Oktava MK-12 Hyper for Shortfilm

[redindian]

For a shortfilm, with some outdoor shots, some indoor shots

Typical scenes = 2 people are talking, talking on phone, inside car.. etc
========================
Question1 :
Can I manage with one Oktava MK-012 Hyper cateriod capsule pointed down, equivdistant from the actors

------------V------------
Actor A ____ Actor B

Or do I need 2 MK-012's to capture sound directed at each actor?
--V--- _______---V---
Actor A_____ Actor B


Question2 :
I see a filmmaker bundle on Ebay MK-012 HyperCat & Low Pass filter ($340)
- Do I need a lowpass filter if I dont want to cut out natural environmental folley sounds (like door opening, car passing)


Question3 :
Is it necessary to buy 'factory matched' pairs for non-musical recordings such as shortfilms etc?
- Can I buy one, and add more later?


My Equipment :
JVC HD100
Canon 5D MarkII
Zoom H4N (primary recording device)

Thanks

 

[Alex H.]

Question1 :
Can I manage with one Oktava MK-012 Hyper cateriod capsule pointed down, equivdistant from the actors

------------V------------
Actor A ____ Actor B

Or do I need 2 MK-012's to capture sound directed at each actor?
--V--- _______---V---
Actor A_____ Actor B

First, it's cardioid, not cateroid. The response pattern, when plotted on a chart, looks a bit like a heart ("cardio"). Cateroid is an artery that runs through your neck.

Now, as for one mic for two actors, that will be just fine in most situations. This assumes that the actors are not terribly far apart (on opposite sides of the room, you'll need a second boom op), and that you have a dedicated boom op who knows what to do.

Question2 :
I see a filmmaker bundle on Ebay MK-012 HyperCat & Low Pass filter ($340)
- Do I need a lowpass filter if I dont want to cut out natural environmental folley sounds (like door opening, car passing)

There is no such thing as "natural environment Foley." (It's a proper noun, by the way... named for Jack Donovan Foley.) Foley is added in post, and does not include pre-recorded sound effects from a sound library as Foley effects are the ones created in-studio and recorded to picture.

You're talking about location sound, ambience, etc. Most of those sounds (if not all of them) will be replaced in post with FX and Foley. Your goal during production should be recording clean dialog. Period.

And a low-pass filter takes out the highs. This can dull the sound. The kit you're looking at actually has a low-cut filter (which would be high-pass). These can be handy for taming rumble of a distant AC unit or fridge or highway, or for taking out some handling noise. They're handy, but I've not used the inline filter on an Oktava so I can't say how effective they are. I use the low-cut on my mixer if I need it.

I looked at the ebay package, and honestly I'd be skeptical. There are tons of Chinese "Oktava" mics out there, and they are all over ebay. Check out sound-room.com. That's the best place for an Oktava, and you'll know that you're buying the real thing and not a Chinese rip-off. Be sure to get shockmounting and at least some basic wind-screening.

Question3 :
Is it necessary to buy 'factory matched' pairs for non-musical recordings such as shortfilms etc?
- Can I buy one, and add more later?

It's not necessary. Matched pairs are really only necessary for stereo recording, which dialog for film is not.

 

[Steve House]

Adding a note to C2V, a cardioid positioned between two actors as in the first example might work, but the Oktava is a HYPER cardioid and the pattern is much narrower. While positioned between the two actors is okay, the boom op will have to know the dialog so he can point the mic back and forth so it's pointed directly at each actor in turn as they speak, otherwise neither one will ever be truly on-mic.

 

[j1clark@ucsd.edu]

Adding a note to C2V, a cardioid positioned between two actors as in the first example might work, but the Oktava is a HYPER cardioid and the pattern is much narrower. While positioned between the two actors is okay, the boom op will have to know the dialog so he can point the mic back and forth so it's pointed directly at each actor in turn as they speak, otherwise neither one will ever be truly on-mic.

The Oktava does have a cardioid capsule option. But the 'movie' kit doesn't include that.

 

[redindian]

Thanks for the detailed response C2V! Very useful stuff.

 

[redindian]

The Oktava does have a cardioid capsule option. But the 'movie' kit doesn't include that.

for general filmmaking (non interviews) are cardioids better than hypercardioids ?
I did find Oktavas with cardioids (actual dealers not knockoffs) should I just buy Cardioid kit for my ZoomH4N as starter kit?

 

[JordanBlock]

You generally want a tighter patterned mic as you can get on your boom. A normal cardioid is going to pick up a whole lot more unwanted sound than a super or hyper would. That said, if you are (or are working with)with a novice boom op, a cardiod is certainly more forgiving, but at the cost of that extraneous sound pickup.

 

[Richard Crowley]

Cateroid is not a word. The vein through your neck is the carotid.
OTOH all the production, acoustics and equipment information looks good.

Note that Oktava-Shop (in Germany) sells a "Movie Set" package of a black
K-012 with hyper capsule, plus the low-cut pad, small foam ball windscreen
and clip. Their price is 169 Euro (~USD$235) You would need a decent shock
mount and a more substantial wind protection for use outdoors.
http://www.oktava-shop.com/view_prod.php?id=110

 

[j1clark@ucsd.edu]

for general filmmaking (non interviews) are cardioids better than hypercardioids ?
I did find Oktavas with cardioids (actual dealers not knockoffs) should I just buy Cardioid kit for my ZoomH4N as starter kit?

From what the other say, hypercardioid is 'better' since it has a narrower pattern. However, someone mentioned using a cardioid for 'two speakers', where the speakers are in the same shot and close together, then perhaps a cardioid would do.

The capsules cost about $85 last I checked, so you can have both and then determine which is better for your needs.