Help picking a boom mic?

shockimpulse

shockimpulse

So, I'm fairly new to film, but I've been studying for a year. I'm going to film a short real soon and I realized that I was going to need a boom mic. Could anyone link or recommend any good boom mics and poles for a Canon XL1 s? I am on quite a budget here but anything that won't suck is fine.

And if anyone could kind of break down how working a boom mic works, it'd be great. Cus in my mind I'm thinking you just stick the cord into the camera and place the mic out of the camera's view and over the actors.
 
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There's no such thing as a 'Boom Mic'.

You can put a mic on a Boom pole.

Unless you find some cheap equipment off ebay, boom poles run at least $100, and mics around the same.

You can get a cheap mic and boom off ebay for around $100, which would be better then nothing to start.

And yes, in it's basic, you Put the mic on the boom pole, and keep it out of the camera's view while trying to get the best sound possible from the talent.

It get's a bit more complicated, but for starters, thats essentially what your doing.
 
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To reinforce CD, the boom is used to hold a variety of situation specific microphones on a film or video set. And sound is nowhere near as simple as just holding a mic somewhere in the vicinity of the talent. In fact, great sound takes as much care and thought as getting a great visual shot. You can start with my blog on the basics of production sound.

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendId=111888913

Here are some more articles to help get you started.

http://filmmakeriq.com/production/audio/choosing-a-shotgun-microphone.html

http://filmmakeriq.com/production/audio/guide-to-alternative-microphones-for-use-on-a-boompole.html

http://filmmakeriq.com/production/audio/anatomy-of-an-audio-bag.html

http://filmmakeriq.com/production/audio/as-i-hear-it-choosing-the-right-microphone.html

http://filmmakeriq.com/production/audio/10-tips-for-better-audio-in-digital-video-production.html

http://filmmakeriq.com/production/audio/location-sound-the-basics-and-beyond.html
 
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If you are tight on a budget. The Rode NTG-2 is a little over $200 and is the best sounding in its price range. It was highly recommended to me by the audio guys at B&H in New York for low budget work. Also, be sure to compare and give a listen on youtube or vimeo before buying. What you want is a shotgun that has a narrow sound cone and can pick up the low end on the dialogue.
 
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"Boom mic" is just slang for the whole rig. Worked many a set where it is called boom mic.
 
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I love this site. I mean, I remember considering buying a mic and a boom pole a year or so ago and this guy called me stupid, saying that if I want a mic for camera, I have to look up boom mic. Of course googling boom mic still worked but, it's good to know the correct terminology.
 
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