Sound is half your film

The break-out-your-wallet option.

Instead of recording the sound directly into the camera (which DOES solve the problem of syncing audio to video), we are going to go to a double-system recording process.

The main component of this is a field recorder. While you might think "I can just use my laptop and my USB audio interface for this and save money", keep in mind that you may be moving around with the recording gear (following the actors), depending upon the scene. It may also be in the woods, with no power sources available.

There are a range of prices for field recorders. Anything from the Zoom H4Essentials ($220) to gear that is thousands of dollars.

Features to consider: Phantom power, powered by batteries, at least 2 Combo input jacks (takes both XLR and quarter inch inputs). The more inputs you have, the more options you have. This covers the recorder. (Don't buy this just yet...read through to the end. I'm saving you some money and headache.)

Now you need a boom pole, microphone cable, and a shotgun microphone. There are kits for this that have everything that you will need. Some of these kits include the covers for recording audio outside (includes the dead cat and the blimp).

My total cost on this came in at around $600-700 dollars. And I know what you're thinking: That's a lot of money. And it is. However, you will spend that on one or two lenses. Perspective. You can still incorporate your wireless lavalier mics from the previous option.

At this point, you have a boom pole and shotgun mic, plus 2 lavalier mics. That's pretty good coverage. However, we have a problem: How to make your audio play nice with the video.

You will also need a slate (the clapper thingy). This is really important.

At this point, you have camera footage, with the built in microphone capturing audio for reference. You have separately recorded audio for the same scene. You need a way to sync this together.

Whoever operates the slate will call out the scene, shot, and take, on camera. Your audio recorder will also capture this. The editor will then take your audio and scootch (highly technical term) the clip over until the waveform matches the reference audio, looking specifically for the exact point when the slate is closed AND there's a spike in the audio where the slate clacked together.

Does this sound like a pain in the butt? Yup, It is, especially if you're missing the slate on the footage, or missing the calling out of the scene in the audio. Now you're just guessing. YAY!

Ok, how do we fix this issue?

The crack-open-your-piggy-bank option.

Two words: time code.

You will want to buy a timecode solution. You could get away with one timecode generator, but really, two is better. One for the camera, and one for the audio recorder. You can usually use your cell phone as the master clock and manage the system with a free app. The Deity option is $199 per device. I bought two.

Key things: Match your frame rate EXACTLY for the timecode generator with your camera frame rate. There is a difference between 24 frames and 23.98 frames, and it adds up. (NOTE: A lot of the Sony and Panasonic cameras will say that they shoot either 24 or 30 fps; however, in reality, the actual frame rate is 23.98 or 29.97. THESE are the numbers you need for the timecode generator.)

In addition to the timecode gear, you will also need to confirm that your field recorder AND camera both support external timecode. The Tascam FR-AV2 runs about $430; the Zoom F6 was $700. (This is why I said to hold off on the field recorder option until you read to the end. Buy once, Cry once.)

Hint: the cheaper mirrorless cameras either don't have any timecode support, OR only support their own INTERNAL timecode. This means your external timecode is ignored, making your footage difficult to work with (as if there were NO timecode at all).

However, we have purchased a field recorder that supports timecode (plus all the other features required), a camera that supports timecode, and we generated timecode during our shoot. Now what?

In your editor, you have 2 mouse clicks and your footage lines up exactly. No manually syncing. No reading lips. No frustration.

Now, the only bad part of recording sound is making the H!

Enjoy!