Reading Assignment : 2 [Audio]

I cannot imagine being deaf.
I've tried to, several times, and even learned a ton of American Sign Language when I was younger to communicate with a few friends that are deaf.
But life without sound? I can't get there.

Funny thing is, as much as I have worked with video in the past, I really don't have any experience with microphones. Microphones and I aren't really friends. Basically, after all the video that I shoot, I delete the audio entirely and add in something else instead (a song, a separate dialogue, etc.) because lining up the sound in each shot has been fairly difficult in the past. That being said, I think that this latest reading assignment is just what I need, a how-to-manual for folks like me who have avoided all mike use in the past. Perfect!

To be honest, I felt like some of the material covered in this reading was too advanced for me to follow, or something I would rather be figuring out with the microphones and equipment at hand. However, I think much of it will be valuable in the future, once it is known what we have available in the lab and what we do with it. I understand how this information is key for future projects.

A few ideas or tidbits that I will jostle around in my head:
1. A "wild track" of sounds that you can record on the scene to use as a common soundtrack through scene cuts and editing. It's something I never thought of before, and I can definitely see how this would be useful.
2.  The plethora of problems associated with relying solely on the camera mike... issues of distance, moving subjects, surroundings, etc. Quality of sound is only enhanced with the true microphone. (Obviously camera mikes lie.)
3. Preparations before actually shooting are invaluable. Thinking ahead to anticipate the unexpected will most likely save a lot of time and frustration in the editing process.
4. Appropriate and inappropriate uses for music/sound effects that are entirely post-production. There's pro's and con's to 'em all, and a lot of factors to think about.

I think that just about does it for me. Tune in next week for Reading Assignment : 3. And before that, a new sweet post about something... new and sweet... :)