Sync Sound Session

This week we had a session with Neil Webb and Dom Green on the best approaches to filming with synced up audio. 

For example if I was filming with a DSLR and recording my audio with a boom mic and a Zoom h5 there are things I can do that will help me in post to sync up the audio to the video.

 The most commonly used and effective method is to use a clapper board. This, when written on correctly, tells us information about what we're shooting and when the clap stick is shut it creates a good sharp snapping sound that we can sync up with the frame of the white stripes being joined together. It is also helpful to shout the information on the board so the sound editor has the clip information. Some sound recordists also like to create a sync point after a take is over. To do this they will do the same procedure but turn the board upside down so the editor knows it's the end of the shot.

A Clapperboard

Other techniques I could use is to clap in front of the camera or to tap the bottom of the microphone in shot. These both create quick sounds that match an image.


We also learnt about the functions of different microphones:

Omni-Directional mics, such as lapel mics, record evenly around itself but only to a certain proximity.

Cardoid mics have a heart shape pick up pattern, rejecting sounds from immediately behind it.

Directional mics, such as the Sennheiser 416, record only directly in front of the mic only. This is useful for rejecting background sounds and getting the audio from only a certain area.


When recording dialogue on set or in an interview situation it should always be recorded in mono as the dialogue should always be at the centre of the mix as it's normally the most pivotal component.

We were also taught the procedure for recording directly into the camera. This can be more time efficient as you don't have to worry about syncing up the sound in post.



For our documentary I intend to record the interview audio using a Sennheiser 416 shotgun mic as this should eliminate most background noise and records in mono. Depending on what camera we're using I'll either record directly into the camera or record seperately to a Zoom recorder being careful to create sync points to help in post production.

In terms of cutaway scenes in between or over the top of interviews I intend on getting high quality audio of cannabis being smoked. It could be useful to use a lapel microphone to record some of these sounds as due to its size I can get really close the source minimising the signal to noise ratio.