Audio is the backbone of effective video storytelling, but it is often the last thing that we work on. We get used to consuming audio constantly through ear buds, but there is a wealth of sounds beyond our curated playlists. Well, you’ve ridden the Staten Island ferry; you know what I mean. We hear snippets of bizarre conversations, distant environmental sounds, our own friends talking to us, and that recording that booms, “May I have your attention please.”<\/p>\n
When you create stories, pay attention to these soundscapes. Collect audio from multiple perspectives, and with different types of microphones. Tell the story from above and below, from up close and at a distance. Collect natural audio, voices and intimate interviews, focused environmental sounds, and even historical audio. All these bits of audio, layered together, give your story depth and a sense of the humanity of it all.<\/p>\n
To gather audio, we first have to hear audio, and that means wearing headphones. This should be one of your first purchases.<\/p>\n