Indoor Convention Filming

P

Porterhaus

New member
Hey all,
I plan on attending a large indoor convention in the coming weeks and own a Gitzo pole, Oktava MK012 with BBG and windjammer. The thing is, for this convention I will be traveling alone and will not have someone who can operate the boom.

I was wondering what you all would suggest I do for audio; I'm not looking for perfect sound or anything, mainly just looking to get some stock footage and help capture the moments for a friend of mine who won't be able to make it.

Should I just get an on camera shockmount and windscreen and use my Oktava on camera? Or should I get a whole new mic all together?

I wouldn't mind spending some cash, mainly just looking for a solution for situations like this where I won't have a boom operator and not wanting the sound to completely suck.
 
What are you trying to capture? A hand held mic like the evre50 works great in loud places like conventions if you are doing news style interviews or demos where the subject can hold the mic and speak to the camera.
 
I'm not looking to capture a single subject at any given time (the people I'll be concerned with are going to be doing demos, and I won't be able to capture audio from them with a handheld), more concerned with ambience and the occasional isolation of a stage speaker off in the distance, or someone doing a demo close by.
 
That is pretty tough, with the mic on the camera, the subject should only be a 2-3 feet away to get anything clean. Also the mic will be pointing at anything behind the subject too (which is one reason to boom from above, better isolation). You may want to contact your local community college and see if you can borrow a student.

Conventions are really really terrible places to get sound (even with wireless mics, handheld mics and a boom op).
 
You should probably also check with show management - many of the conventions I go (as an exhibitor) you are not allowed to video tape or photograph without show management approval (usually limited to credentialed press). I have seen them escort unauthorized folks out of the hall. (Some of this may also have to do with union vs. non-union kinds of things - convention halls are notorious for maximum union rule enforcement).

Phil
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top