More perspective

As I touched on in the post about recording crowds, capturing different perspectives of a single source, especially urban ambiences, can be useful. It can help the sound designer tailor the sound for different shots in a sequence. e.g cutting from a wide to a close-up.

I took the opportunity whilst waiting for a train, to get several perspectives of the crowd at Euston station.

A balcony that overlooks the main area provided a nice spot to record a fairly distant impression of the people walking and wheeling their suitcases below. The high ceiling of the station created a more diffuse soundscape, whereas down at ground level it was closer with small sounds in the foreground. Footsteps move from left to right, and individual voices and clothing rustle can be picked out, coming from only a few metres away. Using a handheld recorder allowed inconspicuous recording of a close-up perspective of the crowd.

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