Sound set

Improving the quality of sound was one of the goals I set for myself before making ‘My Husband.’  I’m very pleased with the progress that has been made so far. In my first short film ‘After Eight’ audio was the area that was most difficult. Working with an experienced sound crew has made a huge difference. So far ‘My Husband’ sounds very good and it will be even better after the final sound mix.

Having an organized approach during production, which starts with a good shot list and team work, helps to obtain good quality sound on location. Working with experienced sound crew makes it easier to order, sort and match the correct audio to each scene of the film.

Zev capturing the sounds of Melbourne's CBD

Ambient sound

Ambient sound is often the background sound that isn’t noticed unless it isn’t there. Footsteps or the noises in a room are examples. Additional sound is often needed in post-production to fill in gaps. Collecting it requires patience, some luck and attention to detail.

There is no wind but the work on the building site adds a grinding sound and intermittent hammering. Then the sirens start. A truck turns into the driveway and starts to dump soil onto the nature strip. There will be no sound recording today. At the park it’s different.  Birds sing, local traffic passes, there is no breeze. We prepare to record.

Corey and Daniel preparing to record sound.

Stop for a minute and listen. It’s a noisy planet. How much sound and noise is filtered out by us every day?  There are layers of sound everywhere and the challenge in making a film is to build them up so they create a natural feel and flow with the story.

Zev recording sound for 'My Husband' at Pure Pop Records, St Kilda, photograph by Matt McLennan.