Best Mic For Feature Drama?

abalex

abalex

Well-known member
Hi Everyone! I'm Going To Be Working On A Feature Drama Next Summer. I'll Have A Small Budget For It. My Executive Producer Is Giving Me 1000 Bucks For Audio. The Total Budget For The Movie It's About 12000(equipment Included, So Maybe 9000 For Actual Movie, Talent, Etc)

Can Anyone Tell Me Which Mic Is The Best Under This Price(1000)?

Thanks Lot!

G.
 
This question has been asked and answered a thousand times. Run a search and look for 'interior microphone' and 'exterior microphone'.

No one microphone will do it. What you want to do is: A. Hire a sound guy (you got $1000 to work with) or B. Rent

Buying is silly for your project.

EDIT:
I wanted to come back and elaborate on my previous post. The reason I say this is because for $1000 you cannot get everything you need in order to run sound for a feature film. Let's say you are shooting just interiors, so you decide to get an Oktava Hyper Cardiod Mic. OK, we're at $165 right there. Let's add in a good Rycote Softie, so we're adding another $150. Let's add in your shockmount, Ktek $125. Now let's add in your boom pole, you could go cheap and aluminum so $170 but if you're doing a feature long days of filming, you're going to want something flexible, but also light, so let's just say $300 for a cheap carbon fiber that will go about 9' (add a lot more money if you want more distance). Now let's talk about cables, maybe you can borrow these, but you're running a feature, sound is at least 50 if not 70% of the experience... you're going to want good cables, so drop at least $50.

Now you have a cheap solution, the cheapest solution, for interior shooting.

Like I said, hire a pro. You can rent a complete sound kit for $100/day at the most. That's 10 days you could have.

What you need to ask yourself is, do I want good sound, or do I want equipement.

EDIT #2
The other problem with your question is that it says: what is the best mic under $1000. There is no best mic under $1000. I say this because someone's best mic, or favorite mic, or go to mic is subjective. I like the sound of the AKG line, other people prefer the Sennheiser line. It is preference. So, on the one hand someone could say that the best mic under $1000 is a used Sennheiser MKH416 (new they run about $1100). Someone else could say that the best mic is the AKG Blue Line CK98 & CK93 because then you have a modular system that will work interior and exterior. Someone else will disagree because they do not like the midrange frequency response of the CK98. You ask an impossible question, and I'm not trying to be rude, it's just an impossible question.
 
I Know. But The Thing Is That Am Also Buying Gear For My Small Production Company.

Thanks
G.
 
Read my amendments to my post... You cannot get what you are looking for with $1000

By saying that you want it for your production company then you are going to get bad, cheap, garbage sound or work with incomplete material. Hire a sound man, you will get better results.

If you just want an answer to your question, here: Sennheiser MKH416. Technically that is one of the best mics you can get for $1000. You have nothing to run it and none of the additional materials you need, but you got the best mic under $1000.
 
I'll See What I Can Do. Maybe I Can Get More Money And Hire Someone.

Thanks Man

G.
 
How about a AT4073a + Softie, Shockmount, Boompole and XLR cable. This could work indoors and out. There's a sticky link at the top of this forum that I think compares a 4073a to the MKH416... I can't even tell them apart (soundguys will flame this last comment, but you can listen for yourself.)

Good luck!
 
Audio Technica 4073a.

I used one on a feature. Great mic.

According the the guys at Equipment Emporium, they say in their catalog, "best dialog mic we have ever used".

It runs about $500.

4051 is cheaper capsule model version. It is really they say, but that is only at a 2 to 3 foot range. After that, not so good.

I think the 4073 is good up to 5 feet.

If you can get away with setting up a mic on a C-stand then the weight of the boom won't be much of an issue. Otherwise, whoever is doing your boom work is going to be pissed if you don't have a lightweight boom.

Lightweight = more money. Usually.

Check out Equipment Emporium's website. Lots of good info on there as well.
 
abalex said:
I Know. But The Thing Is That Am Also Buying Gear For My Small Production Company.

Thanks
G.
Click to expand...

If you're getting money to shoot a feature why would you be spending that money towards "your" small production company. Is it in the contract that you can buy equipment for your company? My advice would be to plan, plan, plan. Have you shot any other features? If so, you probably wouldn't have these questions, and to jump into a $12,000 project might be a bit much. All this is speculation of course, but it seems like your torn between: Either having good sound by renting and hiring a sound guy OR actually purchasing your own gear for future use. If you had JUST the project in mind, I doubt you would be in this predicament. I think it is obvious the actual project will benefit more if you followed Yankee's advice. My big question is: Who would give you $12,000? Either way, good luck.
 
The 4073a is a shotgun microphone and therefore not suitable for recording audio for interior situations. You do not, I repeat, do not want to record audio in a reflective environment with a shotgun microphone. If you look at the pickup pattern of specific microphones, a shotgun or super cardiod is not suitable to interior shooting situations. Ask any sound person, no one mic will work for every situation, therefore your budget is not workable for hiring people.
 
Slimothy said:
My big question is: Who would give you $12,000? Either way, good luck.
Click to expand...

LOL

He's got a point. You were given only $1000 on sound, you want to buy rather than rent or hire, and you don't know about sound. That's like me giving Matt in St Louis $1000 to build me a fibultator for my heart.
 
How much does it cost to hire a sound guy? Is a thousand bucks gunna do it if he needs him for like 2 weeks or so?
 
NO CA$H said:
How much does it cost to hire a sound guy? Is a thousand bucks gunna do it if he needs him for like 2 weeks or so?
Click to expand...

Depends who you are and who you know. Favors go a long way in the world of filmmaking, especially indie filmmaking.
 
get the sennheiser 416, make a boom pole, make your cables, get a cheap shockmount, maybe bet a mic muff for outdoors.
 
brianluce said:
get the sennheiser 416, make a boom pole, make your cables, get a cheap shockmount, maybe bet a mic muff for outdoors.
Click to expand...

That is over a $1000, plus unless you are experienced with audio you are going to have a hard time getting good sound out of the 416. It has a very narrow pick up pattern that is best handled by experienced operators.
 
TheYankee said:
What you need to ask yourself is, do I want good sound, or do I want equipement.
Click to expand...

This is the quote of the month. I have been trying to impart this point for quite some time. You can't buy your way into great sound no matter how much equipment you buy. Good equipment just makes good sound possible.

I could no longer give some novice my equipment package and expect them to get even decent sound then you can give your grandma a HDCAM SR set up and expect to get Star Wars.

That being said, neither is location sound rocket science. Someone who takes the time to learn how to do it, practices, and has decent equipment can do a fairly good job. The trick is to find that person. When student films are put together more often then not the boom guy is the PA who drew the short straw.

BUT, you can find someone if you look in the right places. Most cities have audio clubs with amatuers who would work for cheap. Call the local sound pros and ask if they have some boomman or someone looking to gain experience on a low budget movie. I got 2 guys here is Seattle I could point people at. Try Craigslist.

The results won't neccessarily be great but they will be better then if you just give the boom to a unfortunate PA.

A pro will pretty much eat up your budget but you find someone working their way up and you have a great partner for your production company. :happy:

Good luck
 
I don't know what Matt quoted you, Yankee......You can probably get a used defibrillator for $1000, but the ones I'd recommend are over $2000. Am a Lifepack 500 man myself. Unless you want to talk LP12 at $6000............yummm
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top