My new jobs a lot of fun. I get to do a lot of creative things and have fun overcoming obstacles raised by being broke. By that I mean sometimes the jobs I am asked to do I don’t have the perfect equipment for so I have to get creative in order to do the job well. This quick little DIY fix Comes from such a situation. I’m often called up on to video interviews with people around the church. I have a Nikon D7000 it’s a fantastic camera but the built in mic leaves much to be desired if the person being interviewed is more than 3 – 5 feet away. Not only that but background and wind noise tends to bleed into the audio making it difficult to hear. My solution, though not perfect, has vastly improved the quality of the videos I’ve done over the last few months.
[tabgroup] [tab title=”What’s Needed”]
Difficulty: Intermediate
Supplies: Smart Phone, Voice Recording App, a pocket, Video editing software with multiple layers.
Optional Supplies: Headphones with Microphone attachment & clip to attach to collar
Once you have all the supplies and a basic understanding of video editing the process is pretty simple.
[/tab] [tab title=”The Process”]Make sure the person you’re interviewing has a pocket somewhere on their person.
On your smartphone hit the record button and then hit record on the camera you are filming with.
If you do not have headphones w/ a mic attachment it’s best to place the phone, that is now recording, in their shirt pocket. Make sure to place it upside down so the mic is closest to their face in their shirt pocket. If you do have headphones w/ a mic attachment the phone can be placed in their back pocket with the cable running up the back of their shirt and clipped to their collar like a normal lapel mic.
Once they are ready have them clap and count to 4 in their head before speaking. Repeat this each time you stop the video and start again.
Once the interview is over simply stop the recording, name it accordingly and save the file.
Transfer your recordings to the computer. I use dropbox, use whatever method you’re used to.
In your video editing software import the video from your camera and the audio recorded from your phone and drag them onto your timeline.
Watch through the video until you find the spot where your subject claps. Make a mark or splice on the exact moment they clap.
Now, listen through the audio recorded for the phone and find the exact moment they clap and mark or splice again.
Line up the two separate files so their marks line up.
Watch the video your audio should now be synced up. You may have to adjust a little bit.
Mute the audio from your camera and leave the phone audio unmuted.
[/tab]
[/tabgroup]
Again this is not a perfect solution. Depending on the phone you have, the quality of the mic, the conditions and area you record in your results may differ. However, this is a good temporary solution for those who cannot yet afford the right equipment and software.
Let me know if you have any more suggestions, I’d love to hear them. Make sure to watch the video companion to this post as well!
