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Hack #2 of this week’s 5 Indie Film Hacks might surprise you, because it has nothing to do with your camera.
I say this all the time and people still don’t believe me: audio is more important than video.
If your picture is soft, people will forgive you.
If your sound is trash? They’re gone.
You’re in a theater and you’re watching a short film festival. Without fail, the ones that look funny or feel “just off” have an audio problem.
The audience thinks it’s lighting or camera — but it’s always sound.
We often push back when the sound guy wants a rate plus a fee for his gear — but that’s standard. No matter how low the budget, I always, ALWAYS, get a good sound mixer with their own equipment.
You can usually find someone on sites like Staff Me Up.
The key to this business is people. Once you work with people, you get to know them and now you have more folks you can call to work on your own projects.
Ideally, you’re helping others out on their projects, and by default you are building a network of people you can build with.
Clean audio = instant professionalism.
Bad audio = “student film” real quick.
Dial in your sound today. And tomorrow? I’ll teach you a lighting hack that creates shape, depth, and mood…for free.
Talk soon,
Nicki Micheaux
