Flash Meeting Follow-Up
Just had the greatest experience getting Little Iraq critiqued by a bunch of vloggers. I have to take a second and thank Michael Verdi from the bottom of my heart for setting this up, and also everyone in attendance for being part of such a great process.
The biggest thing people were surprised about was that I recorded the audio live (instead of using pre-recorded audio from a CD), and that I did it in only three takes. Actually I should clarify - I did three stationary takes for the audio, then three more to get the shots where the camera is moving around the singers (and those were without audio). The natural next question from a lot of people was “what mic did you use,” or “what was your audio set-up?” So here follows a list of the equipment I used and a description of the recording set-up. (Please note, if the product link is to a seller rather than the manufacturer, it’s not because I necessarily recommend that seller. Some manufacturer sites make you select a language before entering the site, and that messes up direct linking to their product sheets.) I’ll start the list with the mic and work my way back to the camera.
- Microphone: audio-technica AT831b omnidirectional lavalier mic, wind-screen ON
- 60ft XLR cable
- XLR to mini adapter: BeachTek DXA-4 dual XLR adapter (warning, link contains flash with audio)
- Camera: Panasonic PV-GS65 3-chip mini-DV camcorder
- Cheap .5x wide angle lens attached to the camera
- good stationary tripod or poor man’s steadicam or handheld for the shots
- and of course headphones from the camera to my ears to make sure I was getting something
And the arrangement for the 3 audio takes were with the camera stationary on the tripod, and the mic run up the branches of the mesquite tree and taped there with black gaffer’s tape to hide the wire from the camera. The mic was approximately centered between the two musicians and three feet above the singer’s head.
The audio you hear of a bird was just one that happened to be nearby during recording, and it chose that moment to jam with the band. The audio of the guns going off was from the camera mic on a handheld shot. We got permission from those guys to shoot video of them. They were actually out there doing it right - practicing gun safety and cleaning up after themselves. But we weren’t finding any gangstas or marine wannabes that day, and we needed something!
If you have more questions regarding the setup or any of the shoot, ask in a comment and I will answer there. Subscribe-To-Comments is now on by default, so deactivate it if you don’t want to hear back via email.
July 3rd, 2007 at 7:44 pm
Terrific video. Your friend has a great voice! And, its clear why the audio came up during the flash meeting . . . what a great job! Speaking of the flash meetings, I’d be interesting in joining them. Is there a quick and easy way to get up to speed. I guess I’d need to buy a webcam.
Well, happy 4th!
Rob
July 4th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Rob, thanks so much! Of course it would be awesome for you to join in on these flash meetings. The basic necessities are some sort of web cam and a mic. The flash meeting site allows you to test your video and the audio level on your mic before you enter the meeting. And then to join in the meeting you need to email michael[at]freevlog.org and let him know you want to participate - heck, volunteer to have one of your videos critiqued - it is a wonderful process! And keep you eye on freevlog.org because Verdi will be posting notices for future feedback sessions.
July 5th, 2007 at 5:21 am
Great - thanks for posting this info. I think a lot of people are going to be going out and buying that mic… but we all know that it’s the sound recordist, not the kit, that makes the difference
You chose a great spot to record in, against those rocks - and a great way to record it, hanging it from the tree above.
It was fun, wasn’t it? Really worth me staying up til 2am for. Thank you.
(Geek note - if you’re having Subscribe to comments on by default, you could put a message next to the checkbox to let people know what they’re signing up for - in the Options>Subscribe To Comments panel, there are three fields for custom messages: for those not subscribed, for those already subscribed and for you. Just put “Check this box to be notified of follow-up comments by email” in the Not Subscribed field and that message will appear next to the checkbox)
July 5th, 2007 at 8:55 am
Ha ha, good geek note, Rupert. I hurried to install the plugin because I was supposed to be leaving for my mom’s house, not updating my web site. So those messages will be filled in after I return home. But yeah, some text needs to be there, and I know it. Thanks for the detail about the custom messages!
July 5th, 2007 at 10:31 am
Hmm. I added Rupert’s text and now I can’t see the checkbox.
October 24th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
It’s a great video and audio. I have the same camera and was wondering how you like the Beachtek adapter because I’m thinking of getting it too for my short films to use with a Rode NTG-2 shootgun mic.
October 25th, 2007 at 9:13 am
Bojan, I really like the Beachtek adapter. It’s fantastic. I bought the particular one I own because it fit a different Sony camera well, so it fits my Panasonic PV-GS65 somewhat awkwardly, but does not get in the way at all, and there are other shapes of the Beachtek that you can buy that would fit even better. I highly recommend the Beachtek adapters as a smooth means of getting great quality mics into your MiniDV camera.
By the way, I visited your web site and it’s quite beautiful. You have an incredible life story - I’m going to try to view all your YouTube videos during November - maybe we can have an online, creative conversation. You have got it right - creativity is the best response to destruction. I wish you peace.