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Start
at the Top
Before
shooting your next interview, do some research
by watching similar interviews on television.
There are plenty of choices, but the network news
magazine shows (e.g. 60 Minutes or 20/20) are
a good place to start. This type of programming
offers excellent examples of interviews in various
locations, under a wide variety of shooting circumstances.
Look closely for what type of microphones they
used, how many and where they are located. Listen
closely to the sound for any lingering problems
with room acoustics or background noise. How many
people have microphones? Is the subject the only
one with a microphone, or is the interviewer miked
as well? Documentaries are another great place
to look for interview audio techniques. Your public
library likely has several to choose from - the
Ken Burns documentaries for PBS are exceptional.
If you can't find anything at the library, try
a local video rental store. The reason I suggest
this is simple - somebody paid people to produce
these interviews. If they're doing it for a living,
and on a national level, odds are they know what
they're doing. Of course, you can't become an
interview audio expert by watching a couple of
TV shows, but you can get a good idea of how they
work and what you'll be expected to provide during
your shoot.
Location,
Location, Location
After
you've done your research, it's time to think
about your upcoming interview shoot. Will you
shoot indoors or outdoors? Is this a public space
or will you have some privacy? Will this be a
highly produced piece or more like a news shoot?
Will the subject be seated, standing or perhaps
even walking? The answers to these questions help
define what you need to do to achieve the best
possible audio.
Everyone
expects an outdoor shoot to contain some background
noise and there are only a couple of things you
can do to minimize this audio problem. The first
technique is simple - reposition to use your subject's
body as a shield between the microphone and the
noise. Although this isn't possible on every shoot,
the human body can block quite a bit of sound
when using a handheld or lapel microphone. The
second technique is to use a highly directional
shotgun microphone and position it so the axis
of the microphone is perpendicular to the unwanted
noise. Shotguns pick up almost no sound on their
sides, so this is a powerful method for reducing
background noise.
Indoor
shoots provide their own challenges. In addition
to potential noise sources like air conditioners
and people in adjoining rooms, you also have to
deal with room acoustics. Professional production
companies often bring in sound absorbing blankets
and other materials to minimize the effects of
room echo and reverberation. The crew suspends
the blankets on collapsible poles outside the
frame of the video. It's unlikely that you have
the time or budget to provide this level of control.
You're better off shooting in a room that already
sounds good, but it is possible to make a bad
room better if necessary. Alternatively, you can
embrace the sound of the room and keep it - even
exploit it - as a character in the interview.
I'm thinking specifically of large, ambient spaces
like gymnasiums, malls and church auditoriums.
If the space suits the subject, by all means use
it to your advantage. |
Choose
your Weapon
Microphone
choice will make a big difference in your interviews
too. Sadly, there isn't one perfect choice for
all situations. There are three major categories
of microphones for interviews and each has its
strengths in certain situations.
The
simplest choice for interviews is the handheld
mike. Although a bit clumsy to manage, this method
takes no setup time and will work wired or wireless.
Use a handheld microphone when you're doing quick
man-on-the-street type interviews or any situation
where looks are less important than speed.
If
you have a bit more time to set up, the lapel
microphone is an excellent choice for interviews.
There are challenges for where to put the mike
and how to hide the wires, but the sound quality
will be consistent from take to take. Nice sounding
lapel microphones are available at local electronics
stores for as little as $25. You'll need a few
adapters to attach the mike to your camera, but
this is an investment that will pay for itself
many times over if you shoot interviews on a regular
basis. Don't forget to buy a foam windscreen for
your lapel mike to minimize wind noise when outdoors.
The
last line of defense for interview audio is the
shotgun microphone. This option is a bit more
awkward than the others, but it's also the most
professional. Many people shy away from shotguns
because they require a second person to hold and
position them. During a seated interview, you
can use a microphone stand, but you might need
a boom pole in other situations. Get the mike
as close as possible, but remember to keep it
out of the video frame at all times. Shotguns
can be wired or wireless just like your other
microphone choices, although it's more common
to see a shotgun wired directly to the recorder.
Fix
it in Post
Once
you've shot the interview, it's time to edit.
Today's video editing software offers capabilities
that were impossible just a few years back. A
little extra time and care in this area will give
your soundtrack a professional sheen. After you
capture the interview footage and get the basic
arrangement on your timeline, take a few minutes
to work on the audio. The first step is to normalize
each audio clip (Premiere calls this "Smart
Gain, Vegas calls it "Normalize"). This
process ensures that each clip reaches the maximum
possible loudness without clipping. Next, add
a highpass filter to each clip, set to cut off
any sound below 100Hz or so. This will minimize
any background rumbles and can eliminate the effects
of wind noise. One nice feature of sweetening
interview audio is that individual speaking voices
have a very narrow frequency range, so the use
of equalization can be very effective.
Professional
shooters often record the interview audio on one
channel and ambient or natural sound on the other
channel. This allows the editor to blend in (or
not) some of the character of the interview environment.
You can do the same thing. Depending on your video
software, you have the option of using only the
left channel, only the right channel, or a blend
of the two. Another version of this technique
is to deliberately record a few minutes of ambient
sound only, either before or after the interview.
This gives you a sound bed to fade in and out
of the interview audio as needed. You can use
it to make a consistent audio backdrop or to patch
uneven edits between clips. |
