As we discovered, filming outside is a great way to express your artistic ability. And we also know there are many challenges that come along with it that make it harder than filming indoors or in a studio. One being the wind. Wind has the power to make audio completely unusable. You may not even realize it until you listen to it while editing. Luckily for us, there are some ways to overcome this obstacle.
A lavalier mic is a great option for windy days. This mic is the one you clip somewhere near your collar. Already, your body and clothing may block a lot of wind noise. Additionally, you can add a tiny wind muff to stop further unnecessary noise. There are tons of options for lavalier mics out there, ones for professional cameras and even ones that connect to your iPhone. They can range anywhere from $10 to $150 and is worth the investment to reduce the stress of how are you going to capture sound.
Another viable option is to add sound in post. You can still speak normally during the normal shoot to use as a reference. There are multiple ways to do this. You can try to carefully dub over yourself, this is not the ideal way to do it, but when it’s your only option, it will do. The main problem with this is it will not sound live and it will be hard to perfectly match your voice to your lips. A better way, if possible, is to do a voiceover. Grab all your extra B-roll and do any talking parts as a voice-over. Your project may turn out differently than you were expecting but at least you will have quality sound.
Luckily, if all else fails, many editing software can reduce noise. However, I would use this as a last resort. On the effects page on most software, there is a sound panel with different audio effects. Use one that is called “DeNoiser”, this will do its best to get rid of all background noise but at a price. If the sound is intense, it will leave your voice sounding like it is underwater. Not ideal but could be better than a harsh wind sound blowing out your speaker.
Outdoor filming takes a lot of patience. Waiting for the wind to settle down and filming during that break would be the best option, but time is not always on your side. Use the weather app to see how fast the wind is moving. Anything below 7mph can result in decent audio if you take precautions with your microphone. Anything higher will be difficult to get a clear sound.
What was the worst weather you ever tried to film in and how did you overcome it?