2 urgent questions relating to sound and light

PlainviewStudios said:

Secondly, I'm looking for a cheap lighting solution. I will invest in proper equipment once I am more experienced and feel my films warrant a greater budget, but for now I need something seriously cheap that will do a decent job.

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A couple of work lights with stands from any home improvement
store.


Five or six “scoop lights” - those lamps with the silver
reflector.



Two or three Paper Lanterns that you can get at Ikea. I hook each one to a dimmer
(home improvement store again) to get better control.



Three or four pieces of Foamcore from any art supply store to use
to bounce the light. Add some colored gels (check on line or if there
is a small theater in your town they often have extras) and some
black wrap.

Not very expensive and makes a very versatile light kit.

Define a "low" budget. Under $5,000? Under $2,500? Under $1,000? Less?

About as low as I would suggest would be the Tascam DR-100 for an audio recorder. It's currently available for about $275 as the MKII version (reportedly a vast improvement at about $325) will be available by the spring. The DR-40 ($200) came out recently, but I have no experience with the unit although it seems to have the same problems as the current DR-100. Whichever recorder you decide to get you should get a battery pack. Running phantom power eats up batteries at a ferocious rate. In fact, you should get two battery packs, one charging while the other is in use.

As far as shotgun mics go the Rode NTG-1 and NTG-2 are popular, as are the Audio Technica AT875 and AT897. They are all under $275. The NTG-2 and AT897 will supply phantom power with their own internal battery.

You will also need headphones, a boom-pole, a shock-mount, wind protection and cables. Most shotgun mics are available in kits that have those accessories.

You can get the job done for even less, but the extreme low budget consumer level high impedance gear can potentially create as many or more problems than they solve.

The entry level "pro" gear would be recorders like the Marantz PMD-661, Fostex FR-2 and Tascam HD-P2 ($600 to $700). A shotgun mic like the Rode NTG-3 ($700) and Sennheiser ME/66 ($500) are popular. At that level you should also consider a cardioid condenser mic like the Audio Technica AT4053b ($600) in addition to the shotgun. You will still, of course, need all of the accessories.

Just as important, in fact even more important, are the techniques used. You will need to learn gain staging and other technical aspects, and proper booming technique.


Your best option is to hire a professional. Barring that, an up-and-coming production sound mixer with the basics is an option as well. And I always have to recommend renting; you'll get better gear than what you could buy with all of the needed accessories and not have to worry about maintenance and upgrades.

I definitely suggest checking out the Rode website, they have a large array of mics that are very good quality. I got a $125 one for my DSLR, it works great!