Check out this property video I shot using a t3i. I was using a Zoom H1 on the speaker and a $15 lapel mic, i think the ME15.

Based on the video, do you think that the $250 Rode Lavelier would improve the production enough for the investment?

I do admit that I purposely had the levels max out at -20db because upon testing I did not trust the mic to perform and I'd rather bump up the volume and add noise than have the speaker's voice go bad.

any comment welcome.

Villa Di Luci on Vimeo

Yes I do, but see a dealer and try one with a test, comparing the 2 to see if they suit you.

Cheers.

I dunno Allan

The audio seemed pretty much OK to me!! I shoot all my weddings with Azden transmitters and the standard mic that goes with them which is probably a bit better than the $15 one but maybe a Rode would be a bit of an overkill there??? I use two of their VM's for ambient but I don't think that a $250 purchase will make that much difference...maybe just a mic from a good brand wireless system??

Nice video Jeff !! Looking at it as a "potential buyer" I think I would have preferred the lady go from room to room with almost continuous narration... her inserts were definately good but would have been way better if the story had continued thruout the tour of the property. Wow!! quite a mansion...us mere mortals only dream about homes like that!!!

Chris

Nice filming...but in the last shot, 'let's celebrate', you can see the mic cord...lifting the bottom of the ladies shirt/blouse..

Not bad sounding at all but I think the response to your initial question would have to be that a higher quality mic could have given a smoother, more natural sounding track. Of course that also depends on the rest of your recording chain was as well ... spending money on mics is not necessarily a magic bullet. Did you record to wav or mp3 format?

Not a sound issue but I see a LOT of jerkiness in the pans, very disturbing. Is that in the original or is it an artifact of Vimeo?

I hate to be the one to mention it, but you DID clear licenses on all the music you used, didn't you? It's a lot harder to get away with bending the copyright laws on an advertising piece destined to be published on the 'net then it is in a wedding video that is only going to be seen by a relatively few people. The ghosts of Beethoven and Jobim could come back to haunt you if you don't have all the legal 't's crossed and 'i's dotted.

The real issue here is that for $15 you got the most "obviously there" lav mic in recorded history. Audio issues aside (and the Rode mic will give you a nicer sound), I'd pony up the bucks simply to have something a little more discrete.

If you're going to spend some dollars on a lapel then take a look at the Rode pin-mic which you can then hide in plain sight. It's a win-win for you.

Andrew

Jeff, nice work. I think the audio is fine and a new mic won't make much of a difference. I think the biggest gains could be realized by working on the pacing. The shots are beautiful but a little long and repetitive. I would break the video up with more detail shots. I also agree with Chris about the narration.
Overall really nice though. I'm sure your client will be thrilled.

Speaking of shots: When the gate opens at the beginning, that's when the focus needs to change from the gate to the house. Can't speak highly enough of the mystique generated by an out of focus building. :-P

That's the first thing that I would suggest changing. I was otherwise just keeping to the lav issue per the start of the thread, that's all.

Andrew

Based on the video, do you think that the $250 Rode Lavelier would improve the production enough for the investment?

you would hear the difference, but I would rather replaced H1, if you want improve on sound quality you need better recorder, and better mike, I'm not saying it terrible, it sounds good for the budget, but if I was using this setup I would try to help it a bit in soundbooth;
When the gate opens at the beginning, that's when the focus needs to change from the gate to the house.

2nd that, looks weird :)

Thanks for watching everyone.

This was my first real estate/property related video.

I'm hoping that I can start doing this for event venue around town.

I have my work cut out for me as far as marketing this service.

You absolutely should invest in a proper lav. The Rode is a great choice, and will improve your dialogue audio, making it cut through more clearly. But since this is already shot, you could export the lav track and put it into an NLE ad EQ it for better clarity. Maybe cut the lows a bit and add a little bump at 5k for a presence boost.

This is an example vid I made with 3 women using the PinMic. The PinMic sounds exactly the same as the Rode Lav.
RØDE PinMic Test 1 on Vimeo

And here is a shootout comparing 4 lavs, one being the Rode Lav.
Lav Shootout! Sennheiser Me-2 / Tram TR50 / Sanken COS11D / RØDE Lavalier on Vimeo