Onboard mic advice

J

Jim H

Active member
Well, I recently got offered the chance to do a short, one that will be sort of improvised with the cast still unknown and no script. I'm not going to have any real technical help, time will be limited, and I think it will be both indoors and out.

So, I'm thinking I need to invest in a shotgun or super/hypercardiod mic to mount on my HMC150. Considering I'm probably going to be using it both indoors and out, is a super or shotgun a better choice? I've been looking at the AT875R, and also at the Rode NTG-2 for a cardiod. My understanding is shotguns generally don't perform well indoors, and cardiods have more issues with wind and background noise outdoors. I gather either one will be significantly better than the built in mic though ;-p.

For what its worth, the location is some kind of convention center. Not totally sure yet.

I know ideally it'd be better to have both, but I'm not sure if that will be possible.

Any thoughts?
 
The NTG-2 is a shotgun.

As for advice on any on-board or camera-mount mic... you aren't going to get much usable dialog that way. You need to find some one to swing a boom.

As for which mics to get, the NTG-2 is a great shotgun, especially for the lower budget. You'll get lots of good use from it. For interiors, you'll want a hypercardioid. Oktava MK012, AKG Blueline CK93, Audio Technica 4053b. Plus a shock mount and wind protection, and cables.

If the convention center is large enough, a shotgun might work just fine.

And do not shoot without headphones. Listen closely as you record. Sony MDR-7506 is a good place to start.
 
No time, no script, no help? I hope it's not no pay! This sounds like it's going to be a rough shoot.

Frankly, you're not going to get a great result slapping a new mic on your camera, regardless of what mic it is. You see boom ops on every set for a reason, we're not just there to look pretty (that's a free bonus). A shotgun mic isn't a magic wand, it's simply better at rejecting off-axis sounds. It still needs to be as close as possible to the source of the sound you're trying to capture. Maybe what you're shooting will let you get right in the faces of the talent with the camera, but that's not usually the case.

If you've only got one or two actors, you might be able to get away with wiring them and recording to separate channels, but you run the risk of losing lines to clothing noise.

No matter what you end up doing, don't forget to monitor the sound with good headphones (ie. MDR7506 or HD280).

Also, the NTG-2 isn't a cardioid, it's a short shotgun, much like the 875. Typical hypers in the bottom end of the price scale are the Oktava mk012 (requires good shock & wind protection, even indoors) and the AKG Blueline series.
 
I must have been thinking of some other mic, not the Rode one. Hrm.

As far as headphones, I've been meaning to get one of the 7506s for a while. Heard nothing but good things about them. I have an OK pair of big can headphones, but they're old and have developed a constant hiss over the years. Obviously, not good.

Maybe what you're shooting will let you get right in the faces of the talent with the camera, but that's not usually the case.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much what I was figuring I would do, actually. Because of the nature of the short (very quick shooting style, people in garish costumes, uncontrolled setting, etc), I'm probably going to go for a bit of a crazy style.

There is a chance of maybe getting a helping hand to boom for me, but it's not guaranteed. I'm not even sure how many people will be there. This is a single day shoot, by the way. Something I'm doing for fun (hopefully) and the experience. I'm probably going to have to deal with very little dialogue, so that's a plus. And nope, no pay.

I do have a pair of good lav mics (Countryman B3), but I'm not sure I'll have enough time to use them (I find lav mics don't do well with trying to improvise something with action in it), and I'm not sure if the costumes the actors will be wearing will be suitable for them. Think... Ah... Leotards. Not to mention the background noise level might be a little high. Unclear on that one. I'm still in the dark on a lot of information, really.

Thanks for the advice, guys.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top