“An outstanding, tension-building score
— One of the strongest heard in recent indie horror.”
— The Indie Film Sucks Podcast
ON-SET
SOUND
Good sound starts on set. The cleaner the production audio is at the source, the more natural and flexible it stays in post. Focus on clear dialogue, sensible mic placement, room tone, wild lines and useful backup recordings so the edit has everything it needs later.
Post-production can fix a lot, but badly clipped audio, heavy distortion, constant background noise or poor mic placement can only be pushed so far before the voice starts to suffer too.
There’s more to good production sound than simply getting a mic close to the actor. Mic choice, placement, clothing, movement, location noise, room acoustics and even what’s happening just outside the frame can all affect what makes it into the recording. The sections below break down the main things we look for on set, how we prepare for post, and the small decisions that can save a huge amount of time later.
BOOM PLACEMENT
Boom placement makes a massive difference to how natural dialogue sounds. Getting the mic close matters, but where it’s pointing matters just as much. A mic a foot away and aimed badly can sound worse than one slightly further back but aimed properly.
Where possible, try to keep the boom above the actor and aimed towards the chest or mouth area, while staying clear of frame and shadows. Ceiling height, reflections and the room itself can change what works though, so sometimes you have to adjust around the location.
Handle the pole quietly too. Loose cable hitting the pole, hands moving, jewellery, clothing or a bad grip can all end up in the recording. If the boom is cabled, wrap and secure it properly rather than letting it hang loose and knock against the pole.
Get the cleanest, strongest voice you can before post ever gets involved.