Techy Stuff: Audio

Probably one of the most overlooked and underrated areas in filmmaking is audio. Audio is 50% of the experience and is often underestimated. Have you ever watched a movie on mute? Not even close to the same experience. Have you ever tried just listening to a movie? Eyes shut and just listening... you can still follow the story without much confusion. Audio is so powerful. Until I went to film school, I had no idea how much work went into creating the soundscape for a film. I thought I knew but it wasn't until I wrote and directed my own short film that I truly understood. Now obviously in the wedding filmmaking industry, we don't have the option of having an entire audio team come along on a wedding shoot. When we shoot, it's usually a team of 2 and we need extremely hi quality audio in a small package. Here are the tools we use and love.

||Shotgun Mics|| When shooting on HDSLR's, do NOT use the on board microphones. They are complete garbage. Yeah I said it, garbage. Trust me even if you think it doesn't sound all that bad, it does. It may sound ok on your computer speakers but remember all the different types of speakers and systems your film will be played on, the onboard mics just won't do. We use two different types of mics, the Senheiser MKE400 and the Rode VideoMic. Both of these offer superb localized audio. We tend to like the audio that comes out of the VideoMic a little better but they are both fantastic.

||Wireless Mics|| People often ask us how we capture the vows and speeches so clearly. The answer is wireless microphones. We use the Senheiser ew100 G2 system and an omni-directional mic. This allows us to strap a mic on the lapel of the groom and it captures crystal clear audio in about a 3 foot radius. Just don't forget to find the groom and set him up before the ceremony begins... that would suck.

||Recorder|| Now with HDSLR's you've probably realized there are no XLR inputs. There are systems out there that you can add to your camera that will give you XLR inputs but we find those systems don't work well for us. It ends up being added bulk and not great quality. Instead we opt for dual system sound. This is when the sound is recorded separately and then synced up in post. To do this we use the Zoom H4N. This little gem is just what we need. It allows us to record for hours on end without dying and easily adjust quality settings and audio levels. We highly recommend the Zoom.

||Post Production Audio|| Now since there is definitely no time to slate each shot you take during a wedding, syncing audio in post can seem a bit daunting. But have no fear, Plural Eyes by Singular Software will save you hours of time and headaches and is well worth the $150 price tag. This program syncs up all of your audio in your timeline for you. If your syncing audio manually, do yourself a favour and check Plural Eyes out.

So that's it. Extremely high quality audio in a very small package. If you have any questions on how we use these tools or anything else please feel free to leave a comment, shoot us an email or talk to us on twitter.

A big year ahead

So it's March already... did anyone else realize this? Man oh man this year is going by way too fast. Huge things are coming up this year and I can't wait for all of them. First off, my fiance/partner in crime, Erin and I are getting married in May. So while we're filming weddings we're attempting to plan our own and so far it's going great. It's definitely trippy having the tables turned on us. We're usually the vendor talking to couples and now everything is topsy turvy. Also in recent news... I'm gonna be an uncle!!! I'm so stoked! My sister Diana and her husband Steve are expecting and I can't wait for this little one to call me "Uncle Mac"! Oh and on the 26th I'll be turning 23. And to top it all off, we've booked more weddings for this summer than ever before. We're extremely fortunate to have met so many incredible couples and get to travel and create films for them. Erin and I are incredibly excited to finally kick off our married life together. We've found a place that we'll be moving into soon and we're having an amazing time getting ready for this next season. Erin's also going to start hopping on the blog so keep your eye out for that.

One of the questions we are constantly asked is "Who is going to film your wedding?". We realize that filming ourselves could prove difficult but don't you worry... we've got it figured out and we'll definitely be posting our highlights on the blog.

So on a random note... how are you? Good I trust. See any good movies lately? Thoughts on the Oscars? We'd love to hear your feedback on our blog. What you like about it, what you don't and what you'd like to see. Should we do some video blogs? Should we do a sort of "Question of the Week" feature? Feel free to let us know.

If you need some inspiration in the form of music... I'd suggest checking out "Build a Rocket Boys!" by Elbow. I've been eagerly anticipating this new album and it doesn't disappoint. Get into it!

PS Here is the view from our reception venue... not bad.

techy stuff: stabilizing

YO YO YO! Welcome to another edition of 'Techy Stuff'. We've received a bunch of questions lately about how we stabilize our cameras and what gear we use to do so. This post is to briefly go over each piece we use. When we started to use HDSLR's we saw some incredible potential. Initially we thought using the cameras handheld would work fine but we quickly learned otherwise. We use the Canon 5D and 7D and these cameras both have some pretty bad rolling shutter/jelly cam issues. When handheld, the footage comes out extremely jittery, almost as if the person holding it was vibrating. This is because the cameras are so small and light, they pick up every tiny movement you make. This can be avoided by using lenses with IS (image stabilization) but the lenses we choose to use don't have IS, so we've found the best way to avoid these problems is to use some sort of stabilizer at all times.

||Tripod|| We use Manfrotto Tripods. Perfect for ceremonies and speeches. Never underestimate the power of a good tripod and fluid head.

||Monopod|| We have a lot of people ask us about this one. We use the Manfrotto 561BHDV. This is a monopod with a fluid video head on top. This thing is SO versatile. Available for around $300, this is by far the best bang for the buck. Brilliant design with the 3 feet at the bottom and extremely lightweight. It allows us to be extremely portable while being able to get beautiful shots. We use it for the majority of the day... definitely worth every penny.

||Glidecam|| Now there are plenty of different steadi/glidecams out there. We find the one that works best for us is the Glidecam 2000HD. Small and compact, allowing us to travel light. Perfect size to support our Canon cameras and lenses. Works perfectly and allows us to fly around to get some really exciting shots. It definitely takes practice to balance/use but we find it's perfect for weddings and events.

||Track|| We get a ton of questions asking about our tracking shots. People see our films and think we use some sort of huge dolly setup but nope, it's a simple little 3 foot long track. We use the Glidetrack SD. A brilliant little tool that allows us to attach our cameras and slide it around, providing an incredibly high production value shot. If you use one be careful not to over do it. Glidetrack shots looks amazing and it can be very tempting to use it too much.

All of our stabilizers are setup with a manfrotto quick release plate. This allows us to quickly switch from each tool with ease. We really hope this blog post helps you out. We love these tools and what they allow us to do in story telling.

It's a known fact that when you get new camera gear... you go and film vegetation... you just do. Below is a test film I shot a while back when we started using the 5D. Shot on the 5D w/ 35mm 1.4, monopod and glidetrack.

Be sure to leave a comment if you have any questions.

PS The Oscars are this Sunday... who do you think is gonna win? Let us know!

melody davis photography || behind the scenes

Hey how are you? You look good. Hope you're doing well. I'm so happy that I'm finally able to post this promo on the blog! Melody Davis is a spectacular photographer. It's so cool to see her work in so many different areas; weddings, fashion, and promotional work. Last October I was lucky enough to tag along on a photo shoot with Melody to create this behind the scenes promo. The shoot was for an upcoming international release from The Left, an extremely talented band out of Vancouver. We had so much fun roaming the streets of Vancity, and creating some stunning imagery. Melody had some great things planned for the shoot like a 5 person tandem bike and invading a movie prop warehouse. Check it all out in the video below!

PS Check out Melody's website here!