Like the content section, the audio section had some good elements, but it had quite a few issues.
First off, most of the music in this film was well chosen, especially the alternative-rock music that was used predominantly. These songs, which underscored various montages and time passages, went very nicely with the story of the film and helped draw the viewers in.
With that said, most of the audio levels in the film really ran the gamut. Some music was so loud that you had to turn the volume way down, while some of the spoken dialogue was so soft that you had to turn the volume all the way up, and you still couldn’t quite make out all the words. The way to correct this for future films is to mix the audio at the standards of: -12 dB for dialogue, -18 dB for music beds (or music beneath dialogue), -12 dB for music with no dialogue, and –6 dB for sound effects. While you can manually mix all of your levels, Adobe’s new Soundbooth CS4 can be set up to auto mix all of your audio tracks to a pre-chosen dB level for you. I’ve tested this feature and been pretty impressed with results, especially for a $200 audio program. (It’s also included standard in the CS4: Production Premium package along with OnLocation, which I mentioned earlier.)
The other issues in audio arose from varying mic placement for the RODE NTG2 shotgun mic they used. Often times, it sounded as though it was too far away from the actors’ mouths and recorded lots of other sounds in the room. To get the best sound, the ideal location for shotgun mics is between 1 and a half to 2 and a half feet from their mouth. This takes a lot of creativity, but can definitely be done if it’s made a priority. (You will need a boom pole to accomplish this, but don’t worry if you can’t afford a K-Tek or other professional pole. You can build an inexpensive one and an accompanying shock mount with a DIY guide like the one we published here.)
Additionally, to get the best possible sound, always remember to shut down fans, A/C units, refrigerators, and loud computers, as these emit hums and buzzes that muddy up the rest of the recorded audio. (You can remove these background sounds with programs like SoundSoap, but you can lose part of the clarity of your dialogue when you remove these background sounds.) For more on recording good quality audio on a micro-budget, be sure to check out our audio primer that we published a while back.
$4000 for a feature length film is not bad, especially since most of this cost was actually the cost of purchasing the GL2, Wide Angle lens adapter, and shotgun mic. The rest was used to feed the cast and crew, who all worked for free. For future films, I would strongly encourage the director to make sure to have money in the budget to make or rent a boom pole and to have someone who is always responsible for getting the best sound from it. As audio is actually more important than the visual look in a film, getting the best audio you can needs to be budgeted for with special persistence.
Mr. Cohen poses some interesting questions on isolation, guilt, and truth in this film. However, despite the good concepts behind the film, the numerous issues with the actual follow through make this a film I wouldn’t care to watch again or to show to friends/colleagues.
Mr. Cohen and his team clearly are endeavoring to ask some of the hard questions about life and death in The Driver Rode Shotgun. While the issues that are currently there get in the way of this film being a success, the focus they bring to the table could really enable them to make successful films in the future. As they start sanding out some of the storytelling problems and work on telling a more cohesive narrative, I could easily see Mr. Cohen becoming the M. Night Shyamalan of the future.
