Get two shotguns mics or one with a mixer?

B

Blutarski

Active member
I don't know much about sound and it shows in the three shorts that I've done. I'm trying to correct this problem. Should I buy two shotguns, have a person hold one and put the other on a c stand with a boom buddy or should I get a mixer with one boom pole? I'm not going to put an on camera mic due to the mic picking up the slight hum of my 35mm adapter. What would give me the best quality and affordable audio?
 
Does your camera have one or two XLR inputs? If two, just plug them both in directly and watch the levels. Using booms instead of on camera will put you light years ahead. Using a mixer will up you another notch or two, but getting the mics close in is the primary thing.

The boom buddy works great if the talent is stationary. If they move much, you will need someone aiming for the sweet spot.
 
The thing about sound is that it needs a guy. A sound guy.

This sound guy will typically use a shotgun or hyper-cardoid on a boom. He may also use lavs or wireless lavs, or some other trickery.

What he will want is to maximize the signal to noise.

The signal, in most cases, is the dialogue coming out of the actors' mouths. The noise is everything else.

Due to the inverse square law, cutting the distance to the source (mouth) in half multiplies the sound levels by FOUR. Or, conversely, doubling the distance makes it quieter by a factor of FOUR.

That means you want your mic as close to the mouths as possible. just above their heads in the closeups is a standard kind of goal with these guys -- watch for shadows.

Hope that helps. Look up these concepts on google.
 
gco said:
Ditto what Gohanto said.
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I would also say that BUT I would also say that when we say that it is not to be snide but helpful. I have said milder things and had people go off on me for being a (well you can guess and I think the moderators would bleep it anyway). The point is that pretty much nobody would suggest two shotguns. Wondering if you should get them says you need some basic info in sound, or ,much better, get someone who knows something about FILM sound. I shouted FILM because if they have done music it's not the same thing. You want someone who has done a few FILMS that you can look at and have at least acceptable dialog. Get him/her and trust them. If they let you down fire them and get someone else. It's cruel but that is the way it works. Of course you can't really fire them if you don't pay them...
 
Having a sound guy(or gal) is always better than any on board audio

\edit/ unless it is a sex tape then having a sound person will ruin mood
 
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I read the post suggested and got a lot from it. There is nothing worse than having good material and acting go to waste due to echoes off a hardwood floor, or not being able to hear dialogue properly due to background noise on an exterior scene. A sound person will be the way I will go, as directing takes up my concentration on set.
As far as being sensitive to perceived snide remarks it doesn't factor in. if I don't know something or want to get up to snuff on basic knowledge I assume the person giving advice comes with the best of intentions. If it isn't, that is a reflection on them not me.
 
Having 2 boom operators is not a "un-usual" situation. It's even very often used.

A very simple situation (in the eyes of a director): 2 people are chatting at a table, 3 feet away a guy comes in and says "To be or not to be". If all these people are in one shot, it's to difficult for one boom operator to capture the chatting at the table... and to capture the guy at the door. So in that case, 2 booms might be needed.

And as everyone almost said before: having a sound guy is a great solution. And even more: having a sound editor/sound designer will also do a lot to your film.
 
What Noiz said is correct. The only intention here is to be helpful and I totally agree that anything otherwise is a reflection on the source. For me this place is a gold mine of info and there is some great stuff archived in those stickies. I have a feeling they get overlooked. I am a total audio NOOB and what little I know so far comes from the input of vets like Noiz, Matt, other pros in this forum including those stickies. Having said that, I did my first dialog shoot a year ago. It was single speaker dialog outside. Nobody but me and the speaker. I boomed a mic off of a light stand just out of frame and ran it through my little Mixpre into the camera. I could not believe that I got what I got. I was so happy it almost made me feel silly. The credit definitely belongs to this site and the pros that contribute to it. Based on what I have learned here and what that knowledge has enabled me to do by myself, I am a die hard believer in the value of this place.:thumbup:
 
dre83 said:
Having 2 boom operators is not a "un-usual" situation. It's even very often used.
Click to expand...

It's not unheard of but it is not often used, at least not to my knowledge. In your scenario you would probably need a wireless anyway since any shot that is wide enough to cover the three actors is going to keep your second boom too far away. There are lots of ways to get coverage but a second boom isn't usually one of them. It may change now that productions are regularly using multitrack recorders. Back when "that crazy guy" Altman was about the only one not recording mono production sound it was not really an option.

----

I should add that I don't think it's a bad idea in certain situations, just that it hasn't been a common practice.
 
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