Good sound is crucial

Sound…we tend to think about video when it comes to anything we watch on a screen. Sound is something that we take for granted but here’s the thing. Good sound is just as important as the video we watch.

Try watching your TV with the sound turned off or even way down. The whole experience becomes difficult, doesn’t it? Now imagine the opposite. No picture but you can hear great sound. Guess what? You can still follow what’s happening, you can hear every word, every sound effect. You can tell what’s going on more so than if you just had a silent picture to watch.

So what am I trying to convey here? Well, we as videographers tend to buy the latest cameras with all the high specs and that’s great. We get a fantastic picture and it all looks marvelous. Now, that’s all well and good but this is what I’ve noticed. I’ve seen many wedding highlight videos where the video itself looked brilliant but….the whole experience suffered from poor recorded sound.

What is sound production

Anyone can throw a song over a video, that’s the easy part. Getting great source audio is another matter. You have to really know your subject. There are sound levels to consider, radio frequencies, the physics of audio, e.q., distortion, interference, cables and leads, compression. You get the idea…

You may decide to record your wedding with a smart phone. OK, you’ll get something you can watch back later.  Shaky video and sound that just isn’t in the ball park. When I record a couple saying their vows, chances are they’re going to talk pretty quietly. I want to hear them breathe….I want anyone watching their DVD to hear those words as clear as day. You’re just not going to get that without good sound recording equipment. So I’ll say it again. Good sound is just as important as good video.

How I learned to make good audio

When I worked in commercial television before setting up East Kent Wedding Video, I was fortunate to begin my career at a small regional television station. It was there that they trained me in all aspects of TV production; camera, lighting, editing and audio. That was a great grounding to have working with broadcast equipment. When I moved on to a national broadcaster, I was a lighting cameraman. That was it. It didn’t matter that I was also qualified in other areas. They had people for those niche areas. The experience wasn’t wasted though. My manager knew I had that grounding and it held me in good stead for the future.

Now, a wedding videographer has to be a jack of all trades and here’s why. He or she has to be a good camera operator, a good audio recordist, a good editor and a good lighting op. Remove any of those equations and you are severely compromised.

In life, the old saying that you get what you pay for and pay for what it’s worth to you is so true. How much is your wedding video worth?

As always, you can view our wedding highlight videos here.

Stay happy,

Chris
East Kent Wedding Video