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Rode NTG-2 on a boom live on the set

S

Sarah P

Hi !

has anyone experience with this mike?

I would like to use it for 2-3 actors - one mike over their heads - about an arm-length away from the actors (closer if possible).

for indoor as well as outdoor shooting.

will I have a clear and professional sound without picking up all the background noises?

thanks for any advice!

Sarah
 
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thanks! what exactly do I have to make him/her aware of? what instructions are the most important?

"don't move the mic, so that the sound is always the same" "keep a certain distance / angle" ?

any precise direction for the boom-op is welcome!!!
 
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First, a boom-op needs the arms of a gorilla. Even though the new boom poles and mics are light they are held over head for hours at a time.

BTW, a shotgun mic is not always the right choice for indoors. A non-shotgun cardioid is usually a better option.

Here's a pretty good article on boom technique, etc.

http://www.equipmentemporium.com/Tips on use of boompole.htm

And here's a video of a boom op on action (note the he is not using a shotgun mic):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4mPQL9PUI-w&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4mPQL9PUI-w&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

And one just for fun:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eP6MXDhVHxo&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eP6MXDhVHxo&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
 
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a soundmixer is only as good as his Boom Operator. if the mic is not where it should be, the sound will suffer.

a good Boom Op will be as close to the frame line as possible at all times...he/she will know the dialoge so he/she can make the cues to the actors before they start to talk....the boom op will be on set during lighting to know where the shadow will fall and will work out the moves so as not to drop a shadow in frame...will check for reflections in objects on set....work with the mixer to find where unwanted noises are comming from...

as for using a shotgun inside...thats never a good idea...a shotgun mic uses noise cancelation to work well...those ports on the side of a shotgun are used to take in noise and phase them to cancel out that noise...so if you were outside and there was a noise comming from somewhere the ports would hear that noise and cancel some of it out so the sound comming in from the front would be cleaner....indoors there are too many reflection to deal with and will actually increase the amount of noise....

indoors a hyper cardiode would be a better choise. it wont have the reach of a shotgun, but indoors you are not going to be that far away anyway and will have a smoother sound to it...you wont need the bite of a shotgun indoors. and a hyper will deal with reflections much better...

hope this is of some help
 
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many thanks for all the valuable information and the links !!!

to sum it up:

- shotgun mic is ok if used outside.

- non shotgun / hyper cardiode is better suited for indoor usage

--- which hyper cardiode specifically would you recommend (good value for not too much money)?
Can I also use it inside? you see I try to avoid spending money on 2 mics ;)

--- will the shotgun produce good quality if I try not to have reflections from the walls? (e.g. plaster it with absorbing materials / fabrics)

thanks! S.
 
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Sarah P said:
many thanks for all the valuable information and the links !!!

to sum it up:

- shotgun mic is ok if used outside.

- non shotgun / hyper cardiode is better suited for indoor usage

--- which hyper cardiode specifically would you recommend (good value for not too much money)?
Can I also use it inside? you see I try to avoid spending money on 2 mics ;)

--- will the shotgun produce good quality if I try not to have reflections from the walls? (e.g. plaster it with absorbing materials / fabrics)

thanks! S.
Click to expand...
Take Dave's advice.
If you can't afford two, I'd go for one good shotgun.
 
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Sarah P said:
shotgun mic is ok if used outside.
Click to expand...

That's your best option. Again, it's the boom-op who makes the difference.

Sarah P said:
non shotgun / hyper cardiode is better suited for indoor usage
Can I also use it inside? you see I try to avoid spending money on 2 mics
Click to expand...

In my experience the more expensive shotguns do much better indoors like the higher end Sennheisers, Sanken and Schoeps which are way out of your current price range. I use the Sennheiser MKH-40 (about $1400). I still have and use my Audio Technica ATM-41. I don't know what the current equivalent would be but there are quite a few decent cardioid condenser mics in the $200 - $300 range.

Sarah P said:
will the shotgun produce good quality if I try not to have reflections from the walls? (e.g. plaster it with absorbing materials / fabrics)
Click to expand...
Very time consuming and not very effective unless you want to spend a few hundred dollars on sound blankets which will mitigate the problem but not eliminate it.
 
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Now that you have enough info to buy, go ahead and get something and experiment. If you don't like the results you can always sell on ebay, buy, try. Sometimes it's a never ending process, but if you get caught up in everyone's different opinions you may never buy anything ;)
 
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Thank you guys !

I'll give the Rode NTG-2 a shot and let you know how it worked!

thanks für the youtube links - watched some videos on the topic there - which also proved incredibly helpful !

S.
 
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