Here is yet another example of a really entertaining and otherwise excellent video made to appear amateur-ish by the audio quality. I have written repeatedly about why this seems to be so common while simultaneously being pretty easy to fix. See these articles, for example:
Audio For Videos: Do Not Let Bad Sound Ruin Great Video
Pro Audio For Your Video – Review of the BeachTek DXA-2T Camcorder Adapter
So my wife was on Facebook and showed me a very funny video with terrific acting and awesome content. But as I watched, I couldn’t stop wondering why they didn’t try a little harder to mic the actors. Their voices were all echo-y and reverb-y, like the sound you’d get if you just shot the video with a camcorder (or even an iPhone) and the actors 6-20 feet away. To quote a military friend of mine – “that dog won’t hunt.”
In order to get good sound quality on dialogue in a video is the get a mic close to the mouths of the actors. This is done either by using hypercardioid (very directional while rejecting off-axis noise) on a long pole just out of frame, or by using lapel mics.
Sure, wireless lapel mics are a couple hundred bucks, but putting even a cardioid mic (you can get a Shure SM58 for under a hundred bucks) on the end of a pole (you can rig up a DIY version with a telescoping aluminum brush/broom pole at the hardware store, or use PVC pipe if you have to). The solution does not have to be expensive and it can make such a HUGE difference in the level of professionalism.
OK, stepping off the soap-box now. Here’s the video I was referring to. I think these guys are great: