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Sound is one of the most important elements in film and constitutes a super powerful tool to convey stories and ideas.
But recording sound for a short film is not for the faint-hearted.
If you’ve already tried to get good audio for one of your short films you probably know sound can be really unpredictable and hard to get right.
If your film has great sound, proper storytelling, and decent but not too great cinematography you’ll get away with your mistakes.
However, if your short film has amazing visuals but terrible sound film festivals and audiences will lose all interest in it.
So, how do record good audio while filming?
In this guide, I’ll cover how to make a film sound quality better.
Let’s dive into it!
Pre-production: Getting started
Script sound analysis
Before you start doing anything else it’s very important that you start from the beginning and do some good old script analysis.
Once you have the final draft of your short film script analyze every potential sound element you can find in it.
This technique is also called a script breakdown.
It is more commonly used in the art or production department of short films since you are basically spotting elements in a scene to better understand the shooting requirements of a project.
The producer would usually go through the script and identify the elements or props needed for the short and write them down on a list of things to get.
This task is equally important for every single department, including sound.
Why?
Taking into account recording sound for a short film is not an easy task, you’d want to do your prep before starting with the production.
Here are the main things you should be looking at when you do your script sound analysis:
Location and props
Indoor spaces
Every room has a certain atmosphere to it and it filled with its own particular sounds and props.
Is the scene set in a kitchen? Is there a tap running water, a refrigerator buzzing, a clock ticking in the background?
Make sure you keep all of this sounds in mind for when you are shooting since you’ll have to make sure to record them on set.
Everyone hates to get to post-production and realize there’s not enough ambiance takes or specific sounds recorded.
Having enough ambiance sound takes recorded it’s a must for indoor scenes with not a lot of action or dialogue going on, otherwise, your film might seem silent.
Outdoor spaces
If a scene is set in an outdoor space prepare for the worst.
Short film sound recordists often struggle with elements like wind or rain and background noise, so checking the weather forecast and the location beforehand it’s a must.
If a scene is purposely set in rough weather or setting conditions (like a busy street) it doesn’t have to be the end of the world.
The secret is to be prepared and pack a good Deadcat and take ambiance sound takes in case you notice cannot catch the sound right.
2. Dialogue
The main things you’ll need to keep in mind are:
-How many people have dialogue in the scene (This will determine the number of lavalier microphones you’d require)
-How loud or low would they speak (It would influence your sound levels and the protectors needed for your mics)
3. Actions
Actions by themselves are usually fine, even if they’re extreme.
However, if you mix them with dialogue you often come up with a bit of a challenge.
Imagine you have two people fighting scene in which the main character screams at his component as they hit each other.
Would you mic this person to record his dialogue?
Probably not.
The friction would make it impossible for you to capture proper sound, so in one of these cases, you probably want to make sure you grab the dialogue with a shotgun mic from really close in one of the close-ups.
This way, you’d at least have one take with the proper dialogue recorded that you can then use with other shots.
Even though this was just an example, it’s one of the main things you should keep an eye on in your script breakdown.
Actions are very important and drive the story of a film forward so make sure you capture every single one of them in clear detail.
Use the right sound equipment
If you want to record proper sound for your short film, not using your basic sound recording options in your camera is a must.
I’ve covered this topic in detail in my post (Sound equipment for low budget filmmaking). However, this is the main sound equipment you need for your short film and why:
– Lavalier microphones: You’ll need some of these in order to record audio.
They are worn and hidden underneath clothes and they connect to the camera via a cable.
This is definitely the downside of them but they are the cheapest option if you don’t want to get a wireless microphone or separate audio recorder.
Head over to “Best 6 affordable lavalier mics in 2020” for more info.
You might also be interested in my article regarding “How to hide a lavalier microphone”
-Wireless microphones: Even though they are a bit more expensive they are so much worth it.
Your actors won’t have to be surrounded by cables and you’ll get a great sound quality out of them. Every indie filmmaker uses these.
-Directional microphones: These are called shotgun microphones and they are directional super cardioid mics that will isolate background sounds and focus on the sound coming from the front.
If you are on a budget and cannot get any clip-on microphones for your dialogue, a shotgun mic is a must.
You can use them for dialogue and capture the ambiance sound of a scene.
In professional film production, you’ll have a couple of these and wireless mics to cover the dialogue scenes.
In order to use your shotgun mic like a pro, you’ll need to get a boom pole to hold it above an action.
If you are recording an outdoor scene you’ll need a windshield in order to protect the mic against the wind or loud background noises.
Check my articles on “Best 6 shotgun mics and boom poles in 2020” and ” Hold to hold a boom pole without getting tired”.
-Audio recorders: If you don’t use your main camera options to record sound you’ll need to record sound through a separate audio recorder and then sync your sound takes along with the image in your editing program.
Even though it might sound like a challenge this is what you should be doing if you want to get proper sound recordings for your film.
I have a Tascam with professional XLR inputs that will allow us to use several microphone inputs and control your sound levels.
You should also use headphones while you are recording sound since as well as the mic itself you should block all the noises surrounding you and focus on the sound coming from your film.
Have a look at “Best equipment for budget filmmakers” to find out about the best audio recorders.
Test the kit and set sound levels
Screw your shotgun mics into their boom poles and connect it to the audio recorder.
Make sure all devices have their batteries or if not necessary select the option Plug-in Power or +48v to provide power to the mics.
Ask a friend to be your guinea pig for a couple of minutes and ask him/her to speak to you normally while you test your sound.
If you plan on using lavalier or clip-on wireless mics, you should test them too at this stage.
The purpose of this is for you to make sure all your sound equipment is in working order before you step into your production.
You should also set your sound levels to manual and set the automatic gain control off.
If the scale of your controls shows numbers from 1-10 set your meter to around 5 or 6 and adjust them depending on how the meters react to loud of low noise levels.
Control your location
If possible, visit your shooting locations in advance to have a hear in the environment and add some possible challenges to your script sound analysis breakdown list.
Go around the location, stand, and listen.
Write any disturbing noises you feel could interfere with your recording and fix them if possible.
Clapping is a good thing to do in order to spot any echo, the more there is the worst your recording will sound.
If working outdoors with reckless weather conditions or a lot of background noise include a windshield, softie, or deadcat on your list.
Production Stage
-Include a sound recordist and boom operator in your crew
Having a second member in your sound team is always handy, especially if you don’t work with a professional sound recordist.
Keeping an eye on sound levels and watching the meter can be tricky if you also have to hold the boom pole and make sure you don’t get into the shot.
If you are struggling to find a boom operator, or don’t have the budget to afford one ask any friend or family member to do it as a favor and teach them how to do it.
-Rehearse
Would you take a leap into somebody else’s pool without checking the temperature first?
If your answer was “yes”, you might want to consider changing it to “maybe not”.
When it comes to sound, rehearsing onset is very important.
Check that your sound levels both look and sound ok and test your sound with an actor.
And the most important thing: listen back.
Make sure that everything is ready to run when the director decides to take a proper take.
It’s not the same screwing up your sound recording when you’re doing a rehearsal that for that to happen when you are rolling.
If everyone falls in love with a take and turns out the sound was not working properly, your choices may lead to some disappointments.
It’s okay to make mistakes and to screw up your sound sometimes.
Just make sure it’s for a justified reason and not because you haven’t prepared enough.
-Keep checking your sound levels
Watch your meter, do tests if you are unsure of your recordings, and listen back.
Make sure all phones, boilers, and electric appliances are off (these cause interferences and annoying background noises).
Sound levels won’t magically balance themselves so if you lose track of them you might end up with a short film catastrophe.
-Hold your sound equipment properly
How do you properly hold a boom pole and shotgun mic?
For a complete guide head over to “How to hold a boom pole without getting tired”
-Hold the boom pole straight over your head with your arms extended upward.
-Have your XLR cable wrapped tightly around the boom pole
-Keep your boom pole or mic out of frame
-Be careful with tripping hazards.
Here’s a video explaining this topic:
-Get the microphones as close as you can
As much as we want to keep our shotgun mics out of the frame we also want them as close to the subject or the action as possible.
It’s not enough for your mic to be positioned in the right direction, it also needs closeness in order to get a neat sound.
Communication is key in these situations.
When getting into your position ask the cinematographer if your boom pole or mic is in the frame, get as close as possible, and lock your position before going for a take.
By doing this you are also more likely to avoid getting background noises into your recordings.
-Take enough ambiance sound takes
I won’t say it enough times but ambiance takes are super important.
Ambiance sound is the sonic environment where an event takes place.
If you only have one shotgun mic and you are pointing it out to the direction in which the action takes place you won’t get the sound surrounding your subjects.
And that’s okay because that’s how it’s supposed to be.
However, when you finish the main take ask everyone to keep quiet for a couple of minutes and get a recording of your set in silence.
These ambiance sound takes are super useful in post-production and will save you purchasing or having to look for sounds in an audio library.
Syncing sound in Post-production and other possible issues
This is the stage when you inevitably find out what bits of sound work in your short film and which don’t.
It is also the part in which you’ll have to sync the audio files recorded with the video images taken by a separate camera.
If you didn’t film your short using a clapperboard, you should at least clap at the beginning of your scene.
By doing this you’ll guide yourself through the post-production stage and won’t have to read your character’s lips to sync your scenes.
Here you can also add other layers of sound, like atmospheres or sound effects.
If you find out some of your recordings are missing or are unhearable you can also look for sounds in an audio library and make up for your loss.
Soundtracks are also great to add some musical qualities and enhance the emotion in your short film.
If you plan to use music in your short film make sure you use free material or have permission to use a certain track.
Learn more about this by reading my article on “how to find great music for your short film”
I hope you enjoyed this post and learned a little bit more about how to get proper audio for your short film.
Happy recordings!
Ana S
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