The clapperboard is one of the most iconic film images:
Despite this, it’s easy to forget just how important audio is in a production.
And when investing in your camera gear, audio equipment isn’t the most exciting thing to come to mind - with lenses, cameras, lights, drones and gimbals, audio often comes last.
In reality, audio should be one of the first things you think about. Getting some good audio equipment will:
Help reduce background noise.
Make sure every bit of dialogue is clear.
Improve the production quality of your productions.
This last point is especially important - it doesn’t matter how nice your camera is, or how sharp the lens - if your video has bad audio it will turn audiences away immediately.
How to record good audio.
Audio is often the first thing our students struggle with.
Having clean, clear audio will do far more for making your videos feel professional than any other bit of equipment. So as exciting as that new lens might be, put it back and look at your audio options first.
Still, it’s one thing to understand the importance of audio - it’s a whole other thing to know where to start.
Sound equipment can be intimidating.
It might bring to mind images of a poor sound recordist struggling to hold their boom pole against the wind as it threatens to swing into an actors face. Or maybe it’s monitoring a million different inputs going into an external recorder, which still needs to be synced later on.
It can be stressful, and not exactly glamorous.
That’s where Rode comes in. Rode have created the Rode Wireless Go, a cheap, easy and unbelievably effective way of recording clean audio.
Coming as a pair of wirelessly connected boxes - one a transmitter, the other a receiver - the Rode Wireless Go makes it very easy to record audio direct to your camera or phone. If there's one thing we recommend to purchase, it's this.
The transmitter is small enough to be hidden in a pocket, from which you can run a cable for a the Rode lapel microphone.
Lapel mics are small and discreet microphones designed to pick up close audio sources while minimising background noises. Their size means they can hidden easily, often under a shirt or a collar.
The transmitter then sends the audio from your lapel mic straight to the receiver, which can be connected to either your camera or your phone.
The two devices pair very easily, and soon you’ll have clear audio recorded perfectly alongside your video - no need for syncing later on.
One of the best parts of the Wireless Go is that the transmitter itself can act as a microphone. If you need to capture audio in a pinch without the time to set up lapels, you can clip it directly to collar or hide it out of sight from the camera and you’re ready for action!
So if you’re looking for the quickest, easiest and most affordable way to boost the quality of your audio, we really recommend the Rode Wireless Go and lapel microphone as the first step. Rode have done a great job of making audio more accessible than ever, and the creative possibilities are endless.
In our 1-day videography course in Sydney & Brisbane you can practice using these types of sound recorders to see the impact it makes on your video. This can help you decide if you want to make the investment for your videos. Our videography courses also allow you to practice with other video equipment to learn how to film and edit your own videos.
Just as a final plug for the Rode Wireless Go, here's a great video showing just some of the ways you can use the amazing gadget to get better audio for your productions.
InFocus Video Workshops offer short videography courses in Sydney and Brisbane, delivered at your workplace and personalised to you. Over 150+ students ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐