sound and mics

[g star]

i'm beginning production of a short amateur horror film in late august. it'll be shot on DV, the script is finished, the actors are signed on, the props are being assembled as we speak. i've made plenty of these shorts in the past so i'm no stranger to the process. but i've always resorted to the built in mic on the camcorder. this time around i want to go for a more professional sound. i'm not too concerned with the sound effects i'm gonna add later in post production, i'm pretty capable with that stuff. i'm more concerned about the on location stuff like, most importantly, dialogue. if i need a couple of thousand dollars worth of microphones and a diploma from film school then screw it, i'll make due. but if anyone has any advice on how to get decent sound cheaply i'd love some input. thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

g

[MisterSadistro]

Wind and airplanes are you're biggest enemies. When in doubt, mic it from below facing upwards and away from source noise. This cuts down on a lot of interference. I did this in April/May when shooting night scenes that were lit by the loudest generator ever. The director said it's barely an audible hum in the background that I should have little problem removing when it's edited and comes to me for sound.
Check out evsonline.com. They have some decent gear for sale or rent. I'd recommend anything by Sennheiser if you can get it, but if it's not in the budget (it rarely is), they have a package deal with mic, XLR, boom pole, etc for under $200. If you mention you're a member of DVXuser.com, you supposedly get a 10% discount. Good luck.
CK

[g star]

i had a sneaky suspicion you'd be the first to reply to this thread. thanks mr. s. helpful as usual.

[Delfino]

Mr. S....I listened to some of the stuff on your website, its wicked...just thought I'd post that in here rather than a whole new thread lol.

Delfino

[MisterSadistro]

No problem, G Star. I'd get tiresome really quickly if all I did was flame spamming noobies here.
Thanks for the listen and comments, Delfino. I'll likely be heard in a German film on your side of the pond soon. Not quite sure what it's about since the translations are a bit rough, but the director said I was his "first inspiration" for it. I have no idea if that's good or bad LOL. Of course I won't plug it here by name :D
CK

[eisnein]

yeah that Sennheiser package sounds like a really good deal. might not hurt to check out some "lavs" if you have lots of dialogue. there might be some cheap workable ones at the radio shack.

alot of dv cams have inputs for external mics or you can purchase attachments so you can plug the mic straight into the cam and not have to worry about recording to something else/syncing etc. ill ask a buddy who does a bunch of bigger films what the sound guys recomend.

Mister S- musics is def dark and well written. you have any classical background? if you ever someone to mix your scores let me know. i have some really cool string noises.

[MisterSadistro]

Mister S- musics is def dark and well written. you have any classical background? if you ever someone to mix your scores let me know. i have some really cool string noises.
Not really. Took some theory and harmony in high school and was in the orchestra, but I mostly cut class and screwed around (big surprise). I have some decent string sounds. Always looking for better brass section though. Soundfonts I have are all pretty bad in that department.
As for mixing, the only thing I really need to do is transpose a lot of earlier stuff I'd written on a two staff program onto however many more I need. It really limits the sound and I want those particular tunes for a feature I'm shooting this winter.
Thanks for comment btw. I had to pull the imdb link since every time I flame a noob spammer, every film I've worked on drop a few rating points LOL Coincidence ? Not likely.
CK