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SHOOTING AND EDITING VIDEO FOR THE WEB

Part Three: The basics of shooting online news video

Audio matters

You're shooting a NASCAR race, capturing great video of the cars whizzing by. But covering the race requires much more than the visuals. There's the roar of the racecars, the cheers of the fans and the interview with the winning driver. Each situation poses its own audio challenges.

Learning to capture great audio is as important or more important than the the images. Viewers are often quicker to forgive less-than-perfect visuals than problem sound.

There are three kinds of sound you need to think about whenever you are shooting:

• Voice - The human voice allows us to share information and emotion with others. If the audio of your interview subject is muffled, obscured or otherwise hard to hear, your audience will be unhappy. You will also want to make sure that your own narration sounds good. No sibillance (a pronounced "sss" sound). No beeps, no distractions and no popping p's.
• Natural sound - "Nat" sound is the term videographers use for the myriad sounds that envelope us. If you are doing a story on the new Amtrak schedule, you will want the sound of the whistle and the train cars pulling into the station. Natural sounds are all of those identifiable "sound effects" other than voice that add texture to our experience. Natural sounds act as cues for video viewers, reinforcing what they see in the visuals.
• Room (or ambient) sound - Only a soundproof room is truly silent. All environments have some kind of background noise, whether it's the hum of the air conditioner or the faint sound of insects and wind in the field. You should always capture a few moments of this background sound, without any nat sounds or voices as a kind of audio insurance. When editing video, there can be situations where you want to remove the audio track. Someone sneezes or the person next to you makes a noise. If you delete all sound, the clip will sound hollow. Adding in an audio track of the room sound saves your viewers from being distracted by the dead sound.

Tech audio tip: Make sure to invest in headphones and use them. This is the only way to tell when you are having audio problems - a defective mic, dead batteries (always keep extra batteries on hand), wind, rustling clothing.

Match the microphone to the task

Here's a handy guide to the different kinds of microphones and what they do best, as well as what they do poorly:

• The omnidirectional microphone built into the camera - The more expensive the camcorder, the better the onboard microphone, at least in most cases. A good omnidirectional mic is fine for nat sound and room sound. However, no matter how good, these microphones almost never do a great job recording voice.
• Shotgun mic - Shotgun mics often slide into the hotshoe on top of the camcorder. Some offer a switch so that you can choose between shotgun and stereo settings. The shotgun setting allows you to focus your audio pickup on the interview subject or action taking place in front of you. Most shotgun mics are better than the built-in microphone, but still not as good as a lavalier, stick mic or boom for recording voice.
• Stick mic - These microphones come wired and wireless (and wireless is usually more expensive). These are a good choice for interviews, since you can point the microphone at the subject or alternate between speakers in a two-person standup.
  • Practice, practice, practice - Practice with your stick mic before using it on a video shoot. You need to identify the optimal distance between mouth and microphone.
• Lavalier mic - These microphones also come wired and wireless. A wireless lav is a great option when the person you are videoing will be moving around to show you things because the volume level will remain the same unless they go out of range. (And, again, the wireless models are usually more expensive). These mics are also great for interviews because they require less skill than wielding a stick mic. Make sure to hide any unsightly wire by threading it underneath a lapel or inside clothing. It also pays to put a loop of the wire inside the clip when you attach the mic to the person's clothing, so that there is some give if the cord catches. Again, make sure to use headphones to make sure that the mic isn't rubbing against the person's hair or clothing. (I also saw a young reporter chuckle recently when he realized the noise he was hearing in his headphones came from the lavalier mic rubbing against the subject's beard.)
• Boom mic - Boom mics are an excellent option for situations where you have a number of people speaking, since the boom operator can point the mic at people as they talk. The problem, of course, is that few news organizations can afford to send a boom operator along.

Invest in windscreens

It's amazing what a difference even the tiniest of windscreens can make in improving audio quality outdoors. The problem, of course, is that it is easy to lose or misplace them, so invest in an extra supply if you get the chance. (A student returned my camera minus the windscreen for the shotgun mic, but so far, I have been unable to find a replacement. And it is almost worth investing in a new mic, since there are times the windscreen is a necessity.)

Understanding XLR versus 1/4-inch audio inputs

Consumer-lever camcorders typically rely on quarter-in audio input connectors, while more expensive cameras offer XLR audio inputs. Some cameras allow you to place an XLR adapater in the hotshoe, which also allows you to input two separate audio tracks (which could allow you to put a lavalier mic on two interview subjects).

Note that high-end XLR connectors are sometimes made of gold, since this precious metal does such an excellent job of carrying sound signals without interference.

Part Three: The basics of online news video - Shooting interviews & standups

Shooting and Editing Video for the Web

Part One: Exploring news ways to tell stories online

Part Two: Building a plan to produce news video for the Web

Part Three: The basics of online news video
    - Shots & sequences
    - Lighting
    - Basic composition
    - Audio matters
    - Shooting interviews & standups
    - Tech stuff

Online video on a budget

Part One: The camera

Part Two: Accessories

Part Three: Editing software

Part Four: Posting on the Web

Bonnie Bucqueroux teaches digital jouralism at Michigan State University's School of Journalism and is a self-described Web geek.