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Long Interviews!!


Manx

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Hello,

I'm a new member here, and I must say how interesting, informative, and cool this forum is. 

And i have been doin sound for four years now. 

I have a question (i know it might sound stupid though). I have worked on lots of documentaries that had seated interviews etc.. and normally i would record these using a wireless mic on the talent plus an overhead boom mic.

The question is, would you guys place the boompole on a c-stand or just hold it and boom it yourselves? (and here im talking about those long interviews)

 

So what to do?

 

Thanks!

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I use a lightstand with a super clamp as often as I can. If the camera is on a tri-pod, then I might aswell. Mic on a stand means I can get right at the edge of the frame and never dip. Also, I usually ask people to sit straight up, not move around and to speak clearly. No problems at all :).

 

If camera is not on a tri-pod, neither am I. Might also skip it if we're short on time or doing a dual interview without time for lavs.

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I just wrapped up a job with not long, but marathon interviews. The shortest was 6 hours on camera and the longest about 8 hours on camera over 11 to 12 hour days. It's not possible to boom hand-held for an hour or more continuously especially in a way that won't distract the subject. Interviews are mostly about what the subject knows or thinks about a topic, in spite of what most cameramen think. A distracted subject can make it hard to get the desired material from them.

 

The mic slowly moving just on the edge of your field of view is quite distracting and many people simply can't ignore it. On a stand, they'll forget about the mic being there rather quickly.

 

Right on the edge of frame isn't always the best place for the mic, especially in a presumably reasonably quite interview location. Echoing what my colleague Dan says just above, wider is often better and the Schoeps CMC64, a cardioid pickup pattern, is an excellent choice and a personal favorite of mine for interviews.

 

I try to set up out of the subject's field of view, often setting a blanket or flag to help keep me out of the eyeline, right next to the stand the mic and pole are on. That way, I'm able to move the mic pretty quickly if it's necessary and stay out of the way.

Best regards,

Jim

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or at walmart for $12. however, those are physically different than the remote audio ones. the remote audio ones have a wider opening to better fit a boom pole's circumference. the walmart/bass pro shop one is a little tight on ktek 152 boom. it works, but i bent mine out a little bit to make it not as tight. but i mainly use the remote audio one. the cheaper one is on a knuckle in my car incase i forget my usual stand.

 

also, Glen Trew posted in a thread on the sound mixer FB group about the other differences between the two. the remote audio one is supposed to have better welds and a few other differences that i can't recall. maybe glen can chime in again.

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http://www.driftmaster.com/Rodholders.html

 

You can get these at Bass Pro Shops for $16

Reading this thread may convince you to spend the extra $14 for the Remote Audio version.

 

And Glen's post on the FB group Michael mentions completely drives that home. I remember reading it, just can't find it now.

Best regards,

Jim

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Thanks, Dan.

 

Quoting for the non-Facebookers:

Glen Trew:

This same topic has come up about once a year for the last ten years... The holder in the photo is made to be attached to the gunwale of a fishing boat, which explains the wing-nut and threaded stem. It also explains the plastic coating that comes more than halfway down the shaft. I have seen the fishing boat variety break from the weight of a long boom pole at the weld between the shaft and the cradle. This is probably rare, but I've seen it a few times until Remote Audio started having their own made, by the same company who made the original. The one with the Remote Audio brand has the plastic coating stop about an inch below the weld, which makes it a better fit for C-stand knuckles, the weld is supposed to be more closely inspected. Also, there are no exposed threads on the shaft, which also makes it a better fit when not mounting on a fishing boat. Careful though... The original and the Remote Audio version are made in the US. There are now some Chinese copies floating around of unknown quality.

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When doing interviews, I'm always thinking of the worst case scenario; one minute, a guest is sitting comfortably in the back of a chair, and the next he's sitting on the edge of it, leaning forward to emphasize a point. I think I'd have to be too far forward or too high up to cover that kind of range if my boom was locked down.

Years ago, facing a few days in studio doing nothing but interviews, I made this ugly looking thing from scraps I had in my shop.

 

post-159-0-24753700-1359646426_thumb.jpg

 

I bought a light stand (on the small sets I work on, I try to be as autonomous as possible), and this is the result;

 

post-159-0-80147100-1359646739_thumb.jpg

 

With this set-up, I find standard chair height to be too low for me to sit in - I end up with one arm straight up to hold the boom. A stool is ideal, otherwise I'll throw a sound blanket over the arm of a chair for extra padding, and sit/lean on that.

I'm currently working on a Magliner based "cart" designed specifically for all those interviews I do, with an incorporated folding seat that would have me seated at stool height all the time. If I ever get it done, I'll post pictures.

And +1 to what Jim said about staying out of the eyeline.

 

 

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K Clamp on a blond stand .I have done it this way for 25 years and have never had a complaint .But if you are worried that your interviewee is going to move around sit next to the C stand do not lock the top section and adjust the boompole /mic when need be.But it does sound like your sound editor/designer/director is talking bollocks 

Best John

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The issue isnt how to rig the boom on the stand. I have the BoomMate Boompole holder, its just fine. But i was wondering what everyone else does in such jobs.

 

K Clamp on a blond stand .I have done it this way for 25 years and have never had a complaint .But if you are worried that your interviewee is going to move around sit next to the C stand do not lock the top section and adjust the boompole /mic when need be.But it does sound like your sound editor/designer/director is talking bollocks 

Best John

I know ur right!

 

Thanks a lot for the replies!

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Thanks, Dan.

 

Quoting for the non-Facebookers:

Glen Trew:

This same topic has come up about once a year for the last ten years... The holder in the photo is made to be attached to the gunwale of a fishing boat, which explains the wing-nut and threaded stem. It also explains the plastic coating that comes more than halfway down the shaft. I have seen the fishing boat variety break from the weight of a long boom pole at the weld between the shaft and the cradle. This is probably rare, but I've seen it a few times until Remote Audio started having their own made, by the same company who made the original. The one with the Remote Audio brand has the plastic coating stop about an inch below the weld, which makes it a better fit for C-stand knuckles, the weld is supposed to be more closely inspected. Also, there are no exposed threads on the shaft, which also makes it a better fit when not mounting on a fishing boat. Careful though... The original and the Remote Audio version are made in the US. There are now some Chinese copies floating around of unknown quality.

Hmm, I've inspected both and I don't see how the welds could be different from the two brands considering they are made from the same company. After all, the fishing one's are meant to withstand the weight of decent size fish pulling on the line. I hardly doubt any of our boom poles will ever weight as much as a saltwater pole with a tuna at the end of it. Since Eric Toline is the only other fisherman I know on here maybe he can chime in on this. In regards to the threaded vs. non-threaded being a better fit I don't see how this really matters at all. 

 

I've been using the Bass Pro Shops one for quite some time now without any issues. 

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I would suspect that the threads would cause less contact with the grip head and therefore, less grip. Of course, this would only apply if you were trying to pull the boom holder out of the grip head. Our use puts lateral forces on the thing, so it is less of an issue.

I bought the boom buddy because it supports a stand-up company and supports my local pro audio shop.

Hmm, I've inspected both and I don't see how the welds could be different from the two brands considering they are made from the same company. After all, the fishing one's are meant to withstand the weight of decent size fish pulling on the line. I hardly doubt any of our boom poles will ever weight as much as a saltwater pole with a tuna at the end of it. Since Eric Toline is the only other fisherman I know on here maybe he can chime in on this. In regards to the threaded vs. non-threaded being a better fit I don't see how this really matters at all.

Seems more so like marketing/re-packaging mumbo jumbo to justify the higher price. I've been using the Bass Pro Shops one for quite some time now without any issues.

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"Since Eric Toline is the only other fisherman I know on here maybe he can chime in on this. In regards to the threaded vs. non-threaded being a better fit I don't see how this really matters at all. I've been using the Bass Pro Shops one for quite some time now without any issues."

+1 & yup. FYI: Make sure you get a rod holder with 0 degree tilt and speaking of fishing, my long time friend Bruno Strapko and a Chicago mixer caught this Tiger fish in Africa about 2 months ago. He used a real fish pole, not one of those slidey things you hold over your head.

post-22-0-76626800-1359655185_thumb.jpg

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Generally, when using a boom stand for interviews, I find that the shot is most times tight enough that once the subject moves too far off axis from the mic, they also move out of frame and both me and the cam op will ask the interviewe to not move so much. Of caurse this is different for every show...

 

As to placing the boom mic "out of their line of sight", that's not something I would ever consider as a standard practice. You wouldn't ask the cam op to place the camera out of their line of sight would you? Some people have asked "are you gonna have the mic that close?" I just reply "Yes, it's just out of frame". The producer asks them the first question and they have forgot about the mic in 2 seconds. Good sound = good interview :).

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Mic placement depends on the mic and the location, for me. A treated space allows for a more forgiving placement of the mic that can compensate for ants in the pants. Closer isn't always better, IMO.

 

Most of the locations I get are not "A treated space", although I do what I can in that regard. When you're constantly fighting background noise and nasty "echo chamber"-rooms, then closer is defenitly better. So, not always, but mostly.

 

That's placing yourself out of their line of sight.

 

Ah, I see your point. Missed that, sorry.

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