Sound quality will make or break your project. The judges will need to be able to hear the student's voices loud and clear. The on board microphone is omni - directional, meaning that it will pick up audio from all directions. This is good if want to capture general audio, but bad if you are trying to capture a single person's voice. So what are your other options?

No Cost

Do your audio as a voice over. A voice over is a narration that describes what is happening in the video. Write a script for a narration based on your storyboard. capture the video, import and edit it. Using your editing software package eliminate or reduce the sound in the video track (for specifics on how to do this visit the post-production page.) Next find a quiet room and position the narrator(s) about 6 inches in front of the camera. Record the narrator as they read the script. Don’t worry about videotaping them, you can even leave the lense cap on. Import the video/audio into the computer. Strip the narration audio from the video (once again check the tutorials), discard the video and align the narration audio with your edited video. Or you can record your voice over using a microphone connected to your computer.

Low Cost (<$50)

Begin by checking to see if your camera has an external microphone input.  Most consumer level digital video cameras have  a 1/8-inch stereo jack an external microphone. Purchase a low cost hand held wired microphone for under $30 at your local radio shack or online at www.radioshack.com. These microphones come with a 20 ft cable. Make sure that the connector for the microphone is a 1/8-inch stereo microphone jack. If you have access to a microphone with an XLR connector you will need to locate an adaptor that goes from XLR to the 1/8-inch stereo microphone jack.  A hand held camera can be passed to the primary person speaking in the video. For more money ($200) you can purchase a BeachTek DXA-4S Tripod Mixer that allows you to connect two XLR microphones to the standard 1/8-inch stereo microphone jack.

More Cost (>$100)

A wireless microphone will give you the maximum flexibility, allowing your subject to move about without a wire following. A wireless kit includes a transmitter and microphone worn by the speaker and a receiver that connects to the camera. Once again make sure the unit you purchase matches the connector on your camera. The Sony WCS-999 Wireless Microphone System can be purchased for under a $100 and offers good quality.

Headphones

If you purchase a microphone also invest in a set of headphones (ones that cover your ears). This way you can monitor the sound while your are doing the video recording. There is nothing worse than importing all of the video and finding out the audio is bad.

Bottom line

There is very little you can do with bad audio. Even with the best tools it is difficult to raise the volume of poor video. The moral of the story is to get high quality video when you are shooting the video, or do a voice over. You will not win if the judges can not hear what the subjects are saying.

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