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This exclusive course is part of the program:
Photographer to Video in Today’s Gig Economy
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5 Sessions / 6 hours of work per session
Price

Program ($190 USD)
Certificate
Included w/ premium membership ($20/month)
Program
Photographer to Video in Today’s Gig Economy
Skill Level
Intermediate
Video Transcripts
English
Topics
Sound Editing, Photography, Sound Design, Production, Recording Techniques

Not available for purchase in India

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Sound Essentials

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This exclusive course is part of the program:
Photographer to Video in Today’s Gig Economy
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Go at your own pace
5 Sessions / 6 hours of work per session
Price

Program ($190 USD)
Certificate
Included w/ premium membership ($20/month)
Program
Photographer to Video in Today’s Gig Economy
Skill Level
Intermediate
Video Transcripts
English
Topics
Sound Editing, Photography, Sound Design, Production, Recording Techniques

Not available for purchase in India

Course Description

As the name suggests, Sound Essentials covers an entirely new dimension that can make or break your video work. The third course in Photographer to Video in Today's Gig Economy explores how sound carries emotion and impacts the depth and tone of your stories. The tools, the terminology and the language of sound production often feel foreign to photographers, but this class will provide a thorough foundation which will get you recording professional sound in no time.

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schedule

This course is in adaptive mode and is open for enrollment. Learn more about adaptive courses here.

Session 1: The Importance & Emotion of Sound (January 21, 2025)
To understand the importance of sound and how you can use it to set the tone of your video and impact the emotions of your viewer. You’ll learn how and why to choose music to create the right feeling you want in your video. You’ll learn that the choices of music you make can drive the pace of your video and help structure the arc of the story. Good sound doesn’t just mean getting good audio with your interviews. It means thinking about the overall sound of your piece, and using music to unify your story.
11 lessons
1. Introduction
2. Sound is Everywhere
3. Sound Drives Story
4. The Power of Music
5. Music Enhances the Experience
6. Music Informs Character
7. Music Establishes Time and Place
8. Music Can Act as a Unifier
9. The Emotion of Instruments
10. Conclusion
11. Assignment: Creating Emotion with Music
Session 2: Ambient Sound, Soundtracks and Music (January 28, 2025)
Ambient sounds are background sounds and noises that are found and recorded on site. Ambient sounds provide dimension and reality for a piece. They can include sounds of nature like a babbling brook or the quiet sound of falling snow or they can be the sounds of a city like traffic, automobile horns or a noisy subway. They can also be sounds found in the workplace such as a construction site where we hear the sounds of a jackhammer or the sound of hammering nails. Or the sound may make us feel anxious like the dreaded sound of a dentist’s drill. Some sounds can soothe us like a cooing baby or conversely annoy us like a crying baby. And some sounds can affect us in different ways depending on the mood we’re in.
9 lessons
1. Introduction, Ambient and Foley
2. Music Score vs Soundtrack
3. Licensing Music
4. Licensing Pre-Existing Material
5. Licensing Stock or Library
6. Good Housekeeping
7. Working with a Composer
8. Conclusion
9. Assignment: Create a Score
Session 3: Microphones, Mixers and PreAmps (February 4, 2025)
In this session we’ll talk more about audio gear such as types of microphones, recording devices and mixers that you can use to capture quality audio. We’ll also talk about the why’s and reasons behind your choices of gear. You want to determine the overall sound of your video or film, what you want people to hear and why and where you will need to place microphones for dialogue, sounds of nature etc. We’ll talk about the importance of monitoring audio and listening with headphones for sounds or noises that you don’t want to hear. Use your ears as well as your eyes. Listen to the sound of the room or environment you are in.
9 lessons
1. Introduction
2. Audio Basics
3. Microphones
4. Types of Microphones
5. Wireless Systems
6. Monitoring Audio & Preamps
7. Common Audio Mistakes
8. Conclusion
9. Assignment: Capturing Audio with Different Mics
Session 4: Capturing & Syncing Sound (February 11, 2025)
While it’s best to capture your audio and video separately to achieve good quality, there are times when you will have to do a quick man on the street type interview where you will have to capture the audio and video to the same card. Let’s talk first about the ideal method of capturing the audio of your dialogue and that is using the dual system and recording the audio and video to separate cards.
7 lessons
1. Introduction
2. Capturing Audio
3. Microphone Demo
4. Sound Recording Tips
5. Syncing Sound
6. Conclusion
7. Assignment: Dual System Recording and Syncing
Session 5: Project: The Interview (February 18, 2025)
Learn how to get great interview , whether it’s a “man on the street” or a “60 Minutes” style production. You’ll learn how to capture quality audio for your interviews but also how to ask questions that will get meaningful responses that will engage the audience.
11 lessons
1. The Importance of Interview
2. Preparing for Interview
3. Pre-Interview
4. The Location
5. Rapport & Questions with Your Subjects
6. Case Study
7. Avoidances & Considerations
8. Narration, Transcripts, & Additional info
9. Case Study
10. Conclusion
11. Assignment: Choosing the Best Sound for Story
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Learning Outcomes

Below you will find an overview of the Learning Outcomes you will achieve as you complete this course.

The Importance and Emotion of Sound
• Understanding of the importance of sound and how you can use it to set the tone. • Ability to learn how choices of music you make can drive the pace of your video and help structure the arc of the story. • Understanding of the importance of ambient sounds and how we can use them in video production. • Ability to learn about the different licensing options for music.
Capturing & Syncing Sound
  • Ability to learn about audio gear used to capture quality audio and the reasons behind your choices of gear.
  • Understanding of the importance of monitoring audio.
Interview Principles
  • Understanding of how to get quality audio for your interviews.
  • Ability to ask questions that will get meaningful responses that will engage the audience.
  • Knowledge of how to capture audio of your interview’s dialogue and syncing your audio with video in post-production.
Instructors And Guests
Gail Mooney
Gail Mooney
instructor

Gail Mooney is co partner of Kelly/Mooney Productions, a visual communications company based in the NYC metro area. Gail has over 30 years of experience, shooting for international magazines, major corporations, and institutions. Her clients have included: National Geographic, Smithsonian, Travel & Leisure, AT&T, American Express, and Bayer. A lifelong storyteller, Gail Mooney began her visual storytelling as a photographer. In 1999 Gail began producing and shooting video projects. Since then, her company has become fully integrated with motion. She has produced three short documentaries: Freedom’s Ride – a story about two diverse groups of high school students retracing the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s, The Delta Blues Musicians and Through the Hearts and Hands of Children – about the NJ Youth Symphony. Gail’s true passion is using her craft, be it via still imagery or motion, to create awareness and effect change. Her first feature length documentary, Opening Our Eyes was a joint project with her daughter Erin Kelly. They circled the globe seeking ordinary people on six continents who are making our world a better place – one person at a time. Currently Gail is working on a project entitled Like A Woman about women working in traditionally male dominated professions shooting environment portraits and short videos. Gail is Past Chair of the National Board of ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers). Gail is also on the Board of Mendham TV.

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What You Need to Take This Course

Camera

You want a camera that shoots high-quality video (1080p minimum). Ideally, that would be a professional camera that has the capability to plug in an external microphone (shotgun, hot shoe, or recording device):

  • Sony
  • Canon
  • Nikon
  • Fuji
  • etc.

Choose any camera brand you feel comfortable with.

Audio

You will need a variety of microphones to test the audio differences. These include:

    • Lavaliere microphone
    • Hand Held microphone
    • Shotgun microphone

    Other pieces of equipment that are important are an audio recorder, a pair of over the ear headphones, windscreens and a mixer.

    Video Editing Software

    There is no specific requirement for video editing software. You can use what works best for your budget or comfort level. Avid and Adobe Premiere Pro are the industry standards but there are a variety of alternatives that can help you achieve your goal.

    Other Options:

    • iMovie
    • Windows Movie Maker
    • Photoshop
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    Additional Information

    Please note: Taking part in a Kadenze course as a Premium Member does not affirm that the learner has been enrolled or accepted for enrollment by School of Visual Arts.

    If a student signs up for the Photographer to Video in Today's Gig Economy program, it is recommended that these courses are taken sequentially.

    Peer Assessment Code of Conduct: Part of what makes Kadenze a great place to learn is our community of learners. While you are completing your Peer Assessments, we ask that you help us maintain the quality of our community. Please:

    • Be Polite. Show your fellow learners courtesy. No one wants to feel attacked - ever. For this reason, insults, condescension, or abuse will not be tolerated.
    • Show Respect. Kadenze is a global community. Our learners are from many different cultures and backgrounds. Please be patient, kind, and open-minded when discussing topics such as race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or other potentially controversial subjects.
    • Post Appropriate Content. We believe that expression is a human right and we would never censor our learners. With that in mind, please be sensitive of what you post in a Peer Assessment. Only post content where and when it is appropriate to do so.

    Please understand that posts which violate this Code of Conduct harm our community and may be deleted or made invisible to other learners by course moderators. Learners who repeatedly break these rules may be removed from the course and/or may lose access to Kadenze.

    Learners with Disabilities: Learners who have documented disabilities and who want to request accommodations should refer to the help article via the Kadenze support center. Kadenze is committed to making sure that our site is accessible to everyone. Configure your accessibility settings in your Kadenze Account Settings.

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