Getting Good Natural Sound in a Noisy World

One of the biggest challenges we face in gathering footage for our RelaxationMedia products is getting a good, clean, machine-free, natural soundtrack. The world we live in is filled with cars, airplanes, and every other type of annoying noise, so we have to work very hard to get the good sounds that make our products take you to the locations we shoot in. Of course, I’m not the first person to ever consider this problem, Martyn Stewart, a professional audio recordist, has put out great information on what it takes to get pristine natural sound.

On the other hand, I thought a few simple tips on what we do might be all the help you need to get out there and get your own good audio. First, and this seems obvious, but is often overlooked, choose your location carefully. Look for sources of invasive sound, then spend some time there in complete silence (I like to spend about 20-30 minutes, if at all possible) listening to the sound. Next, carefully consider where to place your microphone and try out a few microphone locations while listening to the results in closed-ear headphones. Never use an on-camera microphone. Finally, gather sound from multiple microphone placements and mix, for best results.

HD Videographer Video Cinematography Travel Relaxation+Media Color Light Video+Camera HVX200 HD+Shooter

Enjoying the Color of Light

One of the best things about traveling and shooting is that I get the chance to slow down and really pay attention to the details that make each place unique. The color of light in a particular place at a particular time of year is one of the details I love the most. What do I mean by "color of light", you ask? I'm talking about the overall ambient color of light that is really a combination of the angle of the sun, the water content in the air, and the color created by reflections in the environment.


To give an example, since I live in Northern California, I would have to say that the color of light in the autumn here on the coast is one of the most amazing and vibrant colors I have ever experienced. The lack of fog in the autumn, combined with the angle of the sun, creates a situation where the sky is an amazingly rich shade of blue, the sun is bright and yellow and the contrast from light to shadow is very stark. This is an amazing light for landscape photography and cinematography, but not so good for portraits or scenes with people. A similar light exists in the spring in the months prior to the return of the fog, however the spring light tends to be warmer and more toward the orange and red spectrum, where the autumn light is more blue and cool.


Have you ever noticed the color of light where you live at different times of year? Do you think the idea of a "color of light" is subjective? Tell me about the color of light where you live--I'd love to get some ideas of new places to shoot and the times of year that are the most spectacular.

HD Videographer Video Cinematography Travel Relaxation+Media Color Light Video+Camera HVX200 HD+Shooter

Relaxation Media

Travel and cinematography have been two of my greatest passions for as long as I can remember. Even as a child, I can remember looking out the window of our car on lengthy family road-trips and admiring the changing landscape. The thought often occurred to me, "How can I explain what this looks like to someone who has never seen it?"

Becoming a filmmaker and founding Frame x Frame Productions has given me this opportunity, however, until recently, the diversity of my work has not afforded me as many opportunities as I would like to shoot while on the road. Two recent developments have changed that.

First, we purchased the unbelievably cool Panasonic HVX200 camera. This gem of a video camera allows me to shoot in Standard Definition and HD (both 1080i and 720p) at multiple frame rates (overcrank and undercrank) and even do time-lapse. The best thing is that the HD records as file(s) right onto a P2 card which I can easily transfer right into our edit system.

The second development is that I have partnered with Relaxation Media to create DVDs of all of the great places I travel. Each title will have a theme and will bring beautiful, natural video and sound to the viewer. To find out more about Relaxation Media and it's founder, John Cunningham, check out his blog.

Here are some clips from upcoming Relaxation Media titles:








HD Videographer Video Cinematography Travel Relaxation+Media Color Light Video+Camera HVX200 HD+Shooter