[Shaun Kendall]

Thanks for the advice, Mark. I’ll try to utilize some of those tips on our next shoot.

Thanks Again,
Shaun

[Shaun Kendall]

I agree. I ended up using After Effects to create a background of full of the company’s logos floating and slowly twisting/turning in 3d, some more out-of-focus than other and different opacity on each. I then flew the brochure from behind and the the lower-right of the camera and as it came into the frame it was out of focus, then came into focus once it stood upright in the shot. The result was pretty dynamic, so I wanted to thank all of you for the advice.

[Shaun Kendall]

Thanks very much for the suggestions. I hadn’t really thought about using props that relate to the subject matter.

Thanks again.

[Shaun Kendall]

Thanks for the reply, Rob. I was able to steer the guy toward a company I found online who has a “Certified Forensic Audio Expert” on staff. Seems like their specialty.

Thanks,
Shaun

[Shaun Kendall]

“send the audio to both channels. Set ch2 6-9db lower than ch1. Then in post when ch1 peaks you fade over to ch2

Peter Ralph”

That’s a good tip. I’ll try that next time.

Thanks,
Shaun

[Shaun Kendall]

Actually, I was listening to the headphones, but the distortion is very light and I, for whatever reason, didn’t catch it during the shoot. I believe the cause of it was that the mic had been used for a live production prior and the output from it had been set to +12 dB, where we usually keep it at +0 dB for video shoots.

I didn’t catch this until after the shoot. And, yes, the mic was going straight into the camera.

Thanks for the help guys, I’ll try the suggestions you’ve given me.

[Shaun Kendall]

That sounds like creating a similar setup as the Countryman M6 mics, where the distance is always the same from the mouth no matter where the talent moves their head. That’s a good idea, but it would probably be difficult to get many of our subjects to go along with it, seeing as how 90% of them are not “professional” talent, but rather employees & owners of businesses or volunteers, but I’ll see if I can try that next time I get someone who jumps in amplitude when they speak.

[Shaun Kendall]

On their shirt, tie, or collar, usually centered and about 4-5 inches below their chin. For most of our tapings we don’t need to hide the mic (although we do run the cable inside the shirt).

[Shaun Kendall]

Thanks guys!

[Shaun Kendall]

Thank you very much for your input. Although quality is certainly a factor in the decision, the biggest factors are price, dual-channel capability and camera mountability. Since we are primarily using these mics in locations where this is no AC power available and we need to be able to set up our camera and audio quickly, we need to use a camera-mount system.

We do have a small studio setup for recording voice-over which we’re currently using a wired SM58. When it comes time to upgrade that system, I may be seeking your advice once again.

Thanks.