Sound Tips for Your Indie Film

Image Credits: Pixabay If you’re the observant kind, you’re likely to have noticed that a lot of independent films and videos produced today don’t include proper sound design. When we say sound design, we are typically referring to movement sounds, environmental sounds, and natural sounds. In place of these sounds, we mostly see visuals or the music being prioritized. The reason why a lot of modern filmmakers avoid sound design is because it can be daunting. It’s challenge that they’d rather avoid because the risks of failure can be high. However, in reality, there are a few simple things you can do to incorporate “real sound” in your productions. Let’s take a look. Get the right equipment Good sound depends on good equipment. Here are a few tools that you can consider. For recording, take a look at the products offered by Zoom. Zoom provides a wide range of recorders, some of which are quite affordable too. Examples would include the Zoom F8 and the Zoom H4n. Similarly, you will need a good Boom Mic as well. Try out the Sennheiser MKH 416 or the RØDE NTG3.   As for Lav Mics, Sennheiser is a name you can trust here as well. Other options such as RØDE or the Tram TR50 can be considered too. For Transmitter and Receivers, try the RodeLink from RØDE or anything from Sennheiser. Of course, you will be requiring audio editing software too. Fortunately, this shouldn’t be an issue considering the fact that most video editing software comes with audio editing applications as companion software. So, you can use the one that’s available with the video editing software you’re currently using. Finally, get yourself something for noise reduction, such as IZootop RX, and ADR conforming, such as VocALign. Minimalism is the key You will likely find that there’s too much going on in your film’s sound department. This is bad as it can ruin the viewer’s focus. So, make sure things are balanced. It’s always better to keep things to a minimum. But, how do you define minimum? Well, there really is no objective answer. It’s all subjective. So, the only thing you can do is sit with your sound designer and carefully analyze the sound from start to end. If you spot something that you feel doesn’t need to be there, just take it off. Image Credits: Pixabay Just follow your filmmaker instinct. Factor in location Location plays a key role in how you capture the sound. So, make sure you think about the location and how you’re going to handle the sound. Never go in unprepared.