Reading 3

1
Reading 3

• Audio, Video Recording, and Video Editing

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Audio

• Television Sound
• Microphones I
• Microphones II
• Wireless Microphones
• Off-Camera Microphones
• Stereo to 5.1
• Digital Audio
• Audio Control Devices
• Audio Recording, Editing, Playback I
• Audio Recording, Editing, Playback II

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Television Sound

• Two things that must be controlled are
• Loudness and frequency.
• Loudness (measured in decibels) has to do with
  pressure the threshold of pain 135
• Frequency basic pitch of the sound measured in
  hz good hearing exists between 20 - 20000hz.
• The weakest links in audio are microphone and
  speaker.

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Microphones I

• 6 common microphone designs
• hand held - the type held by on-camera talent or
  used for on-location interviews
• personal mic (lavaliere / clip-on mic) - Whether
  hung from a cord around the neck (lavaliere) or
  clipped to clothing, these are all referred to as
  personal mics.
• shotgun- used for on-location production to pick
  up sounds a moderate distance from the camera
• boundary effect microphone - also called PZ or
  PZM mics These rely primarily on reflected sounds
  from a hard surface such as a tabletop
• contact mics - which pick up sound by being in
  direct physical contact with the sound source.
  These mics are generally mounted on musical
  instruments.
• studio microphones- the largest category of
  microphone.
• Types of Mics

5

• 3 basic directional categories

Unidirectional mics have 4 categories -cardioid -
supercardioid -hypercardioid -parabolic
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Microphones II

• Best if handheld mics are held at 30 degrees.
• Best used within a distance of 8-16
• Windscreens and pop filters are used to reduce
  static, wind, and plosive speech.
• Lavalieres (clip on mics) can be condenser or
  dynamic types.
• Use within 14 (dont put near ear-rings,
  necklaces, etc.)
• Proximity effect sound over a distance loses
  low frequencies (bass)
• Sweetening phase adding audio embellishments
  during the editing phase.

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Wireless Microphones

• There are two types of wireless mics the
  self-contained (all-in-one) unit and the
  two-piece type.
• Typically the two-piece type is better (smaller
  and audio is usually better, bc the transmitter
  has greater power.)
• However, beware of things that might add
  interference.
• Place the antenna where it wont be around any
  solid metal objects, especially when the talent
  is walking around.
• Stay as close as you can to the antenna.
• Note Most RF mics transmit on frequencies above
  the standard FM radio band in either the VHF
  (very high frequency) range, or UHF (ultra-high
  frequency) band. Since the UHF band is less
  crowded, audio engineers prefer it.

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Off-Camera Microphones

• When to use off-camera mics
• because seeing a mic wouldn't be appropriate, as
  in the case of a dramatic production
• when mic cords would restrict the movement of
  talent, such as in a dance number
• when there are too many people in the scene to
  use multiple personal, handheld or RF mics, such
  as with a choir
• Type to use
• a supercardioid with a narrower pattern
• shotgun mics can be used at distances of up to 25
  to 30 feet.
• Mount these on fish poles (type of boom/ giraffe/
  perambulator) and or in a shock mount.
• Phase cancellation happens when 2 or more mics
  pick up the same sound at different times
  (yikes.) So to fix this there is 4 things that
  can be done
• place mics as close as possible to sound sources
  
• use directional mics
• turn down mics any time they are not needed
• carefully check and vary distances between the
  sound sources and multiple mics to reduce or
  eliminate any cancellation effect (A speaker's
  mic should be placed at one-third or less the
  distance of the next nearest mic.)

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Stereo to 5.1

• In essence we hear in 3D - our brains convert the
  time lapse of when one sound hits one ear
  slighter behind when the other ear is hit (phase
  difference.)
• Different ways to create stereo sound
• 1. Synthesized stereo
• 2. Multi-track recordings
• 3. Stereo Mics
• 4. X-Y and M-S Micing Techniques
• Pan Plot used to make the L - R movement stereo
  effect
• Stereo setup around a normal TV 3 feet on each
  side away from TV.
• Quad mics mics that detect sounds in nearly a
  360-degree perspective have four mic elements
  within a single housing.
• True surround sound has 5 speakers, but 6
  speakers are need to take advantage of HDTV
  capabilities.
• Dolby 5.1 means 5 surround sound speakers and 1
  bass (bass is nondirectional so it doesnt matter
  where it is placed.)
• To achieve the expanded effect, multi-channel
  audio recordings are digitized and fed into a
  computer during postproduction.

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Digital Audio

• Better than analog
• Gets rid of feedback
• Easier to copy - minimal loss.
• Quantizing is the process to convert from analog
  to digital.
• The optimum analog level needs to be a lot higher
  than the optimum digital level (there for harder
  to control issues of feedback etc. with analog.
• Time coding is a lot easier.
• Lipsync is a problem with digital (sometimes hard
  to match up.)

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Audio Control Devices

• Audio boards and consoles are designed to do five
  things.
• amplify incoming signals
• allow for switching and volume level adjustments
  for a variety of audio sources
• allow for creatively mixing together and
  balancing multiple audio sources to achieve an
  optimum blend
• route the combined effect to a transmission or
  recording device
• Mixing board terminology
• Cue is used for cueing up audio sources (finding
  the appropriate point for starting a musical
  selection on a CD, for example)
• Audition allows an audio source to pass through
  an auxiliary VU meter to high quality speakers so
  levels can be set and audio quality evaluated.
• Program sends the audio through the master gain
  control to be recorded or broadcast.
• Mic-level inputs handle the extremely low
  voltages associated with microphones
• Line-level inputs are associated with the outputs
  of amplified sources of audio, such as CD
  players.
• Master gain control controls the levels of all
  inputs simultaneously.
• Faders (volume controls)
• Riding gain - maintaining optimum levels during
  production

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Audio Recording, Editing, Playback

• History of where audio is stored
• Records to tapes to cart machines to CDs to DATS
  to computer HD.
• So whats the difference?

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Wrapping Up Audio

• If the average audio level is low, an AGC
  (automatic gain control) circuit will raise it
  if the average level is too high, the circuit
  will bring it down.
• These are now built into some cameras and mics.
• Can be bad because can raise annoying background
  noises, or cancel out some voice that might be
  needed, etc.
• Compressors control threshold and gain.
• Limiters limits the audio levels.
• Expanders increase range.
• Audio Filters used to increase, add, and or
  bland out certain sounds/ noise.
• IFB system used to talk with talent or others
  privately (ie. an ear piece, etc.)

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Video Recording

• Video Recording Media
• Consumer Video Formats
• Professional Video Formats
• Video Recorder Operations

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Video Recording Media

• History of recording media
• Tape video heads that travel across the surface
  of the tape and leave magnetic traces in the
  tape's coating. The magnetic imprints left in the
  surface of the tape induce magnetic changes in
  the video heads, which are then converted into
  minute voltages. These are amplified millions of
  times before being passed on to various pieces of
  video equipment.
• DVD (digital versatile disk/ digital videodisk) -
  red or blue laser reads the compressed
  information (blue ray does so more efficiently).
  Some cameras record straight to disk.
• Solid state memory this approach provides faster
  camera-to-computer transfer speeds. Plus, since
  there are no moving parts, camcorder maintenance
  costs are reduced to a fraction of what they are
  with videotape, or even videodisc.
• Media/ Video servers store audio and video
  information on high-capacity computer disks.

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Consumer Video Formats

• Compression
• You can go to a 201 ratio before actually seeing
  any major lost in video picture.
• Different types of compression are called
  codecs.
• Compression getting rid of redundant
  information and data.
• Lossless nothing is eliminated during
  compression (hard to really effectively
  accomplish)
• Lossy during compression some data is
  eliminated.

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• 5 Advantages of Digital Video recordings over
  analog
• A digital videotape can be copied almost
  indefinitely without a loss of quality. This is
  an important consideration in postproduction
  sessions that require numerous generations of
  video effects.
• Digital material can be directly uploaded to
  digital editing systems without the need of
  analog-to-digital conversion.
• Error-correction circuitry associated with
  digital electronics reduces or eliminates
  problems such as dropouts (to be discussed in
  Module 49).
• Digital videotapes are better suited for archival
  (long-term) storage.
• The technical quality of digital recordings is
  significantly better than typical analog
  recordings.

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Professional Video Formats
What this chart doesnt include are - disk
based recording, and tape less recording (such
as solid state cards, and or hard drives).
Therefore there are at least 7 accepted and
used Methods for video formates and capture right
now.
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Video Editing

• Continuity Editing
• Continuity Techniques
• Solving Continuity Problems
• Technical Continuity
• Editing Guidelines I
• Editing Guidelines II
• Linear/Nonlinear Editing
• Making Use of Time-Code
• On-Line/Off-Line Editing

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Continuity Editing

• Continuity editing refers to arranging the
  sequence of shots to suggest a progression of
  events.
• Continuity editing primarily suggests guiding an
  audience through a sequence of events and, in the
  process, showing them what they want to see when
  they want to see it. In the end, you've told a
  story or logically traced a series of events to
  their conclusion.
• Accelerated Editing condensing time putting a
  bunch of quick shots together to tell a story.
• (ie. girl is blow drying her hair - instead of 10
  mins. - show it in 2 min.)
• Expanding time drag out a happening beyond the
  actual time represented. (ie. creating suspense)
• Causality suggests or explains why things
  happen.
• Motivation also helps explain the why, but adds
  ingredients of the why.

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Continuity Techniques

• Insert shots close-up of something that exists
  within the basic scene.
• Cutaways cut away from the main scene or action
  to add related material.
• Relational editing putting scenes together that
  help build the story.
• Thematic editing used not to tell a story - but
  rather create a mood (all shots are related to a
  central theme.)
• Parallel cutting when the segments are cut
  together to follow the multiple (different) story
  lines, it's referred to as

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Solving Continuity Problems

• Jumpcuts when edits end up being confusing or
  unsettling.
• What are some examples?
• (These usually occur due to single camera
  filming)
• Use some other footage (mix A and B roll.)
• Use re-establishing shots - helps the audience
  get back on track.
• Adjust similar shots to a minimum difference of
  30 degrees.
• Dont break the 180 degree rule (crossing the
  line) Any time a new camera angle exceeds
  180-degrees

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Technical Continuity

• Technical Continuity Problem Any noticeable,
  abrupt, or undesirable change in audio or video
  during a production
• Audio issues
• background sound
• sound ambiance (reverberation within a room, mic
  distance, etc.)
• frequency response of mic or audio equipment
• audio levels
• Video issues
• color balance
• tonal balance
• light levels exposure
• camera optics sharpness
• recording quality

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Editing Guidelines I

• 1 Edits work best when they are motivated.
• Ie. If we hear a door open, or someone calls out
  from off-camera, we generally expect to see a
  shot of whoever it is.
• 2 Whenever possible cut on subject movement.
• 3 Maintaining Consistency in Action and Detail
• 4 Use distractions in the scene to cover the
  slight mismatches
• 5 Keep in Mind the Strengths and Limitations
  of the Medium.
• Ie. Close-ups on individuals are appropriate for
  interviews and dramas, but not as appropriate for
  light comedy.
• 6 Cut away from the scene the moment the
  visual statement is made.
• Issue of New vs. Familiar Subject Matter
• 7 Varying Tempo Through Editing
• 8 Emphasize the B-Roll.
• 9 The final editing guideline is If in doubt,
  leave It out.

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• 5 Rules for Editing News Broadcasts
• 1. Select stories and content that will elicit an
  emotional reaction in viewers.
• 2. If the piece has complex subject matter, buck
  the rapid-fire trend and make sure that neither
  the audio nor the video is paced too quickly.
• 3. Try to make the audio and video of equal
  complexity. However, if the video is naturally
  complex, keep the audio simple to allow the video
  to be processed.
• 4. Don't introduce important facts just before
  strong negative visual elements. By putting them
  afterwards the audience will have a better chance
  of remembering them.
• 5. Edit the piece using a strong beginning,
  middle, and end structure. Keep the elements as
  concrete as possible.

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Linear/Nonlinear Editing

• Two types
• Dedicated editor
• Software based editor
• Linear done on tape and or camera
• Non-linear done on a program

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Making Use of Time-Code

• Time code (SMPTE/EDU) an eight-digit code that
  allows you to specify precise video and audio
  editing points.
• The numbers refer to hours, min., sec., and
  frames.
• Frames go from 0 - 29 (based on 30f/sec.)
• What comes after (06433815)?

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On-Line/Off-Line Editing

• Off-Line Editing creating a list of edit
  decisions. - Its the rough cut stage, where you
  compile a list of time-code numbers.
• On-Line Editing use original footage to create
  the final edited version of the program.

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7 Quick tips for Editing(Prior to sending it to
a server where others will start really editing)

• 1. Use a pencil and paper/ palm or whatever to
  makes notes as things are recorded - use them as
  a reference (a time log and shot sequence will
  help.)
• 2. Restrain yourself from shooting everything you
  think you can possibly use - too much is too
  much.
• 3. Look for connections between segments - get
  rid of everything else.
• 4. Find appropriate cutways - they should add
  variety and contribute to visual pace.
• 5. Use transition effects sparingly. Fancy
  transitions are just distracting - most
  professionals dont really use them.
• 6. Use music creatively and appropriately.
  Silence is generally distracting - so find music
  that doesnt call attention to itself.