2 people/1 lav?
- Thread starter powerdog
- Start date
bad- there would be hudge differenc e in sound level - you would have to rise the second person each toime he spoks - theis would also lise the ambient as well ansd the mikes hiss or rusle if you plant mike under the clothes
the situation is dgood usially only when people stand face to face in very close range - then sumrimes the person on infront even be much better sounding .
the best is to place 2 individual lavs or place cardioid mike above the 2 , the plase of the mike and its pattern quit depends on the situation and location you are shoot .
for normal interview , 2 lavs would defently do the job
the situation is dgood usially only when people stand face to face in very close range - then sumrimes the person on infront even be much better sounding .
the best is to place 2 individual lavs or place cardioid mike above the 2 , the plase of the mike and its pattern quit depends on the situation and location you are shoot .
for normal interview , 2 lavs would defently do the job
If they really stand at arms length you might be just fine. IF they stay at that distance. If they move around at all the levels will change.
Put the mic on the softer voiced one. The other person will project well onto the mic. I've had issues where a loud speaking person close in was stepping all over the other persons mic which was set higher because of their soft voice.
Ambience will have an effect on this. Loud environments will be more troublesome.
The ideal situation is to use a hyper overhead.
Put the mic on the softer voiced one. The other person will project well onto the mic. I've had issues where a loud speaking person close in was stepping all over the other persons mic which was set higher because of their soft voice.
Ambience will have an effect on this. Loud environments will be more troublesome.
The ideal situation is to use a hyper overhead.
It's better to use 2 lavs or a shotgun from above, but if you only have 1 lav then it can be done. I've actually done this before and it didn't come out too bad (but I wouldn't do it again unless I really had to).
Xort had some good advice. If you're filming 2 people in an interview, then you probably want to cheat their faces towards the camera a little. So it makes sense to put the mic on side that's closer to the other person. Get them to stand as close as possible, and try to keep the ambient noise as low as possible. You'll probably need to boost the volume on one person's voice in post. But this is normal in interview situations when you only use 1 mic (ie reporter with handheld mic doing field interview).
Xort had some good advice. If you're filming 2 people in an interview, then you probably want to cheat their faces towards the camera a little. So it makes sense to put the mic on side that's closer to the other person. Get them to stand as close as possible, and try to keep the ambient noise as low as possible. You'll probably need to boost the volume on one person's voice in post. But this is normal in interview situations when you only use 1 mic (ie reporter with handheld mic doing field interview).
Thanks for the replies. Hmmm... some interesting choices here.
Right now I have an ME66, boom pole/stand, and 10 ft. cable. I've thought about positioning the mic overhead, but since I'm a one-man-band, I can't operate the camera and move the boom if they need to move. Also, I can't go very wide without seeing the mic above them. How wide I'll actually need to go will vary from interview to interview, and won't be very predictable.
It's likely I could get them to maintain their relative positions, walking from one place to another, not talking while they walk, and keeping the same distance.
This is being done in college science labs and classrooms, with lots of hard stuff around: test tubes, beakers, white boards, so the acoustics won't be easy.
If I have to invest in any wireless equipment, I'd rather get one high-quality system than 2 cheap ones. But can't afford 2 good ones yet.
What to do, what to do...!
Right now I have an ME66, boom pole/stand, and 10 ft. cable. I've thought about positioning the mic overhead, but since I'm a one-man-band, I can't operate the camera and move the boom if they need to move. Also, I can't go very wide without seeing the mic above them. How wide I'll actually need to go will vary from interview to interview, and won't be very predictable.
It's likely I could get them to maintain their relative positions, walking from one place to another, not talking while they walk, and keeping the same distance.
This is being done in college science labs and classrooms, with lots of hard stuff around: test tubes, beakers, white boards, so the acoustics won't be easy.
If I have to invest in any wireless equipment, I'd rather get one high-quality system than 2 cheap ones. But can't afford 2 good ones yet.
What to do, what to do...!
Jim Brennan
VHS Member Old Skool
It sounds like you'll have the same problem with either the lav or the boom (unpredictability of movement and bad acoustics) if it were me, I'd bring some blankets for sound deadening and go with the boom. I've done interviews that way, and although it's not as good as two lavs, it's better than using 1 lav. IMHO
Jim Brennan
VHS Member Old Skool
It's a real conundrum. I assume that it's necessary for them to move around. I just don't see how you can get them to maintain the same distance all the time. If you are going to be close with the cam, this might be one of those rare occasions to put your shotgun on the cam. An ME-66 is pretty hot, so you should get plenty of signal. Just a thought.
You are letting the situation control you. You need to control the situation for the capabilities you have. Stand them in one spot and let them talk then have them leave frame to the 'next' spot and then start talking again ("now lets go see Cindy disecting that corpse"). Shoot close ups of what they are talking about and intercut that with the dialog. Maintain screen direction for the walk in/walk out. Also do some shots of them walking away and toward the camera without talking to also use as intercuts. Get lots of cutaways.
In your case, I would recommend mounting the ME66 on the camera and getting within 4-5 feet of your talent. This should work pretty well, and you don't have to spend any money. Test it out first to see if the sound quality is acceptable.
Like xort says, do your interviews close up, then get lots of b-roll and use them as cutaways. You see this all the time in news shows like 60 Minutes or 20/20. The people are walking down the street, and their conversation continues from when they were in the studio, or vice versa. You can also add voice overs to help the flow.
Like xort says, do your interviews close up, then get lots of b-roll and use them as cutaways. You see this all the time in news shows like 60 Minutes or 20/20. The people are walking down the street, and their conversation continues from when they were in the studio, or vice versa. You can also add voice overs to help the flow.
Xort & Sumfun: your comments are very helpful. I got into this one, dumb way of looking at things. You're right. I can shoot the "meat" of the interview and all the sound in a fairly tight two-shot, with a boom just overhead, then add close-ups, walking shots, etc. It will make the shoot much more efficient, too. Thanks!
newtodvx100a
Well-known member
I love this site, I just keep learning from all your help. Thank you.