Bright Spark, Tech Tip Writer
Wherever possible, try to control the surroundings of where you are filming, to minimise any unwanted noise. Avoid a location with a lot of reverberation. It’s easy to add reverb later, but impossible to remove. Try to get as close as possible to the sound source to record the cleanest and strongest possible signal, without clipping it of course. Turning audio down is no problem, turning it up boosts all the unwanted noise you didn’t want in the first place. Do not use the automatic volume control function of your camera. Always record at least a minute of atmos. On low-budget films it’s tempting to try and save money by not hiring a skilled soundperson. In most cases this decision will be to the detriment of your film and will cost you more money to try and fix during post-production.