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Putting together a shotgun set up for interviews
I am ready to purchase a new shotgun mic that will be used when I do interviews for various corporate jobs. Lately we’ve been doing videos that have a dozen or so subjects being interviewed and a lot of clients are asking to do this on green screen. Swapping out lavs every time really slows down the process and after we get the set and lights up, it’s the only thing that has to change. So I thought it would be smart to eliminate the lav and go with a shotgun mounted on a boom and tripod above the interview position. I’ve seen that set up used a lot in these “assembly line” style interview situations. I’ve never purchased a tripod set up for a mic, so I want to make sure I get everything I need, and I’d also like to know what brands people recommend. This is for corporate work so I don’t need top of the line, but I also don’t want something that is going to fall on my clients head! I was thinking of using an ME66 for the mic, and would likewise be interested in middle of the road gear for the boom and stand. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
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7 Replies
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Most pro shooters attach the mic to an arm on a lighting “C-Stand”.
VERY sturdy (if you put a sand-bag on one of the legs) and can be quickly readjusted to any height and angle.
Example:
https://www.adorama.com/AEA215.html
You can buy all kinds of clamps an arms for these.
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A shotgun mic would not be my first choice for interiors.
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If you’re shooting interiors, you don’t want a shotgun, you want a hypercardioid.
If I had a nickel for everytime I said or typed this, I’d be a millionaire. I’m actually considering having them carve that on my gravestone.
Maybe it’s that people assume that a shotgun is the only type of mic to put on a boom. It isn’t. To find out why, go to my website, click on the OnLine Archives in column 2, open the Video folder and download the Mic Tutorial.mp4. You can see and hear why a good hyper works better.
Regards,
Ty Ford
Ty Ford’s “Audio Bootcamp Field Guide” was written for video people who want better audio. Find out more at https://www.tyford.com
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Can you recommend a specific hyper cardioid mic for interiors?
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The best in the world is the Schoeps CMC641. I have two of them and use them all the time for boom work, handgrip on-the-street work, V/O work and also for any musical instrument.
The CMC641 is used in feature film dialog, probably more than any other mic out there.
Price is about $1500. Don’t let that scare you. It’ll be a mic you buy once and use for the rest of your life.
I have compared it to the Oktava, AT4053a, Peluso and other hypercardioids and have found that hypercardioids are NOT all the same. My strong advice is to bite the bullet, buy the Schoeps, and instantly improve your audio from that point on. Yes, it makes THAT much difference.
I have had calls from shooter/editors, from the edit bay days after the shoot, calling me to say, “Damn! You were right. The audio sounds GREAT. What was that mic?”
Regards,
Ty Ford
Ty Ford’s “Audio Bootcamp Field Guide” was written for video people who want better audio. Find out more at https://www.tyford.com
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[Ty Ford] “I have had calls from shooter/editors, from the edit bay days after the shoot, calling me to say, “Damn! You were right. The audio sounds GREAT. What was that mic?””
No, Ty, that was when you substituted YOUR voice for the interviewee’s voice. Very good ADR.
— Bob C
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::blush::
Shucks, t’weren’t nothin’.
Regards,
Ty Ford
Ty Ford’s “Audio Bootcamp Field Guide” was written for video people who want better audio. Find out more at https://www.tyford.com
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