Any tips on what I should consider for recording on location, if it is natural elements like rain and wind how do I prevent or reduce their impact on dialogue, also noise pollution from traffic, police sirens, aircraft. Should I record and remove as much in editing or use specialist sound equipment on location. Tips gratefully received.
Anything Goes : Recording sound on location by John McHale
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I find a good quality clip-on microphone (like the ones used in interviews) help with cutting out natural sounds. If there are problems with unwanted noise you can also remove some of it in post production but that it is a bit more difficult. I would also recommend using headphones at all times when filming so that you can directly hear what is being received by the camera.
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Hve you tried high pass filters? Normaly the low frequencies are the most invasive.
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Def record with an external for one thing, another make sure you grab 1 minute of ambient sound in case you need to step on something in Post without a big holiday because of it. Step up on the mic, sound is 50% of your movie. Sennheiser lapel is a good choice for dialogue. Windscreens with head room on your recording. I record two tracks (simo) one stepped on and and one wide open with a bit of headroom. Post will get you there with that.
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Recording clean dialog on set is a crucial art. Post can save some bad tracks using RX4 (which I have) but not much. After that it is ADR and rebuilding ambient. Location sound recording demands very specialized equipment that is not found in studios and for very good reasons. Sensitivity, rejection, dynamic range, and environmental conditions place a heavy burden on a location sound mixer. We have a wide range of mics and techniques to get high signal to noise ratios. Sometimes it's a cheaper mic because it DOES NOT pickup sounds. Sometimes it's a $4k digital mic because it phase out sounds. Traffic is best rerouted. Rain and wind require special windscreens. Number one tip is get the mic as close to the sound source as possible. Second, eliminate noise sources. Third, use a mic that best rejects noises.
Thanks John very helpful it is for a friend doing his first audio on location
Most of the time, it's not a "sound problem" it's a "location problem" because the best mics in your kit can't compete with an airport.