Don’t Make These Audio Mistakes as a New Filmmaker

#filmmaking #documentary #audio
Audio makes up the backbone of documentary storytelling, and in this video we’re going to take a look at 5 of the most common mistakes new filmmakers should avoid on shoot day.
🎥 *WANT TO LEVEL UP YOUR CINEMATOGRAPHY? JOIN MY DOCUMENTARY CINEMATOGRAPHY: PROFESSIONAL FOUNDATIONS COURSE*🎥 bit.ly/3YkuBcL
📘*LIFE-CHANGING ADVICE FOR FILMMAKERS (FREE 70-PAGE EBOOK)*📘: tinyurl.com/ax9c3kkf
📽 *A FILMMAKER’S GUIDE TO LONG TERM CAREER PLANNING (FREE 5 DAY CHALLENGE)*📽: bit.ly/40ZS9GC
📖 THE DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER’S NETWORKING GUIDE (FREE DOWNLOAD) 📖: bit.ly/3VIA7Vm
📝✅ ESSENTIAL GEAR PACKING CHECKLIST (FREE DOWNLOAD) ✅📝: tinyurl.com/ycknfa7j
🗞 MONTHLY NEWSLETTER: FILMMAKING TIPS, GEAR, AND CREATIVE LIVING 🗞: bit.ly/3imiDAj
🤘 WHERE I GET MUSIC FOR MY VIDEOS (Luc70 for 70% off!!!) 🤘: audiio.com/lucforsyth
📱 *SCHEDULE 1:1 CAREER DEVELOPMENT OR PROJECT CONSULTATION CALL WITH ME*📱
calendly.com/lucforsyth/1-1-c...
🔗 LINKS FROM THIS VIDEO
Mark Bone lav placement video: • PRO AUDIO & LAV TIPS: ...
Rycote Undercovers: bhpho.to/3MDtujW
CHAPTERS
0:00 - Intro
1:51 - Not making audio a priority
3:46 - Mic Placement
6:04 - Not monitoring the audio as you go
7:49 - Thinking you need to have a good shot to hit record
9:03 - Not putting the mic as soon as you can
🎥 🔥 📷 GEAR I USE
MY ACAM: amzn.to/3CsrOoy
MY BCAM: bhpho.to/3J1DQro
BEST DOC TRIPOD IN THE WORLD: amzn.to/3CulzAu
KZbin LENS: amzn.to/3CuSl4x
PRIME LENSES: amzn.to/3CuVrWk
CURRENT DRONE: amzn.to/37oX7pp
KEY LIGHT: amzn.to/3MzpsJn
SHOTGUN MIC: amzn.to/3hVwVnL
BEST BACKPACK: amzn.to/3IZtXuz
COMPUTER: amzn.to/3HXNwlE
*Affiliate Links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases*
✋ SAY HI
Email: [e-mail]
Web: www.lucforsyth.com
IG: @lucforsyth

[@28JAMEON]

“Seeing the sound,” is such a great tip. Had learned this from a Phillip Bloom class, but the cut away idea is super helpful.

[@LucForsyth]

I remember that video! Philip is the man!

[@scottievee7467]

Big respect for those who talk about the eff ups, like you're doing here. It happens. Beginner and Pro. I recently shot something with a celebrity. The location we had changed. I was forced to shoot into the bright sunlight. The talent was literally in a corner with strong background light. It was ridiculous and I said this ain't gonna work before starting. But we started anyway. I tried to light him with as strong a light from the front as I could. My A cam and A mic were what I was focusing on. I had a B and C cam just trying to get a good enough angles. I ended up switching my cameras in importance. I turned the shots on the A cam on and off while doing cool handheld shots. Well, I also turned off the "Good" lav mic in doing so. Trashed it. Some shots were fantastic and he said it looks great along with another DP I showed later. But it wasn't consistent and the sound was all over the place. Thankfully I had shot 3 or 4 really good jobs for the client in the past that he was thrilled with. So this did not ruin a good thing. YES, sound is super important. Oh, and I was a one man team running 2 and 3 cameras. Too many hats is also an issue.

[@LucForsyth]

Yeah, that sounds like a lot to manage for anybody and super stressful. Great that you kept the client though, sounds like they could tell you were hustling

[@DigitalGenki]

The 'See the sound' tip is incredible advice. Amazing

[@LucForsyth]

Nice, glad it helps!

[@user-qc2le5tv9t]

awesome video !

[@bobkrist1]

Great tips, Luc! Your pieces are so helpful.

[@LucForsyth]

Thanks, really glad to hear that

[@marcusgregoryrichardson22]

Absolutely love these videos ❤❤❤

[@LucForsyth]

Thanks!

[@MikeMorones]

Great video and fantastic advice - thank you. I'm was a 20-year newspaper photog and moving into more video with a new, non-journalism employer. I've got my first doc shoot coming up and mildly panicking on wrangling video/sound/movement. Not to mention making time for some stills work too! I stumbled onto your channel the other day and have been binge-watching all your videos. Thank you for sharing your experiences - these vids are definitely helping me settle down and get in a good headspace!

[@Whyiadda]

You’re great man! Really been enjoying all your videos. I love that final pro tip! “See the sound”

[@LucForsyth]

Thanks so much, glad you're liking them!

[@bardz7141]

thanks, this was super helpful man!

[@LucForsyth]

great, glad to hear it!

[@arhon888]

Thanks for sharing. Some great tips. "See the sound". I like that.

[@SoundSpeeds]

I'm a pro sound guy and I very much agree with this video. I'll be recommending this video because your non sound perspective is valuable event though I cover this from a pro sound perspective on my channel

[@LucForsyth]

Nice one, great to hear...thanks!

[@EthanShaoDP]

Thank you for the advice. I will put them to use when I start shooting my new doc early next year. Subscribed for more!

[@LucForsyth]

Thanks Ethan, welcome aboard and happy shooting!

[@Brian-Hansen]

Absolutely correct! Thanks Luke. Audio is the hardest, but most important part of video. Spending time on it definitely takes your edits up a few levels.

[@LucForsyth]

💯!

[@mauricioli3901]

Thank you, it came just in time. 👍🏻☕🌋🌴☀️🌊🏝📸

[@LucForsyth]

awesome!

[@checkadam42]

Hey Luc, really been enjoying the channel. It's great to see so much advice for documentary film making presented honestly. I'd love to see a video covering how you handle white balance and exposure on run & gun shoots, especially when you're moving in and out of different locations and lighting conditions. Any strategies or tips you have to making sure all those camera settings are dialed in, even as you have just a few seconds to get the camera rolling on something unexpected.

[@LucForsyth]

That's a great idea, thanks Adam. I have a pretty big backlog right now, but I will absolutely get around to this.

[@Avidcomp]

Great last tip. Thanks. Such an easy one to forget and so simple to execute.

[@LucForsyth]

Sweet, glad it helped!

[@tylerstooksbury3050]

Luc, I've recently found your channel and I have to say it is incredibly refreshing to see content about filmmaking that isn't just about marketing gear to me. I work in the commercial world, but I'm in pre-production for a Passion Project Doc. Your insights are great! I also have a NASCAR youtube channel and my channel is slightly smaller than yours but I know its such a grind. Keep up the great work!

[@LucForsyth]

Thanks Tyler, appreciate that - it's exactly what I'm going for. And keep up the hustle, I will too!

[@jaymesagency]

"See the sound" is such an amazing tip I hadn't heard before. Great idea. All the tips are great... I'm currently battling an interview I shotgunned but didn't realize it sounded so bad because I was hearing the on camera mic at the same time. Need to hone in my audio skills 100%.

[@LucForsyth]

that's why audio is it's own full time job...but unfortunately we don't always get that luxury. Keep hustling!

[@CM-iz3xh]

Thanks so much for this amazing content. See the sound and the undercovers are gamechangers! I often had trouble attaching the mic to slippy jackets and i heard about using magnets but this is way more appealing.

[@LucForsyth]

So good!

[@wildpatagoniafilms16]

Great post as always! Looking forward to see the post regarding the 'tentacle mini audio recorders..." cheers! ;).

[@LucForsyth]

Coming soon!

[@wildpatagoniafilms16]

@@LucForsyth 🙏 ! ;) cheers!

[@Deep-Travel]

Great video as usual. We share the same journey into documentary filmmaking. I too have a background in Photography. And after 30 years as a photographer, I decided to explore filmmaking as it has always been a dream of mine. But fear and complacency kept me from exploring it. Now I love documentary filmmaking as well as Photo essayes.

[@LucForsyth]

Nice one! I love photojournalism, but the industry itself is extremely rough to survive in. Will always be my first love though...

[@ChristophIsbjorn]

Luc this was great advice! "See the Sound" is something I haven't heard anywhere else. I'm getting ready to head to Ecuador soon with my medical school and planning to do a mini-doc on the trip. I'm definitely saving this video to run through one more time before I pack all my stuff. Thanks so much for this video!

[@LucForsyth]

You're very welcome Christoph, glad it was helpful!

[@mikeinthebarn]

Super helpful!

[@LucForsyth]

Awesome, glad to hear it!

[@AdamSzarmack]

This was great 👍

[@LucForsyth]

Thanks Adam!

[@homemade_vancity]

As always, great advice! I have an inexpensive LAV set up that I bought for my kit and have started running either my Røde or Senheisser shotgun mic into the 2nd transmitter to add another channel/depth to my voice recordings. It's really been good for getting actual room tone in addition to the cleaner lapel pick-up. Still playing with best ways to do it all because I used both my internal recording on my a6400 and to SSD on my Ninja V (because some day I'll be interviewing people talking rather than just single person shots), it's been an interesting exercise but a fun learning experience. I too am not a sound guy, but have always picked the brains of the boom ops on set for tricks over the years. 3 cheers for film school through work experience.

[@LucForsyth]

Nice one, sounds like a solid set up with lots of potential for growth. Keep it up!

[@vincentdragonemedia]

“See the sound.” Great advice. I shoot a lot of interviews of firefighters, with fire stations typically being located in the busiest part of town. I’ve always struggled with ambient noise and I will use this technique from now on. Thank you!

[@LucForsyth]

It's a life saver! Happy shooting

[@107productionsllc6]

Hi Luc, Great content, as always. As a pro sound guy, you have hit the nail on the head with the basics. I would add "never use the sound from the mic on the camera" but "always record the sound from the mic on the camera" as a backup just in case. It will help in syncing sound in post. And, if you can, use a good shotgun-like mic on your camera like the Rode VideoMic Pro+. It's great for run-and-gun sound and a great backup sound source just in case. Also, in general, if you can, have multiple sources of sound recording in case one fails. For your sit-down interview example, use a lav and a boom together. The general rule of mic'ing a scene is "get the mic as close as you can to the sound source while staying out of frame or hidden. And your advice about having a dedicated sound person is gold. As you said, it relieves the DP the stress and strain about getting good sound which is at least 80% of creating a good doc. I also love the "see the sound" example at the end. It truly makes a difference and steps up the game for the final edit.

[@LucForsyth]

Great tips, thanks for adding. Maybe a follow up video down the line!

[@filmmakeranto]

It's very rare to see people talk about mistakes. I just love this video and the whole content on your channel for this very reason, because this is what I experience on set. It feels so easy to watch tutorials that say Do A then B and C, but that rarely happens and in every set something or other goes wrong. Unfortunately I've noticed whatever that goes wrong most of it happens to the audio, levels, lav mic rubbing on cloth, a dog barked far away or some sort of weird occurrence. Thanks a lot for this video.

[@LucForsyth]

yeah, I relate to this 💯. You're welcome!

[@ChrisOh]

Thanks!

[@LucForsyth]

Thanks man! really appreciate that. Going to grab a coffee right now!

[@MaineMountainMedia]

This is all great advice! Audio really is the hardest part of film making because as you said, it's hard to get excited about it. However, once we committed to trying to improve our audio, I started to get super pumped on a good audio track or clean dialogue. I'm curious what's the weirdest mic placement you've ever done, (example: Lav in a hat brim, lav on a ski boot, etc.).

[@LucForsyth]

I put them all over the place, sometimes I use them just to record in big spaces when I'm far away. But hiding them in sports bras is always a delicate situation...

[@videoguy3110]

See the sound. That is awesome advice.

[@LucForsyth]

its so good...if you can remember!

[@tamirbelo]

Great video man. Sound is always so tough to remember when you're a one man crew. Gotta invest into a lav mic 😬

[@LucForsyth]

For sure...luckily there's a bunch of new players like Rode, DJI, tentacle etc that are making lavs more and more affordable.

[@Bo_Hazem]

Impressive and it came in time with me starting tomorrow my documentary!

[@LucForsyth]

Nice one! It's a fun road, even if its challenging

[@Bo_Hazem]

@@LucForsyth Maybe I'll share the link when it's ready so I can get your honest, harsh critics!

[@dathofilms]

you motivate me so much for doc work.

[@LucForsyth]

that's amazing, thanks man!

[@dathofilms]

​@@LucForsyth Just want to share that your channel came up on my feed so much on time. I was hired for a Doc shoot and took so many advises. 2 days ago, my film was at the main news site here in Hungary. Incredible. Thank you for your work.

[@calebgrenier6197]

Great vid! Loving the seeing the sound tip!! I'm running 2 lavs on 2 seperate zooms h1n which make monitoring impossible. :(

[@LucForsyth]

yeah, that's a tough one...bluetooth headphones?

[@NicolasVildosola]

Hi Luc, love your videos. Im making a sport documentary right now and Im a bit lost. Can you recomend some good short films or feature films about sports?

[@LucForsyth]

Last Chance U is my favourite. Cheer (made by same people) is also great

[@idletimeproductions4956]

"See the sound", great tip.

[@LucForsyth]

awesome! Now all you have to do is remember it on shoot day when everything else is going wrong!

[@saidcisneros2933]

Seeing the audio huh, will have to try it out

[@LucForsyth]

it's gold if you can remember! but remembering is the hard part...

[@Benjabock]

Thank you for this video. Working on upping my audio game. (I clicked the link for the "Best doc tripod" and it's a broken link. Could you get me an active link?)

[@LucForsyth]

damn amazon! try this one amzn.to/3xfJGBS

[@kadencampbell4425]

What is your opinion on 32-bit float audio? I recently upgraded my Zoom H4N to a Zoom F3 for my no budget films because I’m usually operating multiple things at once, and I’m not able to constantly baby the levels on the recorder, so I’m hoping 32-bit float will allow me to set it and forget it.

[@LucForsyth]

I love it! I have 3 tentacle track e's that I use whenever I can't use wireless. Drawback is not being able to monitor, which is important for story not just checking quality. But 32 bit float has definitely saved me in some situations.

[@WhySteve]

"See the sound" as in an establishing shot from the beginning or anywhere during the talking head shot when the noise becomes apparent?

[@LucForsyth]

Could be either. Just establish it whenever the noise becomes an issue, whether that's the start or middle

[@WhySteve]

Nice, I'll try it sometime in a weird situation (like a loud plane during a scene about puppies) in the middle just for fun and see it it works, lol.

[@nathanieldennison4272]

I've been watching your videos and love the content you provide. It only just dawned on me that we met briefly following the caravan. I'm one of the people that ended up on thr watchlist and aclu lawsuit. I'd love to talk about your experience. I actually traveled through the Darién Gap last fall with black migrants and ended up in my own horror story.

[@LucForsyth]

Oh wow, what a small world. That was a crazy experience for us all, and definitely had a big impact on me. That sounds even rougher though, glad you made it out

[@nathanieldennison4272]

@@LucForsyth I would love to find out how you find the balance to handle everything? I'm trying to get these docs edited and I feel like I never have time between paying jobs and just getting by.

[@_EGFILMS]

Hey luc, how do you monitor your lav and record your audio at the same time? For example I just got the FX3 thinking I would be able to record my shotgun audio that’s on board as well as my Lauv audio into separate tracks however you can only choose one or the other do you recommend a lav system that you can have on board recording on while monitoring without plugging into a camera? My current lav system is the rode go 2

[@LucForsyth]

Actually you can go into audio settings and monitor both at the same time, either with a mix or by having one channel in each ear. Can definitely monitor both!

[@LucForsyth]

I haven't used the Rode mic though, don't know much about them...so maybe that's the difference?

[@_EGFILMS]

@@LucForsyth thanks so much for the response!

[@_EGFILMS]

@@LucForsyth if you ever need a cam op, gaffer, kg please let me know! 🙏🏽

[@scotey]

Thanks, Luc. Some great bits of advice in here. Putting the mic on first is a powerful one. "Seeing the sound" is also superb wisdom and something I've seen practiced in all good documentaries.

[@LucForsyth]

Thanks Scott. I still forget all the time, but we're all works in progress!

[@ManuelParodiRamos]

I keep hearing "monitor your audio". I guess the recommendation demands a wireless system more than a body pack recorder. Next paycheck maybe!

[@johnsoncrystalkalu]

See the sound ✌

[@LucForsyth]

So good!

[@Ed-davies]

Oh man don’t talk to me about rustle on a lav mic! I messed up a few months ago in the same way, fortunately izotopeRX worked wonders!

[@LucForsyth]

oh really? thanks for the tip!

[@LeonhardWindecker]

very interesting stories with the mexican president and cave guy. if you start the video with a story like that instead of a generic intro you might hook more viewers in the future :)

[@LucForsyth]

Good idea!

[@hirayasmr]

As an ASMRtist… Audio is the ONLY thing that matters 😂

[@johnclay7644]

informative 11.5mins.

[@LucForsyth]

Glad to hear it!