Last week, the team over at RocketJump Film School released this awesome video about sound production in film. Sound production is probably the most overlooked aspect of filmmaking, mainly because you don't notice great sound design; it seamlessly helps you submit to the willing suspension of disbelief. Check out RJFS's experiment to see how much sound actually does affect the audience.
RJFS asks these seemingly simple questions:
- How much does good-quality production audio really affect the audience's experience and immersion into the film?
- Is good production audio necessary, when you are going to "fix it in post" anyway?
- Is sound or picture more impactful than the other when it comes to the audience's experience of the film?
You can't fix bad sound in post; I repeat, you can't fix bad sound in post. Believe me, I am speaking from experience. My senior year of film school I hired a friend to record audio for my senior thesis. He assured me he had used the Zoom H4N Audio Recorder before. Rolling. Speed. Get back to dump footage from the interview. No sound. "I thought it was recording, the light was on!" Needless to say, I cried a little bit, but c'est la vie. Lesson learned. Still went on to be screened at a few film festivals.
Learn from others mistakes, always hire a good sound guy, or if it's just you, really educate yourself on the best ways to record audio. Do you have any sound production nightmares to share?