Recording Interviews at outdoor event

M

mixer28

Active member
I have been asked to film a charity event this weekend with a presenter who will interview folks at the outdoor event.

I have not been to the event before and the weather may be a little unpredictable - plus I have not filmed like this outside not sure on best sound options?

Will be using dvx100b and I should add there may be some other noise to deal with from stages/ announcers etc

Main idea I had was:

Option 1:
k6/ me66 shotgun - on camera as a back up
Use handheld sm58 for talent to interview (will this need windscreen outside or will it be ok?)


Option 2:
Use me64 cardoid with rycote (on sm58?) for interviewing ( I have an octava with the 3 heads but too small for handheld use)
Leaves no back up on camera - so hire/ buy a used wireless lav to put on talent?

Option 3:
take another person and get them to boom interviews and use the me66 shotgun? Also get talent to use sm58 to interview at same time to be on safe side?

Which option is the most sensible to you think?

Appreciate any advice/ feedback as always.

If I need to loan/ buy another mic to really help me in this situation I have a few days on my side :-)
 
if you are using a handheld, an sm58 will probably be ok. but you'd be better off with something like an electrovoice re50 which is designed for that use (very cheap to hire, too).

If you want to boom, a shotgun like the 66 (which is pretty much a hated mic here, but it will work for you im sure) from either above or below at CLOSE range (less than 2 feet) will also work. often, from below gives better results in noisy environments because the talent/on camera persons body blocks some background noise.

will the talents voice be used? will they be on camera? thats an important thing to consider. these days when doing hand held type gigs, i run a wireless re50 that the talent uses to interview, and a shotgun (sanken cs-3e) on my boom. I ALWAYS favour the interviewee with the boom in case the talent pulls the mic away too quickly. this technique works great for me usually.
 
Hi

thanks for the feedback. I do envisage talent's voice to be used and for them to be in most of the shots. I will shoot over shoulder or shoot them side to side with interviewee.

I had a bad experience using the 66 for interviewing at an indoor event where talent used it handheld pointing up and it just picked up tons of room noise off the ceiling - though it was an exceptionally loud event. Best sound I got was from a Rode handheld which I loaned and this did rely on the skill of the talent not to pull it away but helped save the day.

Do you think an SM58 without a windscreen will be ok then? I see it more of a vocal stage mike so a bit concerned - The Audio Technica 804 is not too expensive on ebay and seems more deisgned for interviews? ( The Re50 you mention seems to be a bit of a hard to get mic here in the UK).

So do you think I will not gain much my putting a lav on talent and then getting them to use a handheld - better to boom a shotgun mic close to interviewee is a safer bet?

Thanks
 
depends what lav mic actually, some lavs can be more open than some booms, so you have to watch out for just HOW loud an event is going to be. the only things i shoot where i use a handheld are fashion shows and music events, where you're talking SERIOUS background noise - the kind of noise where a lav probably wouldnt even really help much.

the 58 IS a stage mic, and thats why i would go for a film/tv interview mic like the re50, or any equivalent mic (like the audio technica) if you can.

I like my method, and your results may vary as everyone says, but its a pretty solid method. What are you shooting?
 
Hi

If I used a wireless kit it would come with the standard me-2 lav.

The event is a charity event held at small stadium and so there will be some noise for sure. There is a stage, some live music planned and some noisy stuff for kids too :-) I would say it would be a notch down noise wise from a fashion show/ music event - but not far off.
 
yeah, go with a stick mic (electrovoice, at, sennheiser etc)... remember that the talent generally speak into the mic, too.

you could also get TWO interview mics to get around the problem.

im assuming all this based on you not having a sound guy to boom/mix.

i still maintain that a good shotgun on boom + stick mic will get you through any nasty situation.
 
Funny! I just did the same set up at a motorcycle race of all places. I used an SM58 for interveiwer/interviewee stuff and I put the ME66 on top of my camera for quick interviews of people walking by. I thought everything was just o.k. but it seems like it could be way better. Two questions:

SM58: I paired the SM58 with a Letrosonics UH400A - then recieved with the 400 hybrid reciever. Am I supposed to be powering the mic with the available power switches on the UH400A. I read the manual, flipped the power and Voltage switches all over the place and it didn't seem to make any difference. So what's up? Also Should I be setting the DVX inputs to Mic or Line level with this set up?

ME66: I'm not that impressed with this mic... it doesn't sound like a $700 mic in my opinion - too tinny not warm. Also, it doesn't seem appropriate for my situation. I need to mount a mic on camera and pick up the person I'm filming about 4-5 feet direclty in front of me - not the motorcycles racing by. So what type of mic is the ME66 (omni-directional?) what type should I be using? and should I buy a new mic for this? which one? I heard raves about the audio-technica 508??? Also someone suggested wrapping foam around the sides of my ME66?

Thanks
JH
 
The SM58 is a dynamic unidirectional mic. As such it does not require any powering of any kind. Also, it was designed to reject feedback in highly amplified concert environments. If you talk loudly and closely into it you will be very pleased with its results. However using them in a quieter interview senario is very different. If your mic handler pulls the mic away from a question before the last syllable is spoken you will more than likely miss what is said. The EV-RE50 mentioned is a dynamic omnidirectional element (the same element as an EV-635 btw) and will respond better to speaking at greater distances. It also lets in more surrounding sound so be careful in a noisy area. Other similar mics include the Shure VP64 or the Beyer M58.

The ME66 is an inexpensive version of the MKH60, replacing the ME-80 of old. It's a decent mic if you work it right. I love seeing people say they want a good interview mic for 5-6 feet away. The MHK-816 is the only thing I know with that kind of reach, and only in the hands of a VERY good boom op. If you turn off the roll off and work a ME-66 12-18 inches away it sounds pretty good. Again, good boom op required. Also note that plenty of wind protection for anything outside is required. Yes this all costs $$ but it's how good sound happens.

I would recomend that if you really want good sound, hire a SOUND person. A lot of times the cost of buying a decent mic will rent you a good guy with stuff for days. And you will be surprised what education you will get for free in the process.

mixer28, for what its worth I vote for option #3.
 
thanks folks for feedback.

I was hoping the one assistant I had might be able to focus on taking care of any lighting issues but it looks like the general concensus is to boom interviewee - so appreciate the feedback!

I will use the 66 - I can see why people might want to bash it because it might not be best value for money - but as audiogreg says it can work pretty good.
 
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