Editing Elements: The Audio

Well, last week we moved back into the blogging realm and shifted our focus to the world of video editing. We began by focusing on the visual elements of editing footage. We looked at trimming and sequencing, color correction and grading, and transitions. We also highlighted how the type of project really determines the visual tone of your video. Now that we’ve covered the visual side of things, we’re going to move on to the auditory side of editing. 

If you’ve ever watched a film or television show intentionally without sound, then you realize the importance of the audio elements. Audio is not just the dialogue or narration in a video; there are background elements that are vital to any project. As always, though, remember that the tone and purpose of your video determines a lot about how it’s edited. That’s just as true with auditory features as it is with visual ones. 

Narration/Dialogue

The most recognizable auditory part of any video is the dialogue or narration. If your video is more story-based, then dialogue is a prominent component; however, with presentations and social media videos, narration will probably be more prevalent. 

No matter which element is present in your video the goal is to make sure that whoever is speaking can be easily heard without other sounds overwhelming their voice. This might require you to re-record narration and lay it over the existing footage/audio to make this possible. 

Background Music

Background music is a vital part of any video because it can set the tone and the emotional direction of your video. Background music can be purely instrumental, or it can include lyrics; the tone of your video will determine what is needed. In films and story-based projects, you’ll often find that the music helps elicit emotions; it can build tension, fear, joy, or excitement. It can have the same effect in social media or informational videos. 

For social media videos, incorporating popular music can be beneficial; something like TikTok or Instagram makes it easy to incorporate it from within the app. 

Soft, background music can also add a degree of professionalism to informational videos. For these types of videos, we recommend utilizing instrumental music that is royalty free. 

Foley Sound

While informational videos or even social media videos might not require the addition of foley sound, we did want to include it in our list. Foley sounds are reproductions of everyday sounds that can be added in post-production to make videos sound more natural. These sounds are typically recorded in a studio of some kind. This is a common practice, especially within the world of film; it’s used to make sounds like footsteps and the thud of a door sound more realistic.   

Ambient Noise

Ambient noise is the background noise in any video that you’re recording. Think of birds chirping, the sound of a fan whirring, or the sounds of a car driving nearby; all of those are ambient noises that could occur while filming. Sometimes these sounds need to be minimized for the sake of a video, and sometimes they help establish the tone. It all depends on the type of project you’re editing. For projects that are more informational in nature, you’ll probably be trying to minimize those sounds in post-production, though. 

Tips When Editing: 

-The best narration is well-scripted before recording and will match up with what is happening visually. Scripting ahead of time also makes editing easier if you have to re-record it and utilize that audio track instead of the original. 

-Be sure to position mics well when recording audio for a video. Sometimes this could look like someone wearing a lapel mic; it just all depends on the contents and purpose of your video. 

-Background music should be exactly that; make sure to keep audio levels low so that it doesn’t overwhelm or distract from what’s happening in your video. 

-You don’t have to use a studio for foley sounds if you’re on a tight budget. Just find the quietest area possible and use what you can to recreate those needed sound effects. 

So, do you have to edit videos with any consistency? If so, which parts of the editing process do you enjoy most?  

We want to know, so feel free to leave us a comment below. If you are in need of video editing for a project, check out how we can help here. Also, stay tuned to the blog throughout the rest of the month as we wrap up 2022.