WASHINGTON, DC, 7 January 2015 — We call sound “the heartbeat” of the videos we produce. Whether you’re using a sophisticated camera with two XLR inputs for sound, an HDXLR or a smart phone, you have to understand how to use the gear to get optimal sound.
For the Emmy Award-nominated “Afghanistan: The Forgotten War” that I did for NOW on PBS, I used a Sony EX-1, with a directional mic as well as a wireless mic. With that kind of gear, it’s pretty easy to get good sound — if you know how to use it.
In the film, and as U.S. Marines interviewed Afghan peasants, I had to place the wireless mic on somebody, or something, to achieve optimal sound. I couldn’t move around the enclosed space so positioning of the mic was critical.
So, you tell me on whom or on what the mic is in this picture, and I’ll send you a free copy of my Essential Video Journalism Field Manual. You may want to watch the story, and you can do so if you click HERE. The first person to correctly identify the location of the wireless will get the Field Manual. So send me an email, asap, to my personal email address: [email protected].