Video Tips: How to record clear sound and picture with simple tools
Recording clear audio is very important to conveying your message.
1) Find a quiet indoor location.
Be aware of the background noises. Can you hear street traffc, conversations in the next room, telephone ringing, dogs barking? Remember: what your ear hears the microphone hears. Your voice may become lost in the noise, so try to avoid these locations. If there is no getting around background noise, then point the microphone in the opposite direction from where the background noise is generated. For example, don’t sit with your back to a window while you record because though the microphone will be pointing at your mouth it will also be pointing at the rattling window from all of the traffc below.
2) Place the microphone at an appropriate distance from your mouth.
Too far away and your words become lost in the background cacophony of sound. Too close and each word will over modulate and each breath will cause a windstorm.
3) If you’re using a laptop or handheld camera to record your message try to fnd an external microphone and connect it through one of the ports.
4) Do a test: record and view/listen to the playback.
Recording a clear picture helps to direct the viewers attention to your message rather than the cameraperson.
5) Use a tripod or place your camera on a solid surface.
You don’t want the viewer to lose their attention to the shaky handheld camera and the audio sounds of the swinging lens cap.
6) Frame the picture with care.
You want to consider your presentation and how best to frame it. We would suggest that you frame the speaker with a medium close up. Frame the speaker from mid chest to a few inches above the top of the head with a little breathing room around the shoulders. It is more engaging to watch and listen to a speaker at a medium close up over a long wide shot. Also, try not to clutter the frame with objects or posters that distract the eye away from the message.
7) Lighting: Use the available light to sculpt your presentation.
Avoid sitting with your back to a window or any other light source. You don’t want to be in silhouette; instead, face the light. Let the light fall on your face evenly. Try to avoid the interrogation overhead lighting scenarios that cause dramatic shadows. (Most cameras are set to automatic focus and exposure settings, so if you’re backlit, the camera will compensate for the bright light and bring the exposure down causing the subject to be in silhouette. If there is not enough light then the camera will continually go in
and out of focus.)
