Comments

richard-courtney wrote on 1/22/2004, 2:37 PM
Partly depends on how much time to rent and set up your event.

I would try to stay away from picking up sound from the PA system.
I would use separate microphones. You probably will have a podium
and will have an event MC introduce the officers of the company(ies)

I would use two cameras so you don't do too much panning and zooming.
You then have two devices recording the sound. You can use one camera
to pick up sound of the audience and the PA but I would try to get most of
the sound from the podium or wireless microphone(s). Rent enough
microphones and a mixer and set up plenty of time before so you can
test everything.

Your PA system can cause some headaches keep the speaker's level
low enough not to get echoes and if possible additional pairs if there
will be a large crowd. Seek the advice of a good sound company if
using rented PA system.
johnmeyer wrote on 1/22/2004, 4:10 PM
I sense you don't have too much money for fancy mics, or balanced audio systems, etc. Here are some thoughts:

The key in taking the first step up from ambient audio from the built-in mic is figuring out how to get something physically close to the speaker.

As jd555 said, do a two-camera shoot if you can. Even if you have to use an inferior camera, it is a real life saver to have a second camera for cutaways, if tape runs out, someone stands in front of your main camera, etc. Use the built-in mic on one camera, and then plug your wireless into the other, and mount the wireless mic on the podium.

Since your VHS wireless mic may be prone to interference, another option is to borrow a little hand-held camcorder, plop in an 80 minute tape, set it to LP mode, put in a big battery, and just let it crank. You'll get close to two hours continuous record time. The purpose of this camcorder is to capture audio: Don't bother with the video. Just think of it as a small, portable microphone recording device. The audio will still have some camcorder motor noise; will be compressed due to the AGC on most consumer camcorders, etc., but the fact that it is close to the speaker will make a huge difference.

Of course, if you want really great audio, then you need to spend many thousands on good balanced audio microphones, DAT recorder, mixer, etc.
jdas wrote on 1/22/2004, 6:04 PM
Due to time constraints, I will use my 1 -CCD backup camera as a recording device,as John suggested. As this is my first corporate assignment, I am pretty anxious....hope Mr. Murphy does not pay a visit during the shoot. To avoid potential problems, I am even planning to go AUTO with my main camera,except for the focus. Any other suggestions ?

Thanks guys !
Spot|DSE wrote on 1/22/2004, 7:21 PM
If there IS a PA, take a line out from the mixer/console, and feed that to one channel of your cam. Feed the other channel w/room audio from either your cam mic (worst case) or a separate mic elsewhere in the room. If you have two cams, simply let the second cam use it's mic for room pickup, you'll use that audio to sync to. On setup, monitor the camera receiving the mix from the console with a headphone to be sure you are getting enough but not overdriven levels. If your camera has AGC, have levels low enough to only trigger AGC in the extremes, such as when the emcee belly laughs.
You'll have great audio, a total of 3 separate audio sources to mix and choose from. If you have an MD, iRiver, or other digital recording device, use that on the mixer/console first, and you'll have 3 independent sources to mix/choose from. Use this audio to line up the shots on the timeline, then cut to the best audio you got from the event.
jdas wrote on 1/23/2004, 6:21 AM
Spot, I will certainly consider trying out your tips for future events.Thanks to all for your input.