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glove noise?


Doug Brandon

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I'm a boom operator and have seen many others wear gloves when they operate the pole. I've tried this a couple of times and was not satisfied. I've come up with a few considerations: gloves keep natural grease and oils from your hands off the pole which may help in keeping the pole clean-I like to clean equipment on a regular basis anyway; it certainly keeps your hands clean––if you must adjust a wire on an actor, it's nice to have hands already free from dirt; occasionally, when having to move the hands on the pole, if in a warm invironment, the hands might tend to cling to the pole and create a small booming or popping noise when making adjustments; once in a while my fingers have not settled properly (the thumb seems to be the usual suspect) and my skin may tend to make its own last minute adjustment and create some kind of audio anomaly which I must later explain was not the pole bumping into something along the way. I've also experienced a different kind of handling noise when wearing gloves and havn't given it the time to work it out.

My final mode of operation, I only keep gloves in my pocket for when I have to work with dirty cables. I don't care for them when handling the pole. I like the solid grip of bare hands.  I feel there's a hair better reaction to unexpected moves. And mostly, I like the idea that I and the boom pole are as one (the Tao of boom operating).

Boom operating seems to be an art form. At times I DO feel like a martial artist, the actors being partners in the dance. I've got my eyes fixed on them, not only whoever is under the microphone, moreso whoever else is within dialogue possible range. I've got the script in my head (or on a nearby stand). At the same time my feet are slightly spread, ready stance, not to move, but ready to shift my weight in either direction. My hands are spread (~two times shoulder width), and with this basic ready to pounce configuration, I have measured it, I can get ten feet of reach back and forth without having to move my feet (six to eight feet of regular workable distance, come to the set if you don't believe me).

The trick for extreme extension when reaching out is strictly hand, wrist, arm, shoulder and back strength. Holding onto the end of the pole with this 'for dear life' way allows you to keep up with a quick actor, however you MUST soon follow with your feet. Going the other way, as an actor comes toward you, lets say to pass off camera, keeping your feet still, and focusing on the hand closer to the middle of the pole (actor side), include a twist of the body as the hand is drawn closer to you. The away from actor hand will DRIFT off the pole as the actor side hand passes across in front of you and then back behind you. Continue twisting your body as your legs begin to shift your weight (this only works if your feet were spread in the first place, almost twice the shoulder width), and before you know it the pole is naturally resting on your elbow and shoulder, and your arm is fully extended behind you, your actor side leg outstretched, the away from actor leg taking the weight of your body. You end up looking like some kind of ninja holding a staff, but your feet haven't moved an inch. If not careful, you can get trapped in this position. It is only good for an emergency situation.

Here's where it helped. On friday, Luke Goss (Blade II) decided to walk away from me rather abruptly, much faster than in rehearsal. He took the lines of dialogue with him, talking as he was walking away from camera (camera following him as well). I had to hurry to keep the microphone in front of him. Without warning, mid sentence, he stopped walking and turned to camera, dialogue still flowing. My body weight (kinetic energy) was moving forward at a faster than the actor speed in order to catch up to him. When he suddenly turned, here was the situation exactly. In that split hair of a moment, I had the pole all the way back behind me, my feet spread, all the weight on the back leg, and I never lost a word. From practicing this ready position all the time, when I needed it out of reaction, it was there. This same 'ready stance/floating the pole without moving the feet' idea works great in many situations (avoiding squeaky floors, for example). It's certainly not how I boom every shot, but for sure I'm ready to make the stretch at any time.

How does this relate to glove noise? Um, not sure if it does.... I am not comfortable gripping the pole, especially reaching out with one hand with any sort of glove. I've experienced unstable grippage loss on these occasional situations. Hands directly on the pole has become my mode of operation. Even on cold nights, I'll take my gloves off when we roll (except for the obviously simple shots).

I've asked around, and mostly conclude converations with "It's a personal preference." That's fine with me. I just wonder if I'm the odd man out here.

There went my morning---hi ho hi ho!

Doug

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Hey Doug, Nice art of booming example, sounds like a "In Production" thread that Redge was suggesting. I don't know about others, but I never used to wear gloves cause I felt I wasn't as responsive to the moment with gloves on. I see alot of boom ops wearing them, so I guess it's what you get use to, but I hated wearing them. I'm working with an old, and I do mean old friend today, Mr Mychal Smith, a 1st class dude and boomer, and he only wears gloves when it's cold or raining. I don't think Marydixie wears them when booming, but does when cabling or when it's cold.

Max Respect, Old School

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I've considered trying out a pair of gloves this summer.  My hands seem to be sweating more than usual and I am afraid of losing a firm hold on the pole...dropping it into frame or worse, on someones head :)  That being said, I've avoided making any purchases.

Any suggestions from the glove-wearing members?  Brand/type.  I was considering a soft cotton type.

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Hello

I do prefer to use gloves, but as with everything else they not a perfect solution for boom handeling noise. You simply have to adopt your habbits to a new tool, but i do feel that they improve my performance. I prefer to use  all leather rock clibbing gloves (full fingers) available in sporting stores such as REI. they cost about $20 and lost a Very long time, unlike the gloves the grips ussually use that get worn out after 2 shows or so. My last pair lasted for +/- 2 years before it vanished. The disadvantige is slight discoumfort due to sweating, if gloves are worn for long time.

Bartek

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Doug,

love the rambling description, it took me a few reads to get the gist, but, man - i'm impressed. Thanks for the detailed description of how you personally deal with squeaky floors and unscripted movements.

re: gloves, you can chalk me up as another who doesn't use them whilst booming - however I have a lightweight set for wrapping cables in the rain/mud/etc. As has been noted already, it just makes you a little more presentable when wiring an actor.

having said that, I use a Panamic fishpole, and it's first stage (or is it the last? the one you hold) is covered in a kind-of fabric-thing. Which may nulify some of the handling issues that others are using gloves for.

cheers again for the boomin' story

Ian

'eewee' the boomie

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love the rambling description, it took me a few reads to get the gist

Thanks Eewee, for the encouragement. I'm learning there is an art to 'posting' (I'm impressed with how much some people say with so few words––I really am trying to do better).

Gloveless but not loveless, (pathetic with my rhetoric?)

Doug

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having said that, I use a Panamic fishpole, and it's first stage (or is it the last? the one you hold) is covered in a kind-of fabric-thing. Which may nulify some of the handling issues that others are using gloves for.

I've thought about wraping the last foot or so in a suade similar to the way you wrap a baseball bat. I've also thought (baseball) batters gloves might be the answer to a boom op's glove needs as batters gloves grip very well. I do remember from my ball playing days we wanted the gloves to 'stick' to the bat, and we did whatever we could to prep the gloves for such a thing. The result on a boom pole I'm sure would not be good for sound. But un-preped batters gloves might be okay for some. Sweat and leather might not fare well. Hmmm?

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When I've had to grab the boom, or train up a PA to be a boom op, I always have a set of those cheap cotton gloves with the little rubber nobbies (nice technical term, huh?) on them.  I get them at Safeway for a whopping $1.59 a pair, so I don't care if they walk away, and will often "reward" a good boom op by letting them keep them as a momento.  Yes, I know, it sounds cheesier than it is.

But, the nice thing about these gloves - they are really flexible, yet give you a great grip on the pole.  And, did I mention that they are really inexpensive?

Phil

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a 1st class dude and boomer, and he only wears gloves when it's cold or raining. I don't think Marydixie wears them when booming, but does when cabling or when it's cold.

Max Respect, Old School

Never discount the glove advantage when engulfed by a swarm of blood-hungry bugs! I keep a pair of carpenter's gloves in my bag (Home Depot: $20) and dedicate them to sound work so they stay pretty clean. They're thin enough for mixing, but relatively warm and I not too sweaty either; they even have a terry-cloth back for wiping sweat off the face. They offer good grip, but not tacky or noisy. That said, I only use them when needed. When in really buggy areas, I also carry a headnet and sometimes even full net jacket and pants. I HATE those little suckers (pun intended), but I've also had malaria twice so I don't take any crap from others on the crew who may think I'm a wimp. I am a wimp when it comes to parasites.

EB

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I like using gloves.  A thin terry cloth glove like Monty and Hebo Biketrials gloves or even Craftsmans mechanics gloves do a good job of eliminating handling noise from sticky hands, creaky joints, boom adjustments.  All are light weight, provide good grip when you want it, and breath well.

http://www.trialspartsusa.com/gloves.html

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&pid=00947653000&cat=Mechanics+Tools&subcat=Automotive+Specialty+Tools&vertical=TOOL&ihtoken=1

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Interesting thread...

A couple of my boom operators used to use cotton editorial gloves on some occasions, particularly in sticky weather, where quick cues were needed. Sometime that would just use them on the extended hand only, to faciliate easy sliding of the pole.

A lot of this would seem to relate to personal working styles, not to mention the weight of the pole/mike being used.

Scott D. Smith C.A.S.

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I noticed that when my hands got sweaty, I had a problem while booming without gloves. So I just got a cheap pair of cotten gloves that breathe well. It helped to keep my hands from sticking to the pole.

Anybody try out setwear gloves? If not, I do plan on picking up a pair, so I don't mind being the guinea! Woo hoo!

One thing that I ALWAYS have in my bag is a package of wet wipes. If I have to go anywhere near the actors to put a wire on them, I either wash my hands or use a wipe - that way I am not all nasty when going near them. I also clean the boom pole from oils and dirt every night at wrap.

Just my .02

~Thomas Popp the boom op

Wow thats corny...never again

:)

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Hi, I'm Stu McKee a 695 boom op.  I actually keep 2 pairs of gloves on a beaner on my belt every day, regardless of weather.  I have the leather setwear gloves just for handling cable, I try to never touch a cable without them on (of course I should admit that I'm a bit of a germophobe).  Then I have the cloth setwear gloves that are just for handling the pole, no cables.  These I wear about %60 of the time, usually if my hands are sticky or sweaty.  I adapted this method about 3 years ago and it has worked fine.  I have to replace the cloth gloves every couple of months but the leathers will last a whole year, if I don't throw them away after working downtown!

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