As an amateur videographer/filmmaker, money is always an issue, especially when the discount stores sell products for thousands of dollars. Enter guerrilla filmmaking. (dramatic music).
Guerrilla filmmaking uses super low or no budget methods to make quality (oftentimes low quality) films. This is the method that spawned such indie classics as El Mariachi (Robert Rodriguez) and Pi (Darren Aronofsky). One tool essential to making one of these quality films is the microphone and its portable support, the Boom Pole.
Everyone can imagine in their head the poor guys that have to walk around a film set, their arms above their heads for hours at end holding a ridiculously long pole with some kind of furry animal at the end. This is the Boom Operator, the furry animal is the dead-cat containing the microphone, and that stick is the boom. A really good boom pole can cost upwards of $1,000. Now granted, this is a 36 footer carbon fiber job but even the lower end poles can be expensive. A midget sized 4.5 footer aluminum pole costs about $70.00 and decent starter pole can punch a $185.00 hole in your wallet... Yes, there are some deals out there, but who cares when you could make your own 12 to 16 footer for under $30.00?!
Project Overview:
Build a functional boompole for under $30.00.
Materials:
Painter's Pole
Roller Holder
3/8" screw
additional screws (optional)
Guerrilla filmmaking uses super low or no budget methods to make quality (oftentimes low quality) films. This is the method that spawned such indie classics as El Mariachi (Robert Rodriguez) and Pi (Darren Aronofsky). One tool essential to making one of these quality films is the microphone and its portable support, the Boom Pole.
Everyone can imagine in their head the poor guys that have to walk around a film set, their arms above their heads for hours at end holding a ridiculously long pole with some kind of furry animal at the end. This is the Boom Operator, the furry animal is the dead-cat containing the microphone, and that stick is the boom. A really good boom pole can cost upwards of $1,000. Now granted, this is a 36 footer carbon fiber job but even the lower end poles can be expensive. A midget sized 4.5 footer aluminum pole costs about $70.00 and decent starter pole can punch a $185.00 hole in your wallet... Yes, there are some deals out there, but who cares when you could make your own 12 to 16 footer for under $30.00?!
Project Overview:
Build a functional boompole for under $30.00.
Materials:
Painter's Pole
Roller Holder
3/8" screw
additional screws (optional)
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Signing UpStep 1: Materials
The first step in creating your brand new super cool custom boom pole is a trip to the local hardware store.
You need to purchase:
(1) Painter's pole - Look for something around or over 10 feet. 12 - 16 feet is good. Remember though, don't get some huge indestructible pole because some poor sap will have to hold it. Make sure it's light enough to hold but heavy enough not to bend. Expect to pay around $15.00 - $20.00. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less...
(1) Extension piece - This is kind of hard to describe. I used a roller extension and cut off the arms for the rollers however there are several other types. You can usually find these right next to the poles. They simply screw onto the end of the extension and are used to actually mount the brushes. Expect to pay about $5.00 - $10.00.
(1) 3/8" screw - This is used to hold your microphone on the pole. This is the industry standard for all tripods, mic-stands, boom poles. Expect to pay about $0.05.
You need to purchase:
(1) Painter's pole - Look for something around or over 10 feet. 12 - 16 feet is good. Remember though, don't get some huge indestructible pole because some poor sap will have to hold it. Make sure it's light enough to hold but heavy enough not to bend. Expect to pay around $15.00 - $20.00. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less...
(1) Extension piece - This is kind of hard to describe. I used a roller extension and cut off the arms for the rollers however there are several other types. You can usually find these right next to the poles. They simply screw onto the end of the extension and are used to actually mount the brushes. Expect to pay about $5.00 - $10.00.
(1) 3/8" screw - This is used to hold your microphone on the pole. This is the industry standard for all tripods, mic-stands, boom poles. Expect to pay about $0.05.
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I'm still very new to this what exactly are the switches inside the battery compartment supposed to do? They really don't explain it. It says in the manual:
The PAD switch provides a 10dB or 20dB reduction in sensitivity which will reduce the amplitude of the output signal to your recording device
I read it as "Makes it less sensitive to background noises"
Is that right?
The pad is kind of like a "gain down" on the mic. it simply drops signal output for however much you want.
remember, though, that dB is not linear, but logarithmic. in other words, dropping from -10 to -20 db is not 10 lower than 10, but 10 times lower than 10. therefore, don't use it unless you really need it, such as a really noisy location.
I am sure the mic has many more spicy settings that probably make no sense, such as the hi-pass and low-pass filters. I can't remember which is which, but if my memory serves me correctly, hi-pass lowers high frequency sound, and low-pass does vice-versa. I could be wrong, so correct me if so.
just remember that there is no mic that is perfect for every situation you come across. however, a good shotgun is a great all-around mic to have.
Hope this helps!
first, to avoid the cord slapping the pole, perhaps tether the cord to the pole. this can be done with gaff tape. you could even make wire clips for the pole.
second, perhaps putting a piece of foam rubber between the mic mount and the top of the pole will prevent a good amount of shock from the handling of the pole.
hope these points help!
I have found on the RODE website, an adapter called the VXLR. It is a XLR to Mini-jack converter... Really cheap and is definitely good quality. Here is the link:
www.rodemic.com/accessory.php?product=VXLR
So yea... Hope that helps someone who thought they couldn't get professional equipment because their cameras are not good enough!
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/3646-REG/Azden_ECZ_990_ECZ_990_Super_Cardioid_Shotgun.html
Can this bee hooked up to a boom pole? I don't even know how they hook up. Is there anything I should be looking for? Thanks for your help, you are a champ!
If you build this boom pole, which only requires you to drill two holes extremely simple for even the most challenged of builders, you only pay for $30 for the pole and then can use the additional savings to purchase a Rode VideoMic with integrated shockmount for ~$120. If you go to ebay and offer this guy $120 under "Make Offer" he'll accept (where I got my mic) and you'll be at your $150 with vastly superior equipment (http://cgi.ebay.com/Rode-VideoMic-Shotgun-Microphone-DEALER-NEW_W0QQitemZ400054788049QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5d251f9fd1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65:12|66:2|39:1|72:1234|293:1|294:50).
You can go the route of not buying a shockmount but your audio will suffer greatly and be filled with clanks from the cord and other objects striking the pole.
Hope this is helpful. Feel free to ask more questions.
It depends on what type of work you are doing. An interview in a closed environment or trying to capture a locations ambiance, would work well with an omni. A bi is a little less useful lending itself primarily to interviews. A unidirectional should be most useful for filmmaking. My microphone is supercardoid/shotgun mike (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Polar_pattern_cardioid.png and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Polar_pattern_directional.png respectively). Checkout http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microphones for more information on mic types.
Also, if you want to leave me a comment or send me a message detailing more what you are looking for (price range, desired work, current equipment - do you have an XLR port on your camera?, etc.) I can reccomend you some microphones. For more information from far more knowledgeable people than myself I would check the following forums:
http://pana3ccduser.com/ - look under "Microphones and Sound Management". They have wonderful information for the beginner.
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/ - look under "Audio". This is a more professional - but still indy - site.
http://dvinfo.net/conf/ - look under "Now Hear This". This site is the most professional but has an ENORMOUS user base.
Good luck!
For your price range, the best mics you can buy will be Giant Squids. Here are the ones I would reccomend for you in order of best to least suited:
http://www.giant-squid-audio-lab.com/gs/gs-cardioidstereo.html - normally $65 but currently on sale for $55
http://www.giant-squid-audio-lab.com/gs/gs-monocardioid.html - normally $20 but currently on sale for $25
If you can afford more, I would get the Rode Videomic which you can pick up for about $120. Hope this has been helpful.
~Hermes
http://www.instructables.com/id/EJ2SLSAIB5EP287DUP/
I used a paint roller as a grip, so the boom screwed right into the handle. It worked great.