That noise that creeps in sometimes when you're making a movie or an audio recording is called Ambient noise. Ambient noise can come from anywhere. It can come from an airplane, passing cars, birds in the trees, a ceiling fan, even from the smallest of sounds. When you're filming, you can easily ignore these sounds, but then you're often surprised by how loud the sounds actually are when you play back your movie. There are some noise factors that you can't control, but there are ways to manage these ambient noises. A few of them are listed below.
* Warn everyone to be quiet. It sounds silly, but even if you're holding a digital camera and there are lights everywhere, there are still bound to be people around you who don't realize that you're making a movie. As such, the thought of not talking has never passed through their chatterbox brains. Get your filming started the right way by telling everyone to be quiet.
* Cell phones and other electronic devices. The sound of a phone ringing while you're watching a movie is quite annoying. Imagine that same sound as you're filming a scene. Make sure that all cell phones have been placed in the off position.
* Use a microphone. By placing a microphone close to your speakers, you can make sure that the ambient noise does not drown out the speaker's voice.
* Record and preview some audio. Record a little bit, and then play it back. This way you can listen to any ambient noises that have already been recorded and make a plan to eliminate the sounds.
* Minimize sound reflection. To prevent the audio waves from reflecting off hard surfaces and creating echoes, hanging blankets on and around hard surfaces will help minimize the sound.
There is no such thing as "silence"; there is always some kind of sound. The best you can hope to do is to eliminate as much ambient noise as possible.
