shotgun mic recording - boom length

B

briones1

Active member
I will be shooting some interviews and some walking/talking shots, mostly outdoors, and I want to know how to determine how much length is right for the boom. What's the purpose of full extension vs. shorter stick?

Is there a good thread or video on this?
 
generally the shorter the stick, the closer to the camera the mic is situated, and vice versa. Depends on what kinda shooting you want to achieve. You can always make a longer one shorter, but its difficult to do the reverse.
 
Really all depends on how tight your shots are. If its ENG and everything is head and shoulders shots then your boom op can stand closer without being in the frame and hence have a shorter pole. Wide shots make for longer poles. Sometimes nice to have a slightly too long pole to help with balancing as well. Its a trade for the extra weight though. 13' or so seems to be a pretty common length for those that only have 1 pole. I'm sure some of the more experienced here can chime in with more reasons for different length poles.
 
Thanks - my boom pole extends to about 9'. I was wondering if, outside of keeping the mic and pole out of the shot, there is a reason to fully extend vs. keep it close. It sounds like if it's a CU I can just use the short stick - fuller shots require more extension.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top