ABSTRACT
Sound Preproduction Successful sound recording begins in preproduction. At this stage directors, art directors, and D.P.s tend to overlook sound issues, so if a film relies heavily on location sync sound recording, here are three tips for ensuring that you get the audio you want: 1. The sound mixer should go on location tech surveys to thoroughly scout the environ-
ment ahead of time. On the tech survey the sound mixer should check room acoustics and ambience and should look for any “noisemakers” at the location, like refrigerators, fans, fluorescent lights, and radiators. Then the sound mixer should check the larger environment surrounding the specific location for noisemakers such as nearby highways, playgrounds, airports, and construction sites. This can take some time as a location can sound great for a few minutes, but if you remain long enough you may discover that there is a bus stop right outside the front window where a noisy bus passes by every 12 minutes. If you're shooting in someone's apartment, it's perfectly reasonable to ask them how noisy the neighbors are and how loud they play their music or TV?
