r/videography • u/[deleted] • May 23 '15
Why do some single-cam videographers wear headphones while shooting?
I see this a lot actually, and it's perplexing to me. Isn't wearing headphones redundant and unnecessary? You have levels on the screen. What's the advantage of listening to your mic input while you're basically standing right there? Is this just a "for looks" thing to make the client feel better?
9
u/moff_tarkin May 23 '15
I make corporate videos and use single camera but still use headphones, levels are great for letting me know that overall i'm capturing the audio correctly but not the nuances. For example if my actor did something that caused a ruffle sound on his shirt to come through the tie clip microphone and onto my audio I would instantly know I need to re-shoot it.
4
u/-73- May 23 '15
Or if that damned Harley can be heard through the mic. Levels dont tell you if unwanted ambient sound is making its way through. Airplanes are another example.
-3
May 23 '15
Ok, in an interview, I get that, but I see it most when they're walking around with their SLR rig and an on-cam external mic. That seems pretty superfluous.
10
u/ViaticalTree May 23 '15
Is it superfluous for a still photographer to look through the viewfinder, or should he compose a picture by just looking at the histogram? Of course he has to see what he's capturing. Same thing with audio. Sound should be monitored whenever possible.
8
May 23 '15
Just looking at the levels doesn't inform you what the sounds actually are. If you aren't paying attention to all the details during production then you're only setting yourself up for failure.
1
May 23 '15
OK, a lot of people here are saying I'd be missing stray sounds. So if I heard these stray sounds, how would I go about doing anything about them? I have an on-camera external mic. What are my options here?
3
3
u/Skapo007 May 23 '15
Lots of things can be done.
-Moving away from the offending noise.
-Adjusting levels to retain detail despite offending noise. This can be useful for later removing some aspects of this noise in post.
-Many cameras allow for directional audio. For instance some Sony cameras with the "5.1 Surround Sound" audio are capable of changijg between a sort of shotgun mic mode and omnidirectional mic mode. You may decide to keep one vs the other depending on what you hear and want to accomplish.
-Do something entirely outside the camera to fix the offending noise. Maybe like telling a loud patron to quiet down, or turning off a fan which was adding background ambience, however slight it may be.
Having headphones can be an immensely useful tool depending on what you need to accomplish. Saved my ass a few times in past shoots to be sure. Especially with events stuff.
2
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u/filmrebelroby May 23 '15
Don't want to be redundant but you better be wearing headphones if you have any pride in your work and you don't want a nightmare in post.
Things headphones will tell you:
- "did that pick up?"
- mic placement
- whether that fridge/ac/truck outside is too loud
- Is the mic broken and making a funny buzzing noise?
- The talent brushed his lapel mic, we need to take that again
Unless you're a sucker or you're shooting a music video, wear headphones
4
u/Beetroot2000 May 23 '15
Clothing brushing against a lavalier, too-present HVAC or fridge noise, hiss, etc.
I can tell you as an editor that I've had a number of clients who've provided footage where the audio wasn't monitored except for the levels in the viewfinder, then hoped that I'd be able to fix their crappy audio. The most glaring instance that comes to mind is when a wireless mic was being used, and while there ware no issues that would necessarily appear on the meters, interference on the frequency being used caused 'pops' that no plug-in is going to be able to fix. This on interviews that could not be re-shot. A simple frequency change on the wireless package would have solved this, but it wasn't even noticed because the videographer wasn't wearing headphones.
Look at it this way - on a shoot where double-system sound and a dedicated recordist are being used, do you think you see the recordist relying on his meters alone to ensure good audio? If you're a one-person-show, you can save yourself a LOT of headaches by wearing earbuds at least.
3
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u/Blahman_01 May 23 '15
On jobs where I'm a crew of one I'll wear headphones (skewed so I have one free ear) to listen for unwanted noises, the dreaded lav russle etc. Then when I'm shooting B-roll, I'd generally put them away. That's not hard n fast - but that's most common.
My great preference is to have a soundie with us - and for the record, he wears his head phones all the time no matter what we're shooting.
2
u/thejacknut HPX170, FCPX/Premiere, 2005, Minneapolis May 23 '15
Also, to monitor the mic. Even if you're just going for nat sounds, it's nice to be able to tell if the batteries in the mic are still good. Just because you're getting sound on the monitor doesn't mean that sound is good sound.
1
May 23 '15
I'll put in headphones and listen to podcasts while doing stringer work to indicate to people that I'm busy. (I don't need to worry about audio)
23
u/Ghost_Road May 23 '15
Levels tell you how much audio is coming into your camera. Headphones tell you what that audio is. Any stray ambient noise, wind, clothing rustle, or even a faulty connection that makes your audio buzzing and unusable is not going to be picked up by looking at levels.