MostlyMark
New member
I'm making a documentary film on a Minneapolis based inner-city youth drum corp. I'm dealing with an EXTREMELY challenging sound environment, and I'm hoping to get some advice from form members on microphone selection and usage.
The Details:
The environments are chaotic and unpredictable. I film rehearsals in a school gym, ride-alongs in the group's van, visits to children's homes, and outdoor action on playgrounds, in parking lots, and on sidewalks near busy streets. I often don't know where I'll end up on any given day.
The sounds can be extremely dynamic, with very high maximum sound pressure levels.
I'm usually a one man show, and I'm dealing with numerous subjects in constant motion. I need to follow the action while interfering as little as possible.
What I Want to Accomplish:
GIven the situation, I don't expect to record studio-quality sound, but I do need to capture clear, intelligible speech. I won't be trying to record speech while the drums are playing, but I want to capture the conversations that occurs during breaks in playing, without distorting (or damaging) the microphone while the kids are drumming. (Recording the drumming itself is a separate issue that I'm not so much concerned about here.)
Before and after rehearsal I'm often filming in a group of children, trying to foreground the speech of the on-camera kids without completely losing the off camera conversations. This may be happening in a reverberant gym, in a van, or in various outside environments.
My Thoughts:
Given the run-and-gun aspects of the project and the fact that I'm working alone, I think I'm stuck with using a camera mounted microphone. (Though I'm open to hearing other ideas.) I have a Hollywood pal that suggested using a Sennheiser 416 on camera, but I'm worried that the pattern will be too narrow for interviews where I have three or four kids in front of the camera, and I don't know if this will work well for indoor shooting. Maybe I would be better off with a camera mounted supercardioid, and if so, which one?
I'm very concerned about not interfering with my subjects. I have no "invisible camera" fantasies, but I don't want to (and often can't) stop the action to adjust a microphone boom or clip on a lavalier. I think I'm looking for a setup that can be used more or less like the built-in camera mic, but with higher quality sound and greater side and rear noise rejection. (Price is less of an issue than choosing the most suitable mic.)
FYI, I'm using a Canon XH-A1, and I have a Zoom H4 in my bag of tricks. Any thought on microphone models or recording technique would be much appreciated.
best,
Mark
The Details:
The environments are chaotic and unpredictable. I film rehearsals in a school gym, ride-alongs in the group's van, visits to children's homes, and outdoor action on playgrounds, in parking lots, and on sidewalks near busy streets. I often don't know where I'll end up on any given day.
The sounds can be extremely dynamic, with very high maximum sound pressure levels.
I'm usually a one man show, and I'm dealing with numerous subjects in constant motion. I need to follow the action while interfering as little as possible.
What I Want to Accomplish:
GIven the situation, I don't expect to record studio-quality sound, but I do need to capture clear, intelligible speech. I won't be trying to record speech while the drums are playing, but I want to capture the conversations that occurs during breaks in playing, without distorting (or damaging) the microphone while the kids are drumming. (Recording the drumming itself is a separate issue that I'm not so much concerned about here.)
Before and after rehearsal I'm often filming in a group of children, trying to foreground the speech of the on-camera kids without completely losing the off camera conversations. This may be happening in a reverberant gym, in a van, or in various outside environments.
My Thoughts:
Given the run-and-gun aspects of the project and the fact that I'm working alone, I think I'm stuck with using a camera mounted microphone. (Though I'm open to hearing other ideas.) I have a Hollywood pal that suggested using a Sennheiser 416 on camera, but I'm worried that the pattern will be too narrow for interviews where I have three or four kids in front of the camera, and I don't know if this will work well for indoor shooting. Maybe I would be better off with a camera mounted supercardioid, and if so, which one?
I'm very concerned about not interfering with my subjects. I have no "invisible camera" fantasies, but I don't want to (and often can't) stop the action to adjust a microphone boom or clip on a lavalier. I think I'm looking for a setup that can be used more or less like the built-in camera mic, but with higher quality sound and greater side and rear noise rejection. (Price is less of an issue than choosing the most suitable mic.)
FYI, I'm using a Canon XH-A1, and I have a Zoom H4 in my bag of tricks. Any thought on microphone models or recording technique would be much appreciated.
best,
Mark