OK guys, a little background. I recently got my camera,a Panasonic AG-DVC20P, and I am absolutely, completely happy with my purchase visually. While not the best, it fit in my budget and blows away the competition. However, even with the new camera fever still in me, I have to accept that the audio it records is less than satisfactory. Far less. This is only after some preliminary testing I've done with it, but I can accept that I need to do something about the audio. Now I am on less than no-budget for this production I'm planning. The only way I can even afford this camera is due to a small scholarship award that gave me enough to get it. Now, I am still short of having any money to buy editing software, audio/lighting equipment, etc. I found a little site that is hosting a video competition for who can come up with the best commercial for them. So far, no one has even submitted into their competition, and the deadline is in a month. I came up with a little plan I'm proud of, and I have the camera and can get the lighting to pull it off. But I am absolutely lost on supplying an audio solution. And now to the meat of my question.
I am shooting in a restaurant that will be closed at the time of shooting. I have everything I need set up, but I have no way to record audio except my camera (audio is crap), a $30 crappy C-90 recorder from target with 1/4" inputs, and a laptop computer. The laptop is an HP entertainment center, so I should be able to record audio to it if I can hook up. It has Firewire, USB, and crappy 1/8" inputs. I might be able to cajole up a mixer from my church for limited time use, as well as some hand held mikes primarily used for singer's. My local theater and I have a very cordial relationship, and I'm especially good buddies with their technical director. In the name of money-starved creative types everywhere, I might be able to borrow some mikes they have that they hang over their stage. I know absolutely nothing about these mikes except that they are Sennheiser's, and I'm sure good quality for their job. Using only those tools that I can borrow, would it be able to pull of an acceptable audio quality, keeping in mind that the final product will be compressed and uploaded anyway. Also, I have no audio editing software or really anything besides Window's Movie Maker to pull this
off. Should I connect the mixer to the camera through a 1/4" plug or to the laptop? How would I go about connecting the mixer to the laptop best?
Thank you for all you guys' help in advance, and for at least maybe trying to read through my block of text. I sincerely appreciate your feedback. Thank you for helping a budding filmmaker on no budget.
"We all have the potential to be great. It is our inability to do so that makes us miserable." C.S.Lewis
"We all have the potential to be great. It is our inability to do so that makes us miserable." C.S.Lewis
you're best option would be to use a really good condenser shotgun mic with an xlr connection plugged in to either your camera or a mixer an then into your camera. However, that will cost you unless you can borrow those items. You were talking about the mics that hang over a stage. I would imagine that those are condensers and would work for what you need for now. Your problem with that is, you will need to hook them into a mixer that has phantom power (most mixers have them) and then run a line to your camera. That will work, however, If you're gonna be moving the camera around a lot, then you might have a problem moving the mixer unless your cables are really long.
Another suggestion, and this isn't the best one but it will work, would be to use those handheld mics you were talking about. What you can do is go to radio shack and get a connector piece that is an adapter for xlr to 1/8" so that you can plug a mic into your camera. If you cant find those adapters then you can also get a mic cable that is xlr to 1/4" and then get a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter. These items are pretty cheap and will only cost you around $10-$15. Now a bit of a warning, these handheld mics are most likely dynamic mics (I'm guessing shure sm-58's) and dynamic mics aren't the greatest at being used as movie mics. BUT, you CAN make it work. I did an entire movie using a mic like that, and with some careful consideration while shooting, it turned our fine. You'll have to get your mic as close to your subjects as possible, but you can get a decent sound. This isnt the number one way to do it, but if you are short on money, it would be your cheapest and most effective way.
Ok, an update on my situation. So far I have a mixer that has XLR inputs and phantom power, however, it also requires being plugged into the wall. I only have one outdoor scene that I will be filming, and I have access to power in the restaurant, so this should be fine, as I'll be doing a voice over on that scene. Then I can hook the mixer up to my camera easily. The only variable anymore is whether I'll be stuck using my church's mikes, or whether I can borrow the condenser mikes from the theater. Thank you for your help TheHitMaker667.
"We all have the potential to be great. It is our inability to do so that makes us miserable." C.S.Lewis
"We all have the potential to be great. It is our inability to do so that makes us miserable." C.S.Lewis
no problem man. let me know which one you end up with and i'll give you some more tips on how to get the best sound out of them.
