Why Audio Matters More Than Video
For any video company, the most important equipment investment for high-quality production ironically has nothing to do with video. You can buy the most expensive camera in the world and at the end of the day, AUDIO will ultimately determine the success of a project.
The unfortunate reality is that bad audio can actually end up ruining a perfectly shot video. If the video has some visual flaws (slightly out of focus, over-exposed, grainy etc) but the audio is balanced and clear, the production can still be a success and deliver an effective message to the audience. However, several studies have shown that if the audio in a video is medium to low in quality, no matter how great the visuals are, audiences are more likely to react negatively to the content. Sometimes going as far as turning off a project because of its poor audio.
Because of this, ASR Media takes audio very seriously. The following have been a focal point for us over the years:
Constantly upgrading our equipment
ALWAYS learning new techniques
Using updated technologies for better sound
Being meticulous about audio on a shoot - no matter how many take it requires
Our job is to tell stories and without good audio, those stories (no matter how well we shoot them) won’t be heard.
For an example, I took a recent interview with Team USA Cyclist Mandy Marquardt at The Velodrome (very windy). This is the same clip back to back.
In the first half of the video, I have severely doctored the content to look like we shot the video overexposed, poorly-colored, and grainy, BUT with our wind-screened boom mic.
The second version is how the video was actually shot (looks a lot more enticing right?), but using the low quality camera mic for the audio.
Which version do you prefer?