Understanding Sound.

It is absolutely vital that you get the sound right for your video - without good sound, are trailer could look sloppy. Therefore we need to plan our sound just as carefully as we plan our images.
If your audience is viewing your work via YouTube, the image might be reduced to a couple of inches wide, but the sound will be as big and powerful as their computer speakers - get that to work in your favour, not against you.
Video produced for handheld mobile devices needs excellent sound to enhance the storytelling, as images are so small. Sound can help you keep your audience's attention.
There are several different sorts of sound that you can use. Using computer editing software, you can layer them in, adjust volume and sync images to particular sounds. Use 'J-cuts', where you lay in a couple of seconds of sound from one clip over the end of the one before, thus leading the audience into the visuals. You can also use a sound bridge to connect different sequences of images.

There are usually TWO types of sound:
1) Diegentic Sound
2) Non-Diegentic Sound

1) Diegentic Sound:
Diegetic sound begins, but doesn't end, with what you record on location at the same time as you capture images. Location sound is often enhanced with sound effects (used to add or heighten individual sounds for narrative effect e.g. a phone ringing, or an explosion off camera). Ambient Sound(outdoors) or Room Tone(indoors) is layered in for realism (and to hide the moment when a plane zoomed overhead or car doors slammed nearby). Dialogue is an important part of diegetic sound, and depends on vocal delivery. A good actor can vary pitch, tone, volume and accent according to what the director wants on set, but an interviewee will only speak in their natural voice. Dialogue can be enhanced in post production, or even replaced as ADR. Sound motifs (e.g. birdsong) can be added as part of post-production sound design, but may seem to come from within the frame.

2) Non-Diegentic Sound
Raw footage is usually enhanced through the addition of non-diegetic sound, usually in the form of music or voice over.
 Music creates mood and atmosphere, often by manipulating the emotions experienced while viewing. Music can be classified as either soundtrack or score.


When you record using a video camera, there are problems such as room noise, this is all the things going out around, for example people talking, electrical appliances and air conditioning. When filming, to reduce the impact of room noise, you can film in rooms that has soft furnishings, such as carpet, curtains and cushions. Room noise can be useful in ways of dead silence, which creates tension to the viewer.

Here are some useful tips for Interview Sound

• Interview your subject in a quiet place. Ensure that they sit as still as possible and are not fiddling with pens, paper etc that could cause unwanted noises.
• Point the camera directly at them and place it as close as possible to them.
• Plug a set of headphones into the camera to check what IT is recording, not what YOU are hearing.
• Phrase your questions so that they should be obvious within the answers - your audience do not want to hear a disembodied voice answering questions, they want to hear the interviewee talking in as natural and flowing a way as possible. Think of your questions as prompts to get the interviewee to talk.

Remember that you will be cutting back and forth to your b-roll images, and that you can layer your interviewee's comments over different footage. You must prioritise getting good sound. If your interviewee stammers or stumbles over something, or if there is some unavoidable background noise (eg a telephone ringing) wait until the disturbance is over and roll the camera again.

If you look at our interview stage further on in the process we have followed this advice fairly well.

Voice Over

The most efficient way to record a voice over is to find somewhere absolutely quiet (ie with very little room noise - see above) and speak directly into the camera microphone. You can record your own voice overs, or get someone else to act as the "voice" - think carefully about the gender, age and status of your "voice" - all of them will have implications for the meaning of your text.
TIP: Get into bed to record your voiceover - a duvet can deaden all outside noise. Be careful not to wriggle around as rustling sheets are a dead giveaway that you have used this technique.

http://www.mediaknowall.com/sound.html