Miking novice with short film

M

Mircosid

Member
I am a brand-new filmmaker and am going into principle photography for a short film next week. We need some sort of boom mike/room mike (just one that plugs into the camera and hangs from the ceiling out of frame). Any suggestions? Also, what are the best places to rent sound equipment from? Best rates . . .

Thanks!
 
Let me put it this way. Can I get away with a Shure SM58 style mike, or do I need to go for a shotgun? Most of the dialogue is delivered with the actors a few feet away from each other. Also, if the Shure style will work, do I need an amp to boost the signal? (I'm using a DV camera with 1/8 inch input.)

-M
 
Thanks to both of you. I really have no budget -- this started out as a "fun" project and has kind of snowballed. All the action takes place indoors, in two rooms, mostly just in one. I'll try the SM58 this time around, if it's workable. I hadn't realized sound was going to be such a pain -- I'm going to do some music videos after this so I can focus on pure imagery and the sound is already taken care of.

Thanks again! I'll post how it goes with the SM58.

-M
 
A short shotgun or cardioid would be appropriate for recording indoor dialogue. The SM58 is a dynamic mic, so it's not going to work well at all for film production. Dynamic mics like the SM58 work well when placed when placed *inches* away from the source, but will be pretty crappy at 2-3 feet away. If you can find a condenser or electret-condenser mic, you'd be *much* better off. These are powered mics that have a much higher sensitivity. Check you local music store for used condenser mics--you may be able to find a deal. I've picked up discontinued Audio Technica cardioid condenser mics for $10 each at Guitar Center. A condenser mic will need either phantom power from a camera or mixer, or battery power from the mic itself. So if you don't have camera or mixer with phantom, you'll need to get a mic that has the option of veing battery powered.
 
Thanks, Barry, that cleared up all my questions. I ended up going with a new audio-technica Pro 24 stereo condenser mike, $108. I was looking at an MXL 2001, but would have had to pick up a $40 - $50 mixer or phantom power unit otherwise, and those weren't battery-powered -- which in this case (an indoors movie) wouldn't matter, but the mike would've been useless outdoors. We'll see how the Pro 24 works.

-M
 
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