external mike solution...? at DVinfo.net

Arthur Woodle · February 13th, 2010, 11:09 PM

I am praying that someone can help me out with a problem. I have a video shoot that fell into my lap today It's such a small budget that I can not rent a second camera. I need to shoot several people talking at a podium for an hour or two. Then the people will take questions from the audiance. I was going to lock down one camera on the podium and when the time comes... walk around and shoot the people asking the questions. The problem is I have my Sony Z1u and a Canon HV10 that I use for family stuff and sometimes bRoll. No problem with the Sony but the HV10 has no mike input. I was hoping someone knows about a product that gets around this...I thought I saw something like this a few years ago. It's such a small job, but these days I need this...Help!

Daniel Epstein · February 14th, 2010, 09:32 AM

Arthur,
You should get some help or just record good sound on the Sony and just use the Canon for picture. Question and answer is very hard to cover in the best of circumstances so you will have to make a choice as to whether the question is as important as the answer? Maybe you should just stay near the main camera shooting the stage and get the back of the questioner with the second camera so you get good coverage of the answer. Don't screw up the main camera by worrying about the second one too much would be my philosophy

Richard Crowley · February 14th, 2010, 11:31 AM

You didn't mention what mic(s) you have available if your HV10 DID have a mic input? I would consider taking the HV10 and locking it down on the podium shot. Then get an audio recording (preferably CD) from the sound guys at the venue and drop it into the NLE timeline. That way you have the Z1U to shoot the people asking questions.

Two other notes:
1) What will the video be used for? Will you be getting releases from the audience members who will be seen in the video? Is it particularly compelling to SEE the people asking questions? In some cases the answer to this question is emphatically yes, but in other cases, it doesn't really matter who asked the question or what they look like.

2) Can you get close enough to the people asking questions to get decent audio with the short shotgun mic on the Z1U? If you had to do this with one camera, you could have the speaker/host/MC repeat the question before the speaker answers it. It gives the rest of the audience the chance to hear the question clearly, and it gives the speaker time to formulate the answer. Will the venue have a wireless hand-held mic (or two) that could be passed to each person asking a question?

February 13th, 2010, 11:09 PM	#1
Arthur Woodle Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Marietta, GA Posts: 32	external mike solution...? I am praying that someone can help me out with a problem. I have a video shoot that fell into my lap today It's such a small budget that I can not rent a second camera. I need to shoot several people talking at a podium for an hour or two. Then the people will take questions from the audiance. I was going to lock down one camera on the podium and when the time comes... walk around and shoot the people asking the questions. The problem is I have my Sony Z1u and a Canon HV10 that I use for family stuff and sometimes bRoll. No problem with the Sony but the HV10 has no mike input. I was hoping someone knows about a product that gets around this...I thought I saw something like this a few years ago. It's such a small job, but these days I need this...Help!

February 14th, 2010, 09:32 AM	#2
Daniel Epstein Trustee Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New York, NY Posts: 1,267	Arthur, You should get some help or just record good sound on the Sony and just use the Canon for picture. Question and answer is very hard to cover in the best of circumstances so you will have to make a choice as to whether the question is as important as the answer? Maybe you should just stay near the main camera shooting the stage and get the back of the questioner with the second camera so you get good coverage of the answer. Don't screw up the main camera by worrying about the second one too much would be my philosophy

February 14th, 2010, 11:31 AM	#3
Richard Crowley Trustee Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 1,238	You didn't mention what mic(s) you have available if your HV10 DID have a mic input? I would consider taking the HV10 and locking it down on the podium shot. Then get an audio recording (preferably CD) from the sound guys at the venue and drop it into the NLE timeline. That way you have the Z1U to shoot the people asking questions. Two other notes: 1) What will the video be used for? Will you be getting releases from the audience members who will be seen in the video? Is it particularly compelling to SEE the people asking questions? In some cases the answer to this question is emphatically yes, but in other cases, it doesn't really matter who asked the question or what they look like. 2) Can you get close enough to the people asking questions to get decent audio with the short shotgun mic on the Z1U? If you had to do this with one camera, you could have the speaker/host/MC repeat the question before the speaker answers it. It gives the rest of the audience the chance to hear the question clearly, and it gives the speaker time to formulate the answer. Will the venue have a wireless hand-held mic (or two) that could be passed to each person asking a question?