How do you get this type of blue sunlight cinematography?

[Brian Drysdale]

Originally Posted by Ryan Elder

Oh okay thanks. I have the first one and it's one my favorite movies. It was said on before that I shouldn't introduce a character on a phone call, and have that be their first scene normally, but in Back to the Future, Doc Brown's introduction is over the phone though, so why did they choose to do it that way, rather than an in person introduction?

At that point, we have already been set up for Doc Brown and know that hasn't been home for a while, plus he's stolen plutonium and is into time.

Back to the Future, Part I: The Beginning Scene (1985) [HD] - YouTube

[Ryan Elder]

Originally Posted by Paul R Johnson

Blimey Ryan! Have you never played with 5:1 sound and actually listened to what is on each channel - this was the first thing I did with my first 5:1 product. Listen to see what information they carry. The centre channel is vitally important, because it is the cinema screen, No matter where in the auditorium you sit, the voices come from the middle of the scene. In years gone by, there would be a huge horn speaker that fired THROUGH the screen. The left and right tracks are for the components that need to be non central, or move. Music, like something we all know - let's pick Jaws. That low frequency DUM DUH sound. Pretty much equal between the speakers, so, like in home stereos it sounds like it comes from the middle, when it's really coming from L+R equally. So centre, but NOT the dedicated Vox track. The other parts of the music and probably some effects will come from the L and R channels. the two rear channels mainly have effects in them. Usually reverb, or other scene setting stuff like factory noises or rumbles.

That's your five channels. At the risk of saying it again - M/S is a stereo capable setup that allows width to be adjusted in the mix with no mono compatibility issues at all. one mic points forwards and captures the mono central sound - which can be used for all sorts of purposes, even straight dialogue. The other microphones concerntates on left and right with minimal capture forwards. The two things get blended using phase cancellation techniques and as their level increases, the stereo width increases. Quite a neat trick really, and it also means they can be built into similar zeppelin style windshields for use outdoors.

Last thing. Didn't they teach you about Doppler shift at school? As a sound source comes towards you, the wavefront compresses, giving a rise in pitch, as the object passes you the pitch lowers and as the wavefront is going away from you, the pitch is correspondingly lower. Police Sirens are the obvious one, although airplanes heading towards you and passing overhead also exhibit it.

You need to get firmly into your head the differences between dialogue and effects tracks. They do a very different job

Oh okay. I took the directing and producing course at the school more so, and they didn't teach me a lot of audio. Thank you for that.

So in the M/S set up, it says that there are two mics, but what I don't understand is, is there a 3rd mic, when you say one mic points forward and captures the central sound? Does that mean there are 3 then?

I know which channels are which in a surround sound mix. But I was asking more about how a stereo mic would record the center channel. I wasn't asking about the post mix that is.

[Brian Drysdale]

The centre channel is created in post.

The link I gave you earlier explains M/S and how it works, the side mic has a figure of 8 pattern,.This also explains: https://www.uaudio.com/blog/mid-side-mic-recording/

Mid Side Demystified - YouTube

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay thanks. But in order for me to understand the route if it, I am having trouble understanding the pick up pattern of the mic itself. When you say the side mic has a figure 8 pattern, by that do you mean a bi-directional pattern, or what is technical pattern of the figure pattern? What pattern does the mid mic have?

[Pete Cofrancesco]

Originally Posted by Brian Drysdale

At that point, we have already been set up for Doc Brown and know that hasn't been home for a while, plus he's stolen plutonium and is into time.

Back to the Future, Part I: The Beginning Scene (1985) [HD] - YouTube

I forgot all about the opening to that movie. Love it.

Needed a break from Ryan. Maybe we can go back to talking about blue filters. What was the other thread... oh yeah it started of with star filter lol

[Ryan Elder]

Okay I think I have figured out the M/S concept based on the articles linked. What they are saying is, is that it's a bidirectional mic, with both mics point left and right of the sound source. And then a center mic is pointed at the sound source. Is this right?

[Josh Bass]

Ryan, there is a whole other thread where they went over all of this stereo/mid side stuff exhaustively, and it wasnt that long ago. I am genuinely curious how you dont remember it.

[Ryan Elder]

Sorry, I have been packing in a lot of information lately and working a lot. I will go back to the other thread and review it. Sorry about that. But after reading the article again on how it works, I remember now. Two mics at the side, and one pointed at the sound source. I remember now. I can do that. I just need a bi-directional mic.

[Pete Cofrancesco]

Originally Posted by Ryan Elder

Sorry, I have been packing in a lot of information lately and working a lot. I will go back to the other thread and review it. Sorry about that. But after reading the article again on how it works, I remember now. Two mics at the side, and one pointed at the sound source. I remember now. I can do that. I just need a bi-directional mic.

A couple of posts ago you told me you're not interested in recording in stereo or surround sound, but here you go again.

There's nothing wrong with learning new things, but it's moot point because it's unnecessary for a low budget movie like yours.

To make an analogy you're novice baker who has never baked a cake, yet is interested in pipping techniques for icing.

[Ryan Elder]

I am interested in recording stereo if I got another mic for it, if it's worth it.

[Paul R Johnson]

No Ryan. Only one mic for the side.however it’s a microphone that has a front and a back pickup. Quite common when ribbon mics were popular, i.e Beatles era on TV, long before that on radio. Then you change it’s placement so it fires left and right. The little ribbon is actually oriented forwards backwards, so a sound coming in from the left goes one polarity first, and sound arriving from the right produces the opposite polarity first, exactly what M/S needs.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay, thanks. I thought of a bi-directional mic as two mics, since it seems to be two mics in one, pointed at opposite ends. But yes, I see what you mean, one mic.

[Brian Drysdale]

Buying a book or two on sound recording would really help you. They can be used as references, so when you forget the details of something you can look it up. They can be be used in non linear fashion. so you can quickly access the information..

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay thanks. I did order the one recommended to me before, but I haven't read it yet since I have been reading some other filmmaking books lately, such as the Directing Actors one, also recommended. But I should do that, thanks.