Shooting my first serious video, will this mic do?

[JWitsen]

So im 16 years old and shooting my first Bat Mitzvah video for my friend's mom. She's paying me $450, so I figure I can take some of that money and spend it on better equipment to use. I purchased a 3rd 12hour battery, and a .7x wide angle. Now i need to work on my sound.

Will this microphone work well for filming a bat mitzvah in A) synagogue and B) dance club (Beat Street of philadelphia).


http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/wired_mics/a49c539ef22b0215/index.html


Thanks in advance! I'll be sure to check back here often.


edit: forgot to mention I am shooting with a Sony VX2100

 

[Alex H.]

Will this microphone work well for filming a bat mitzvah in A) synagogue and B) dance club (Beat Street of philadelphia).

In short, no. It's a cheap, consumer model that is called a shotgun but doesn't really act like one.

You haven't mentioned what camera you're using. DVX? HVX? Canon Vixia? If you have XLR ins, the Rode NTG-2 is probably your best budget bet for a shotgun, except that a shotgun mic isn't going to do you much good for your project without some other gear. You'll need a couple wireless mics, a mixer, and another person who knows how to run all that. And renting the gear you need now won't cost too much more than the mic you linked, so you can save up to purchase what you really need later.

If you are absolutely stuck as a one-man-band here, look at a shotgun for on-cam and a wireless system. Put the wireless on either the rabbi or the candidate, and use the shotgun to pick up the ambience.

 

[Alex H.]

edit: forgot to mention I am shooting with a Sony VX2100

Okay, so you have no XLR ins. That mic still isn't a great option. You'll need an XLR converter, such as Beachtek or Juicedlink.

And do not forget to wear headphones while you shoot.

 

[JordanBlock]

What C2V said.

And don't forget you can rent the gear. It's a good way to get quality gear at affordable prices. I'd say rent the gear C2V recommends for this shoot and use some of the money pick up the DVD that's available somewhere on this site and learn some more about how everything works before committing your money anywhere.

 

[JWitsen]

Thankyou guys. I looked around and can't find a place that will rent microphones withing driving distance of me, at least driving distance that i can get a ride (I only have my permit at the moment).

I will look into purchasing an XLR converter (I used to have a beachtek DX-4 or something liek that, i sold it on ebay for $140..) that will do the job.


Definitely making a purchase of nice headphones, not my P.O.S. ipod headphones that i used to use.

Thankyou for all the help!

 

[Alex H.]

I looked around and can't find a place that will rent microphones withing driving distance of me, at least driving distance that i can get a ride (I only have my permit at the moment).

These guys will rent to you, and they ship rentals anywhere in the country.

And this is the DVD that Jordan mentioned... it's a worthy investment.

As for headphones, Sony MDR-7506 can't be beat. And you should still go ahead and get the XLR converter now if possible, so that you have it for the rental gear.