions

First, I hope to make up the record in the future?

It is often said that "we can record the sound later". Using ADR, the steps are as follows: the actor first listens to the recorded dialogue, and then makes the dialogue into corresponding fragments through the high-quality microphone in the recording studio to compress and equalize the sound. But the whole process needs to invest countless time and money, not counting the recording of background sound.

Second, the importance of recording engineer?

If there is only one person at the scene, it must be the sound engineer. Actually, the sound engineer is more experienced and knows what to listen to. His job is to "listen" and he knows what post-production needs.

Third, all the work is given to the sound engineer?

Just as a person in a restaurant can cook, serve and wash dishes at the same time, a sound engineer can perform many tasks such as recording, mixing and dubbing for budget reasons. However, each job requires different skills. Take mixed recording as an example. To accomplish this task, it is best to hire professionals with recording and broadcasting rooms, at least with audio rooms.

Fourth, use unprofessional microphones?

If so, why not use the mobile phone camera to shoot and record movies directly? It's just that if every microphone can do it, why do some microphones need 1 10,000 yuan, while others only need 180 yuan? It is not surprising that recording studios have different types of microphones. If you want to record high-quality live recordings, you must choose the appropriate microphone type. Strong directional microphone is suitable for outdoor scenes, finger microphone is suitable for indoor scenes, and non-directional microphone can be used for smaller indoor scenes. The stronger the directivity of the microphone, the stronger the ability to selectively receive the front sound, and the higher the signal-to-noise ratio.

5. Underestimate the influence of location?

When you check the location, it is professional to take Andhadhun with you, because he knows what to do to record the best sound effect. If a room has no windows or furniture, it is easy to produce echoes, which makes it difficult to record and edit sounds. Remember: there are echoes in the recording that you can hardly eliminate, but they are easy to add.

6. Recording music or background noise at the same time?

How ridiculous it would be if the gunshots passed, but there was noise! Once the background sound enters the dialogue, it is impossible to eliminate it. But if there is only dialogue, you can easily add background music and necessary noise. The less noise in your conversation, the better for post-production.

Seven, we don't need independent vocal cords?

If you edit the dialogue, leave a time gap between two dialogues, or combine the dialogues in two different shots, it is likely that the background sound will be slightly different, and once it is captured by the audience, it will definitely distract their attention from the plot. To avoid this situation, it is best to record an environmental audio track, that is, before or after shooting, the scene is quiet for one minute to record the environmental sound, so that there is a neutral environmental sound, which can solve your troubles.

Anyone can operate the microphone?

Professional microphone boom operators know what to do and, most importantly, what not to do. When your hand moves on the boom, you may touch the XLR interface line, and these small sounds will be recorded with the conversation. The microphone is very sensitive, and any sound made by movement will be recorded. Therefore, the microphone operator must wear headphones, so that he can only hear the recorded sound without being disturbed by the live sound.

9. Overlapping recorded dialogues?

Sometimes it is necessary to change a dialogue separately, or take a dialogue from another shot, so that the dialogue can't be recorded overlapping. A good way to avoid overlapping recording is to let the actors record separately, which increases the difficulty but reduces the post-production work.

Use a song privately and then find a way to get the copyright afterwards?

The copyright issue of music is very common. If your movie needs a special song, especially when your actors are going to cover it, be sure to get the copyright of the song before shooting, or prepare a spare song. Because if you can't get the copyright, you may have to shoot again or give up.

2 home microphone recording

Good tools:

A good microphone and a good audio interface are important foundations for good recording. You don't need a wheat worth tens of thousands, but a good wheat does play a lot of roles. The audio interface needs a clear preamplifier to reduce the noise entering the recording. Your recording software is better, so as to avoid the delay. Before you start recording, take some time to get to know your tools.

Correct recording format:

You need to decide in advance which recording format you want to use. Don't expect good results if you record at 8bit and 8000khz. The best format for recording is wav or aiff. Use the settings of 44 100khz and 16bit to get the best quality (this is the minimum setting for good quality, you can set a higher value). We have always advised against recording in mp3 format, because this format cannot capture the complete original audio spectrum. However, if you must record in mp3 format, please use a setting not less than 320kpbs.

Placement of wheat:

In order to capture the complete sound wave range of audio, the distance between microphone and mouth should be appropriate when recording. Our experience starts at 9 inches. If you get too close, you may record breathing or something. If it is too far away, the recorded sound will sound dull and weak. At the same time, you need to use the blowout preventer to filter out the breathing sound and the "B" and "P" blasting sound. These blasting sounds are difficult to solve in post-processing.

Attention level:

Make sure your recording level is in the green range! This is very important, because once your audio starts to be clipped (the signal level exceeds 0 db, that is, it turns red), your recording will have a very troublesome distortion, which cannot be handled later. However, the level should not be too low, because it will lead to more noise in the signal. An appropriate level of -6db to -4db is a good starting point. Pay close attention to the recording level during the whole recording process.

Don't try to solve it by post-processing:

Don't drag mistakes to the mixing and mastering stage to delete them. Audio can be modified in the later stage of post-production, but the result of modification still depends on the quality of the original audio. Good recording = good mixing, and vice versa.

Noise-Your Enemy:

Make sure that the fan and air conditioner are turned off. Close all the doors and make sure your neighbor's dog doesn't bark. Keep a certain distance from the computer when recording to minimize the noise of the CPU fan. Always put the microphone on the stand, which can minimize the noise generated by manual operation.

Keep the pitch:

Many devices will be out of tune when recording, so it is very important to re-tune. When singing, don't think that automatic tuning can solve all problems. A good recording with perfect pitch needs several attempts, but it's worth it.

Recording dry sound:

It is best to record all human voices and instrumental sounds without any automatic effect. So you can have more flexibility in post-production. Once you use an additional effect in the recording, it will become a permanent feature of this audio and cannot be deleted later. If you want to use any effect, use it as little as possible.

Train your mind and ears:

How good your ears are, how good your recording will be. Listen to some good recordings or advertising recordings and compare them with your own recordings. How do they sound and feel compared with your recordings? If you are not satisfied with your recording effect, you can do some experiments, watch more tutorials and learn with your own tools and recording equipment. There is no shortcut to gain experience and knowledge.

3 recording studio

Singing in the studio is very different from ordinary stage performances. The first is to adjust hearing. Because when we are performing, Andhadhun will add reverberation, echo, delay and other effects to our voice-in layman's terms, the so-called karaoke effect will give us better sound texture, sound intensity and smooth sound lines. In the recording studio, the purpose is to correct and beautify the sound on the basis of recording it. For example: the voice that is too stuffy can be brighter; Too hard sound can be softened; You can try to turn the sound up as loud and light as usual. Especially now, digital music workstations are widely used. It can easily cut, paste and delete sounds like words in word processing software ... and even record them word by word.

Here are two tips for everyone:

1, when recording, you can ask Andhadhun to add a little effect to your monitor headphones's voice, so that you won't be at a loss and play badly because of the great hearing difference. Rest assured, at this time, the voice input into the computer is still in the original sound state, without any modification;

2. In order to meet the requirements of recording in the studio, you can try to turn off reverberation, echo, delay and other effects or try to adjust them to the minimum when you sing at home in advance, so that your ears can get adaptive training, so that when you go to the studio again, you will have a good attitude and won't be too nervous.

Basic knowledge of recording in film and television production

1. Video sound source

The sound source in film and television works of art, such as movies and television, is different from natural sound source. It is not a simple copy of natural sound source, but an artistic sound source that matches the picture after selection and processing. It is usually divided into three categories: language, effect and music.

A. Language sound source is the most basic sound source in film and television sound source, which contains clear information. Among the language sound sources, the most common form of dialogue appears. Another form is narration (called "narration" in documentaries).

B. Effect sound source All the sounds in the film and television sound source except the language sound source and the music sound source belong to the effect sound source. Including life effects, production effects, animal effects, combat effects, natural effects and special effects.

C. Music sources are divided into vocal music and instrumental music.

It is very important for sound engineers to understand the mechanism of these three sound sources.

2. Film and television sound field

Film and television sound field is an artistic sound field that selects, refines, processes and processes the natural sound field, or an artificial sound field based on the natural sound field. It is divided into indoor sound field and outdoor sound field.

The sound field of film and television recording is the natural sound field (mostly natural effects) during the same period of recording, the artificial sound field during the later recording language and dubbing.

The sound field of film and television changes with the change of environment and scene, and sometimes it is necessary to add some special effects, such as reverberation, delay, doubling, edge and so on.

To evaluate the sound quality of a movie, on the one hand, we should examine the technical quality of sound, on the other hand, we should examine the artistic quality of sound. Technical quality is measured by many factors such as timbre, dynamic range and clarity of sound, while artistic quality is reflected by a series of factors such as distance, space, environment and dynamics of sound.

3. Work as a sound engineer

Our country adopts the sound recording engineer responsibility system, and has been involved in the work since the film preparation period, mastering the control of sound. European and American countries adopt the responsibility system of multiple recording engineers, including simultaneous recording engineers, music recording engineers, recording engineers, sound designers, mixing recording engineers and so on. * * * Finish a movie.

Preparatory period:

A: Make a recording plan. According to the script, make the sound idea of synchronous recording for each scene.

B: The key to the success of synchronous recording lies in whether the sound field is properly selected and handled by the sound engineer. Therefore, when determining a scene, the sound engineer should consider whether there are any problems in scene selection, such as inevitable interference.

C: Actor selection: If an actor stutters or swallows, the sound engineer should give his opinion.

D: The main recording devices are: tape recorder, mixer, microphone (MIC), monitor headphones, magnetic tape, etc.

E: A recording team can be composed of one person or several people. Usually, a recording engineer needs more than one assistant.

Shooting cycle:

At the shooting scene, the main tasks of the sound engineer are: to determine the selection, setting and wiring of the microphone; Audio-visual rehearsal through headphones; Master the recording volume when shooting; Judge whether the recording quality is qualified.

Post production:

A: Transcription transfers sound signals from a 6.25mm magnetic tape to a 35mm magnetic disk.

B: Sound painting scissors.

C: change the vocal cords. Non-conforming dialogue or action sounds need to be re-dubbed in the recording studio.

D: Mixed recording includes language recording, audio recording, music recording, mixed recording and optical recording.

When movies are shown, optical copies are used, and sound and pictures are printed on optical materials. Therefore, after the mixed recording of the film is approved, the sound signal will be transcribed from the mixed recording magnetic base to the optical vocal cords. This work is called "turning light", and the optical vocal cords after turning light are called "optical sound base", and this optical sound base will be printed in future copies.

At this point, the film recording process is over, and the development and printing work will be completed by the development and printing department.

The Application of Music and Sound Effects in Film and Television Production

Film and television production is inseparable from themes, pictures and sounds. The production of music and effect sound is an important part of film and television program production. The good use of music and sound effects will give people a powerful shock and make people feel relaxed and interesting. The successful production of music and sound effects will make the finishing touch and icing on the cake for film and television programs. Music and effect sound are the supplements of pictures in movies and TV plays, and vivid pictures will become bright spots only with appropriate music and effect sound. Sound effects, language dialogue and music in film and television art are interdependent and integrated with each other. Music and sound effects are not only auxiliary forms to meet the needs of film and television production, but also enrich the art of film and television, sublimate film and television programs into visual and auditory arts, and increase the aesthetic feeling of film and television programs. How to use music and sound effects correctly to make the film and television programs more vivid and realistic? This is the focus of my writing this article.

First, the importance of music in film and television production

Music is a form of music that regulates and enriches people's emotions. Music is mainly an art that touches the main rhythm of notes and music and reflects people's real life emotions. Film and television music is to match the vivid theme music in film and television works. Since the advent of audio movies, a lot of music has been added to the production of general film and television programs, which not only satisfies the audience's auditory enjoyment, but also makes it easier for the audience to enjoy the movies because of the guidance of music. Film and television programs fully embody various rhythm functions, such as audience's subjective rhythm, objective rhythm, director's psychological rhythm and audience's psychological rhythm and so on. Only music, a special art form, and film and television programs are unified and integrated in rhythm. To some extent, music is irreplaceable in the production of film and television programs. Music created for film and television programs is an important part of the comprehensive art of film and television. Its performance is gradually perceived by the audience with the screening of film and television programs by combining recording technology with dialogue and sound effects. As an art, music can enhance and deepen people's feelings about the content of the program while accepting the visual image. If film and television music exists independently from the picture, it will lose the comprehensive function of audio-visual integration. Although music is not an indispensable part of film and television programs, it is an important part of film and television programs.

Second, the importance of effect sound in film and television programs

Effect sounds can be divided into two categories: natural sounds and artificially created sounds. Some sound effects can be obtained from nature or live broadcast; However, some sounds can't be made on the spot or the radio reception is not good, so the sound engineer should dub them afterwards. In order to make film and television programs more exciting, they are usually equipped with sound effects. The effect sound is like a person, telling his different emotions in different ways. A few pieces of music can express a sad atmosphere or tense plot; The sound of horses' hooves and trains can stimulate emotions more, which can be used as a description of the plot. Effect sound can also help actors beautify their movements and strengthen their body and facial expressions; Before the story reaches its climax, the effect itself can also contribute to the brewing of the atmosphere. In addition to strengthening the contrast of joy, anger, sadness and joy, the effect sound can also be used to explain the time, time, identity and place of the characters.

Third, the application skills of music and effect sound in film and television programs

In film and television production, there are generally two ways to score music: one is theme music, which highlights its own system. Except for the beautiful theme music, it is often not helpful to the plot development in the film. The other is musical drama, which imitates Wagner's musical drama, uses the dominant motivation to create the basic sound form according to the characteristics or an idea of the characters in the film, and develops and changes with the development of the plot. This way of music is very enlightening to the development and change of the plot. There are two extreme and relative concepts for the music of film and television programs: one is to integrate into the structure of the film as much as possible, which is as imperceptible as dubbing; The second is to be as prominent as possible, which makes people feel strongly that these two concepts can produce great power as long as they can skillfully cooperate with the structure of the whole film, and the true meaning of the soundtrack lies in this word.

(1) The conception of music and the production of sound effects should be conceived according to the theme, style, characters and the overall art of the director of the film and television program, so that the auditory image of music can be integrated with the visual image of the picture, reflecting the comprehensive aesthetic principles. We must follow the music and sound effects to realize the coherent development, conflict and climax layout of the program theme, hint at the progress or extension of the plot, and praise and criticize the main characters in the film and television program, which is helpful to clarify the main significance of the film and television program. We must strengthen the movements and psychological activities of characters through music and sound effects, reveal their thoughts and feelings, show their mental outlook and make their images more vivid and touching. The production of music and effect sound must be able to arouse the association of film and television programs in time, space and environment, and strengthen the overall artistic structure of the film.

(2) Music conception and sound effect production must combine dialogue and natural sound effect. In the period of silent film and television programs, sometimes music is the only sound, which runs through the whole movie. Due to the progress of recording technology, in the period of audio film and television programs, in addition to music, language and natural sound effects can also be recorded, which liberated the phenomenon of music overload in the period of silent film and television. Film and television production must proceed from the real needs of film and television programs, stimulate people's auditory feelings through the production of music and sound effects, and express the three-dimensional sense of auditory images more effectively through the ups and downs of melody, harmony and colorful orchestration. Only in this way can we conform to the artistic laws of music and effect sound and improve the aesthetic function of the comprehensive art of film and television programs. Only in this way can music and effect sound really develop into an important organic part of the comprehensive art of film and television.

Today, with the financial crisis erupting at any time and the increasingly fierce competition among industries, skill is the survival rule of many film and television works. If a movie or a program is to attract people's attention, it is necessary to combine pictures and sounds effectively. The application of music and effect sound must complement each other with the content of the program, pursue more ideal artistic goals, and improve the audience's auditory effect through careful production. The application of music and effect sound must find a reasonable structure, choose the best way, produce the best effect and play the best function.