My motivation is to help others sound better

I spent many years learning how to shoot, edit and deliver video with sound that is clear and easy to understand.  I am the expert in recording great sound for video at events.
Even with low cost gear you can get good results, if you know how to use it right. My purpose is to provide others with information that will allow them to record sound better so that, when it comes to editing or delivering the videos they produce, they will have the best audio possible.

Two things to start with:

1) Always monitor your sound from the recorder's (usually a camera) output. Wear (closed cupped) headphones that block out as much sound as possible the whole time that you are setting up and recording. By focusing on what the final sound is going to be like, you can tell if it is clean or noisy, loud and clear or quiet and dirty.

2) Avoid using auto gain. Many cameras have a function that adjusts the audio recording level based on how loud it is. At first blush this seems like a good idea, it makes the quiet stuff louder but keeps the loud stuff from overloading and getting distorted. The problem is that it doesn't distinguish between noise and your desired sound source. What ends up happening is you get a bunch of room noise (or background sound) on your track and every once in a while when the audio you want to record is loud enough, it sounds good.
A better choice to get a more professional sounding recording is to manually set a level and listen to it (while watching the level meters) to maintain a consistent signal with natural dynamics (loud and quiet parts).

Let me know if you have any specific questions and I'll do my best to answer them.

Be Aware of the Available Light

Sometimes you will be able to move the people or things you are filming so that some of the brighter light in the environment you are shooting in is shining directly on them (or is not shining directly on them - depending on the light available to you in the scene).  It may be a bit awkward at first, but video can last forever and a moment of tension may quickly be forgotten.

If you can’t move the subject, move the light (for example, reposition a lamp or open [or close] a window shade), if possible, or (if you are unable to move the light or whatever you are shooting) move your camera so that the lens is aimed at the side of your subject that is lit by whatever light is in the environment.  This is especially important when most of the light is coming in from the windows.  Doing this will allow you to see more detail in the video image and make your footage look much better than most home movies.

One thing to be aware of is that many cameras have some sort of auto-iris adjuster built into them.  This feature makes the lens close down and not allow as much light in (when the scene is very bright) and open up to allow more light in (when the scene is darker.)  This is great when you are in a hurry and can’t set your iris manually, but it is an obvious sign of less-than-excellent camera operation.  This is especially true when the iris adjusts several times during a shot.  Remember that the camera is automatically guessing what the best iris opening is and it often guesses wrong.

You can learn to take advantage of an auto iris with some practice (using the above techniques) and then develop the technique of setting the iris manually (if that feature is available on your camera.)

Shooting Events With More Finesse

I cut my teeth as a videographer shooting weddings for a busy event video company.  Soon after I was hired I was shooting two or three ceremonies and receptions a week.  That experience allowed me to hone my handheld skills and to start to develop a system of production that I try to teach everyone who works for me now.  One thing you have to know about weddings is that the venue (the church in many cases) usually doesn’t want you there and things like adequate lighting and retakes are usually non-existent.  I had to learn how to get the best possible shots under some of the worst circumstances for filming.  Since I was editing a lot of what I shot I came up with some rules of thumb for bringing in useful footage that was simple to edit in a style that didn’t reveal continuity breaks.

Here are 3 of those “rules”:

1)  Zoom out and (physically) get in close (if you want to show more detail) this helps to make your footage more stable and less shaky so that when you cut between shots there is a more solid feeling of going from good shot to good shot.

2)  Always try to change angle, subject and background between shots so that you can cut out redundant or boring footage - without it being obvious that you cut something out.  This helps to eliminate or reduce the number of jump cuts in your final edits without having to use effects and/or fancy (hokey) transitions.

3)  Get cutaways (shots that are of people watching the main action or objects of interest in the room) so that you can cut out footage without it being noticeable.  You can edit the cutaways in between the master shots when you deleted unwanted footage allowing you to cut the length of a scene without it seeming as though anything important is missing.

Making the Best of use an On-Camera Microphone

Ideally you will have an external microphone and be able to freely move the camera around without having to be concerned about how your shot will affect your audio.  However, you may find yourself in a situation where you are working with the microphone that is built into the camera.  Although this is the second worst-case scenario (the worst case being no microphone at all), there are a few things that can be done to get a better sound recording.  If possible, get right up next to the sound source (whoever is speaking or what music is playing for example) and stay there.    Always wear headphones plugged into the camera so that you can monitor what you are recording and (if you can) experiment with finding a location that sounds best before settling in.  Avoid moving around a lot and DO NOT touch the microphone (be especially careful when adjusting the zoom or focus).  There are a few tricks that can be done in post production to fix mistakes, but remember - nothing is going to make awful tracks sound good.

Consistency in Sound

The thing with audio is that people really don’t notice it unless it is, none existent, very noisy or it changes radically within a scene.  It is important to be aware of the overall consistency of your sound, because nothing betrays a mistake worse than a sudden change in sound quality.  Whether it is the background noise varying between cuts or sounding muffled on one voice and clear on another or changing from loud to quiet (unless that is relevant to the content like someone whispering after shouting).  To have control over these elements and to give your editor a fighting chance at making the final product sound good, I recommend that you do everything in your power to record all your audio tracks in the field as well as is humanly possible, doing your best to maintain a solid consistency throughout.

Some Pros and Cons of Wireless

Using a wireless system can allow you to get a microphone close to the sound source you desire and even move with it, without the hassle of cables interfering with your talent or other production elements.  You should know that a brand new, high quality wireless microphone receiver/transmitter kit will set you back a couple thousand dollars but the time you will save in editing and the confidence you will have in the field will be well worth the investment.  I’d rather run audio cables 200 feet than rely on a substandard wireless setup because they never sound good even under the best of circumstances.  I’ve spent hundreds of hours working on tracks (from lower end wireless rigs) that are so full of dropouts and noise that I almost lost my mind trying to make them sound presentable.  Maybe I’m a vain perfectionist but when I got my excellent wireless systems and started using them on all my shoots I finally felt like a real professional.

The Truth About Microphones

Even the most expensive and sensitive microphones pick up what is closest to them most clearly.  Although the shape and type of microphone makes a difference, for the most part the sounds in between what you want to hear and the microphone (like noises in the environment) are going to be recorded along with the audio you are trying to capture.  For example: if you are in the middle of the audience in a large theater and you hold a up a microphone to record the sound of the actors on stage but the person sitting in right front of you is talking, what you will get on your recording is the talking person near you loud and clear with the actors on stage barely audible in the background.  So a good rule of thumb is - get the microphone as close as possible to what you want to hear most clearly.