Factors Affecting Use of Audio

Audio Video Recording And Editing 4(1+3)

Lesson 06: Sound Design

Factors Affecting Use of Audio

The recording of audio can be likened to shooting visuals. One establishes the environment first, provides a figure-ground relationship, shoots from different angles to provide different perspectives, strives to maintain continuity, and plans the duration of each shot depending on the programme. Music videos need far more number of shots when compared to documen­tary films or even news. Depending on the purpose of the video, it is impor­tant to remember the following factors when dealing with sound:

  • Environment
  • Figure-ground relationship
  • Perspective
  • Continuity
  • Energy

Environment Sound plays an important role in establishing the environ­ment and indicating immediacy. When you shoot non-fiction, particularly news, the ambience sound plays a particularly important role. For ex­ample, you need to show a train accident. The sounds of people running around, the crowds at the help centre, the rush of ambulances, the cries of women and children are all important to convey the gravity of the event. Similarly, sounds of the arrival of the newspaper boy in the morning, the town's tea shop, and the arrival of a bus in town, etc. go a long way in establishing the context for a documentary.

Figure-ground relationship fading under the ambience sound is important to establish and retain the context, but the primary sound should comple­ment the primary characters. Suppose we are shooting a crowd scene and we have to zoom into CUs of two characters-while the ambience sound is im­portant, the sounds of these two persons in CUs gain more importance.

Perspective Using appropriate sounds, we can provide the right perspec­tive. For example, the female members of a family are busy cooking sweets inside the house and a bunch of kids run across the house during the Indian festival of Holi. When the sound 'slowly approaches' the house, it provides the right perspective. Similarly, the nearby barking of a dog sounds differ­ent from when the dog is far away.

Continuity Audio recorded outdoors is always different from the one re­corded indoors. It is always important to record outdoor ambience sound and mix it with indoor audio to maintain continuity when cutting from outdoor to indoor. This happens mostly in the case of news. The piece to camera sounds a bit different from the voice-over or commentary, since the latter is mostly recorded indoors. Editors overcome such continuity prob­lems by adding some ambience sound to the commentary. This is known as 'wild track'. Good sound recordists or camerapersons always record a bit of wild track before or after the shooting is over, both indoors and outdoors. It is also important to ensure that ambience sounds do not 'cut' abruptly but 'flow' into other sounds. Abrupt silences sound awkward.

Energy Different kinds of programmes demand different 'energies' of video and audio. The video and audio for a romance on seashore or in the woods is different from that of a fight sequence. The music or sound effects used for the first example would probably be a soothing flute or saxo­phone, combined with the lapping of waves. A fight sequence, on the other hand, requires high energy trumpet and drums.
A good video is very dependent on audio. The purpose, appropriate sound, and level used in the right perspective at appropriate places can result in a good video.

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Last modified: Saturday, 21 April 2012, 7:48 AM