Script and Shot Description

Script for How To video

Introduction:

I am going to be showing you how to use sound recording equipment and record good quality sound both in a studio and on location. The 2 different examples I will be showing you is how to set up and record in a studio, using a condenser microphone, sound cards another pieces of equipment which I will talk through later. The other on will be on location recording and using a lavaliere mic attached to a H1N recorder.

How to set up a studio:

When setting up a studio with the sound equipment in there are a few things you have to know before you start recording. This is a condenser mic; this microphone can only pick up sound from one side you have to make sure that the dot is pointing towards you. This microphone is then put into the cradle on the stand. They normally come with a blimp, this blimp is for when you need to record on location and it filters out the wind noises and other environmental noises, therefore for a studio recording you don't need this. There is also a pop filter, this stops some sounds that is naturally produced by the body like breathing and some phonetic sounds like S's and P's. In order for the sound to be recorded into your laptop or desktop you need to have a sound card. The sound card improves the quality of sound going into the set up and you also have more control over the volume levels of what is being recorded into the computer. You also need some cables; these cables go straight into the bottom of the microphone into the sound card which then goes into the computer. The most important thing that the microphone and the computer needs to record what you need to is phantom power, this is 48 volts of power means that the condenser microphone is able to communicate what is coming out of it and straight into the computer.

When you are all set up you need to choose your software which you are going to use in order to record your sound. I like to use either Adobe Audition or Garage band, (then I will talk through about how to set both up on a computer with a screen recording over the top). This is a song that recently recorded on audition. (I'd then show the song that I recorded with the studio set up, with footage of me recording it).

How to set up on Location:

Now I'm going to show you how to set up a mobile recorder with a lavalier microphone. A lavalier microphone is used a lot by professionals who are interviewing who want to use a discreet microphone. Throughout my documentary I used this set up to record my interviews to make sure that the players were heard. Here is a clip on how some of them turned out.

In order to record with a lavalier microphone you need to have a mobile recorder with you or a camera. The lavalier microphone is small but can pick up a lot of noise, therefore you can get mini blimps and dead cats to go over them to shield them from wind noises and other environmental noises. The best way to get sound from the microphone is to put it a hand width away from the person chin, this is usually just below the middle of their collar bone. This means that no matter which way the person puts their head the volume/sound level would be consistent. There are a few downsides to using the lavalier microphone straight into a camera, you can't hear the sound levels and whether the wind noise is being recorded as well as the voice or whether the person's voice can be heard while being recorded. 

The shots that are will be using are: 

1. This shot will be a wide shot of all the equipment on a table and me sitting down on a chair talking about each bit. When I am talking I will point or show the piece of equipment. 
2. This will be a close up of each piece of equipment on the table or in the studio stand that can be played while there is a voice over.  
3. This will be a wide shot of the studio but will be sped up as I then set up the equipment in the studio
4. This will be footage of me recording a song in the studio, it will be a variety of both wide shot and close up of my face and body. 
5. The footage from the documentary interviews are mid shot angles that have the head and the shoulders of the players.  
6. This is a close up of the mobile recorder and lavalier microphone and it will be of someone turning it on and the plugging in the microphone and looking at the volumes. 
7. This is going to be footage of me setting up the equipment on a person who is sitting down. This is going to be a mixture of close up and mid shot angles.