P3W Audio Location

Send files to sound department to evaluate and add possible recording requests. Sending the location sound effects to the sound designer, either through uploads to a cloud, or by shipping drives, will allow the sound designer to evaluate the recordings and suggest what additional recordings might be needed, as well as to determine if any of the files are corrupt and need to be re-recorded while the crew is still in the field.   Forward to 9. Timecoded Sync Audio files Sent to Offline Sync Rushes [...]

Transfer audio files off each recorder several times each day. Original recordings are incredibly valuable and irreplaceable. It is vital to take the recorded files off the recorder a few times every day and copy them to two different locations. Mirrored drives are ideal. Ideally, audio should be uploaded while the recordist is still on location. Audio files are much smaller than image files, so setting up a cloud system and transferring the audio data to the cloud a couple of times daily is advised.   [...]

Use a small, portable, surround/stereo, high-resolution, digital recorder for gathering sound libraries. The Zoom H2n is an example of a small multi-channel recorder that can be used on location to record any sounds needed for the sound designer. Forward to 7. Create Two Mirrored Drives for Data Backup   Back to 5. Multi-mic Arrays  

Use multi-mic array to capture sound libraries of locations (atmos, specifics, etc.) Location recordings are the key ingredient to any giant-screen soundtrack. It gives the sound designer the ability to immerse the audience in the pristine images of unique locations around the globe, and is the reason location sound effects recordings are used. All location recordings are useful. If there are reasons the sound designer cannot use original recordings in the final soundtrack, the presence of a guide track will give insight on how the locations [...]

Feeding audio to the digital camera is also an excellent option. Most digital cameras only have two channels of audio, which will limit the ability to record multi-channel audio. By marrying the audio to picture on location, less time will spent syncing the audio at the start of offline work. It is important to use the camera’s audio tracks as effectively as possible, for instance by splitting the characters up on separate tracks (sending each mic to its own track), recording stereo sound effects, etc. The [...]

Record sync dialogue and specs for syncing with picture in offline edit. For scenes with sync elements, dialogue, specific sound effects, etc., it is important to record a hard audio hit at the head of each take. This is usually a slate board. If a smart slate is used, the timecode can be fed to both the audio recorder and the camera, which allows for easier syncing once in offline. If no slate is available, an on-camera hand clap can be used to sync the take. [...]

Record audio at highest resolution possible (e.g., 24bit 96kHz, 24bit 48kHz). Whether capturing sync audio or location sound effects, it’s important to capture it at the highest resolution possible. Once the sound design team receives the recordings, they may need to apply some processing. Any artifacts that happen during these processes will be minimized or eliminated if the highest resolution recordings are used. It is better to down-res files than have to up-res them. Forward to 3. Sync Dialogue   Back to 1. Work Out Frame [...]

Frame rates for entire project based on final delivery requirements (e.g., 24fps/23.976fps) should be determined before shooting begins. The picture and sound must be the same. It is important to understand the frame rate of the final delivery of the film before one frame is shot. Standard delivery is currently 24 fps for theatrical and giant-screen release. Once the pre-production discussion has determined the final delivery frame rate, it’s imperative that both the picture and sound department are working together at that frame rate. If not, [...]

Since the introduction of digital video capture for giant-screen productions, there have been very few technical differences between theatrical digital and giant-screen productions in the areas of audio pre-production, production, and post-production. New soundtrack playback environments continue to evolve. Theatrically, Dolby released Dolby Atmos in 2012, a ratio-based speaker array that added ceiling and side-wall speakers. Dolby Atmos is also used in some giant-screen theaters with digital projectors. Imax Corporation recently released its IMAX nXOS2, or IMAX 12-channel system. This new format is shipped with the [...]