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Boom operator with some serious style


Prahlad Strickland

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What I see is a microphone that is way too long and heavy with a transmitter and possibly a power supply also on the mic end of the pole, all of this on a fishpole that has way too much flex. He is doing the best he can but there are lots of things that could have been done differently. 

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Likewise I'm most worried about the pole, and one should keep safety in mind? With somewhat extravagant boom swinging some of that pole and payload could fly at speed towards someones head / eyes, could it not?

I've never seen a carbon fibre boom pole snap, or joint give up, but imagine it could easily create sharp edges. Anyone seen this happen?

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Coming from an area where the TX at the mic end is standard I understand the freedom this allows. Personally I am not a big fan of it for two reasons: 1. Added weight at the end of the pole. (I Have skinny arms)  2. It tends to put the mic off balance. That said I'm not keen on internally cabled poles.  

That amount of boom flex makes it incredibly hard to control mic placement and adds so much more tension to the operators arms and metal concentration. I boomed a series where we used a neumans KMR82 in full wind gag usually at the long of the stick. My boom at the time had a lot of flex, so a brought a Panamic. Being a stiffer, albeit heavier pole, it had a lot less flex., resulting in better mic control and less fatigue on my body. 

All of this is not meant to dismiss what the operator has achieved for the sound department.

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Who's to know how it sounded? Certainly not the boom operator, without headphones. And I can't imagine the reflections were out of the movie.

This does illustrate that it's a tough job, however, and the boom operator in the footage might be very skilled indeed. Hard to tell from the video.

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I wouldn't mind hearing the scene from the mic to know how he really did. I am envious of the actors speaking up. Seems like every time I'm out on the street or in a noisy environment, the actors are whispering so low that one couldn't hear them if their ear was up against their lips! lol

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i can never comment accurately on such videos. period. too many variables and in no way accessible to be considered through videos like this one. 

I agree. We all know how hard the job is. Video's like this don't show the camera framing, decoupage and on set discussions. Equipment wise I only worry about the guys back. Any boom, if not handled wisely, can do some serious damage. I like his balanced footwork. Fencer, boxer, boom op or dancer? Keep it up! Hearing is easy, listening is a craft.
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