Recording audio for interview outside

Richard Crowley · May 4th, 2012, 05:56 PM

No mic from £5 to £5000 will work OK in windy conditions without proper wind screening. ANY kind of microphone will need this protection, clip-on lav, over-the-ear headset, hand-held stick, or shotgun on a boom.

You need a foam gag (or "blimp") PLUS a furry windscreen in any sort of wind conditions. I believe that Rycote is somewhere in your country there. They make foam and furry products for clip-on lav mics.

Personal Mic Solutions » Rycote

Ben Davies · May 4th, 2012, 06:07 PM

Thanks for that Rick - will take a look.

In general are shotgun mics really that hard? Would make it a lot easier as this is also going to be used for a uni project so I have access to shotgun mics/boom poles but not the clip-on lav's. Why are they so hard to use?

Richard Crowley · May 4th, 2012, 06:40 PM

Shotgun mics are more difficult because:
1) You must keep the mic aimed accurately at the subject's mouth. If they are moving or even turning their head, you must follow them. This can get really tricky if there is more than one person speaking.
2) To keep the microphone aimed properly, you really need a dedicated human operator. This could significantly increase the crew overhead, especially for small-scale productions. Furthermore, the boom operator needs some amount of skill to balance all the tradeoffs and must also be muscular enough to hold the boom for all the day's shooting.
3) The boom operator really needs to be able to monitor the audio so they can hear what they are doing. Note that this is IN ADDITION to whomever is responsible for recording audio who also needs to be able to monitor the audio.
4) You need to keep the mic rather close (50cm) which limits the size of your shooting frame. This distance may be reduced in noisy/windy conditions.
5) Assuming you want to keep the mic out of the video frame, the boom operator needs to know where the frame line is (to avoid it). If you are moving or zooming the camera this can get very tricky.
6) You need a decent boom to hang the mic from.
7) The accessories (like the wind protection) are significantly more expensive for large microphones like shotguns.

Battle Vaughan · May 4th, 2012, 08:49 PM

[QUOTE=

My idea was for me to set my tripod up looking at the interviewee and I was going to stand alongside my camera asking questions. My questions don't need to be heard as I will cut my own voice out and make the interviewee paraphrase my questions.

.[/QUOTE]

I have had to do interviews like this, as a "one man band" ENG videographer...I made a 3-foot long "boom" with a Sennheiser ME64/K6 cardioid mike on it, with an effective windscreen, and held the mike just out of the frame, often about shoulder-high to the person speaking. Running the camera, thinking of reasonable questions to keep the interview going, and watching where the mike is aimed all at the same time is a thankless task, at best, but if that's your situation, it can be done. Probably any good and reasonably sensitive cardioid or hyper-cardiod, probably not a shotgun, would work well in this situation. I did a lot of outdoor interviews this way....

Battle Vaughan · May 4th, 2012, 09:08 PM

(more) Here's a sample of an outdoor interview, selected because (oops!) if you look quick you can see the mike on the lower left of the early frames, this position worked pretty well...and the sound, for outdoor, is pretty clean....

Chris Soucy · May 4th, 2012, 11:47 PM

Er, Ben...........

Maybe I'm being a bit thick here, but has it occurred to you that you're hoping for a lot in your interviewees?

I've seen a heck of a lot of "interviews" and the responses have ranged from monosylibic grunts to quotes from Shakespear, most tending towards the former rather than the latter.

Someone who is not comfortable "on camera" and doesn't have "the gift of the gab", is going to be a nightmare in the interview scenario you have outlined.

Without a visible and audible "foil" in the shape of an experienced interviewer (read: people person) those sorts of interviews can, and often do, simply crash and burn.

May I suggest you try this out by shooting a dozen or so interviews in your chosen format, with what equipment you have available for free, and put the results up to some sort of peer review, before committing any money to this project?

Handheld shotguns aren't that hard to master in a twosome interview, give it a try if they're available, and see how it works out.

When you've experimented with the kit (you have at your disposal) and (chosen) format, THEN start asking the hard questions.

Just my 2 cents.

CS

May 4th, 2012, 05:56 PM	#16
Richard Crowley Trustee Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 1,238	Re: Recording audio for interview outside No mic from £5 to £5000 will work OK in windy conditions without proper wind screening. ANY kind of microphone will need this protection, clip-on lav, over-the-ear headset, hand-held stick, or shotgun on a boom. You need a foam gag (or "blimp") PLUS a furry windscreen in any sort of wind conditions. I believe that Rycote is somewhere in your country there. They make foam and furry products for clip-on lav mics. Personal Mic Solutions » Rycote

May 4th, 2012, 06:07 PM	#17
Ben Davies Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Birmingham, England. Posts: 61	Re: Recording audio for interview outside Thanks for that Rick - will take a look. In general are shotgun mics really that hard? Would make it a lot easier as this is also going to be used for a uni project so I have access to shotgun mics/boom poles but not the clip-on lav's. Why are they so hard to use?

May 4th, 2012, 06:40 PM	#18
Richard Crowley Trustee Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 1,238	Re: Recording audio for interview outside Shotgun mics are more difficult because: 1) You must keep the mic aimed accurately at the subject's mouth. If they are moving or even turning their head, you must follow them. This can get really tricky if there is more than one person speaking. 2) To keep the microphone aimed properly, you really need a dedicated human operator. This could significantly increase the crew overhead, especially for small-scale productions. Furthermore, the boom operator needs some amount of skill to balance all the tradeoffs and must also be muscular enough to hold the boom for all the day's shooting. 3) The boom operator really needs to be able to monitor the audio so they can hear what they are doing. Note that this is IN ADDITION to whomever is responsible for recording audio who also needs to be able to monitor the audio. 4) You need to keep the mic rather close (50cm) which limits the size of your shooting frame. This distance may be reduced in noisy/windy conditions. 5) Assuming you want to keep the mic out of the video frame, the boom operator needs to know where the frame line is (to avoid it). If you are moving or zooming the camera this can get very tricky. 6) You need a decent boom to hang the mic from. 7) The accessories (like the wind protection) are significantly more expensive for large microphones like shotguns.

May 4th, 2012, 08:49 PM	#19
Battle Vaughan Trustee Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Miami, FL USA Posts: 1,505	Re: Recording audio for interview outside [QUOTE= My idea was for me to set my tripod up looking at the interviewee and I was going to stand alongside my camera asking questions. My questions don't need to be heard as I will cut my own voice out and make the interviewee paraphrase my questions. .[/QUOTE] I have had to do interviews like this, as a "one man band" ENG videographer...I made a 3-foot long "boom" with a Sennheiser ME64/K6 cardioid mike on it, with an effective windscreen, and held the mike just out of the frame, often about shoulder-high to the person speaking. Running the camera, thinking of reasonable questions to keep the interview going, and watching where the mike is aimed all at the same time is a thankless task, at best, but if that's your situation, it can be done. Probably any good and reasonably sensitive cardioid or hyper-cardiod, probably not a shotgun, would work well in this situation. I did a lot of outdoor interviews this way....

May 4th, 2012, 11:47 PM	#21
Chris Soucy Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Fairfield, Dunedin, New Zealand Posts: 3,688 Images: 18	Re: Recording audio for interview outside Er, Ben........... Maybe I'm being a bit thick here, but has it occurred to you that you're hoping for a lot in your interviewees? I've seen a heck of a lot of "interviews" and the responses have ranged from monosylibic grunts to quotes from Shakespear, most tending towards the former rather than the latter. Someone who is not comfortable "on camera" and doesn't have "the gift of the gab", is going to be a nightmare in the interview scenario you have outlined. Without a visible and audible "foil" in the shape of an experienced interviewer (read: people person) those sorts of interviews can, and often do, simply crash and burn. May I suggest you try this out by shooting a dozen or so interviews in your chosen format, with what equipment you have available for free, and put the results up to some sort of peer review, before committing any money to this project? Handheld shotguns aren't that hard to master in a twosome interview, give it a try if they're available, and see how it works out. When you've experimented with the kit (you have at your disposal) and (chosen) format, THEN start asking the hard questions. Just my 2 cents. CS