Hi

I'm in the process of planning a documentary. It will be based around power kiting, and I want to interview where the riders will be so that will be outside with a high chance of it being pretty windy! My camera will be a canon 600d/60d.

What are some good options to think about? Could I maybe use a Rode Video mic with an extension cord? Or maybe use the SONY WCS999? Or a zoom h2?

Sorry, a bit of a noob with audio!

Will you have a dedicated person available to run a boom mic?

Yeah, somone will be there to help.

For moving around quick a boom with a shotgun mic covered with a "dead cat" or a "blimp" will get you excellent results in a windy environment.

A Rode NTG2 would do a good job for you. Both a blimp and dead cat style wind screens are available for that mic.

Also, just watched this: My Video Setup: Canon 60D + Zoom H1 = Win. - YouTube

The zoom h1 also looks good? Can put a wind sock on it too. Theres too many options. :(

For moving around quick a boom with a shotgun mic covered with a "dead cat" or a "blimp" will get you excellent results in a windy environment.

A Rode NTG2 would do a good job for you. Both a blimp and dead cat style wind screens are available for that mic.

Cheers, will research that mic!

What does "interview" mean exactly? Does it mean the interviewer standing next to the subject on-camera? If that is your scenario, then get a good hand-held "stick mic" and put a good furry wind protection on it. If you have some other scenario planned, please describe it in detail so we will know what you are trying to do.

Your statement that "somone will be there to help" doesn't sound very promising for positioning a boom mic properly. Don't even CONSIDER mounting anything on (or next to) the camera. That is NEVER EVER a good place for a microphone. But it seems convenient so lots of people try it. I suspect all of them have abandoned the practice if they care anything about audio.

What does "interview" mean exactly? Does it mean the interviewer standing next to the subject on-camera? If that is your scenario, then get a good hand-held "stick mic" and put a good furry wind protection on it. If you have some other scenario planned, please describe it in detail so we will know what you are trying to do.

Your statement that "somone will be there to help" doesn't sound very promising for positioning a boom mic properly. Don't even CONSIDER mounting anything on (or next to) the camera. That is NEVER EVER a good place for a microphone. But it seems convenient so lots of people try it. I suspect all of them have abandoned the practice if they care anything about audio.


Sorry for being so vague!

I'm basically documenting the riders who will be riding on either grass or the beach, and I want to be able to interview them there and then so that the background will be similar to what the action will be.

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.

Cheers.

Sorry for being so vague!

I'm basically documenting the riders who will be riding on either grass or the beach, and I want to be able to interview them there and then so that the background will be similar to what the action will be.

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.

Cheers.

That setup will work well with a boom mic suspended just out of frame. Keep the mic as close to the speaker as possible. Ideally within 16-14" and you will get good results.

I would put the "helper" on the camera and stand there with the subject using a hand-held stick mic. Aiming a camera at a simple interview is something any relatively unskilled person can do. Getting good audio is not something to leave to an unskilled random person trying to hold a shotgun mic on a boom. I would NOT recommend trying to use a boom mic for this scenario unless you have a skilled person to do it. A hand-held mic is much more likely to get you good audio than an amateur trying to use a boom.

+2 to what Richard stated. Having a unskilled boom op is asking for trouble.

I would put the "helper" on the camera and stand there with the subject using a hand-held stick mic. Aiming a camera at a simple interview is something any relatively unskilled person can do. Getting good audio is not something to leave to an unskilled random person trying to hold a shotgun mic on a boom. I would NOT recommend trying to use a boom mic for this scenario unless you have a skilled person to do it. A hand-held mic is much more likely to get you good audio than an amateur trying to use a boom.

+2 to what Richard stated. Having a unskilled boom op is asking for trouble.

Hmm, I've not used one before but I'm willing to learn... I could always stick my camera on my tripod and I could get to grips with the boom pole while somone else asks the questions.

If not, what sort of hand held mic should I be looking at? I'd rather not have the mic visible, I want only the interviewee to be on screen telling the story.

So it is not so much an interview as a prompted first-person testimony? These production details are necessary to disclose so that we know what you are trying to do here.

I would use a clip-on lav then. Especially if you are in noisy/windy locations, trying to use a shotgun on a boom is just asking for trouble.

So it is not so much an interview as a prompted first-person testimony? These production details are necessary to disclose so that we know what you are trying to do here.

I would use a clip-on lav then. Especially if you are in noisy/windy locations, trying to use a shotgun on a boom is just asking for trouble.

heh sorry! So many things to think about.

But yeah, I do not want to be in frame - just the rider (interviewee) paraphrasing my questions to form a story. Will the SONY WCS999 lav mic work okay in windy conditions? I only have £200ish tops to spend on audio by the way

Sorry Ben, I'm not familiar with the WCS999... however .. I am familiar with Sony's pricing structure and it's less than a $100USD... so I suspect it ain't that good. Like the acclaimed Sennheiser G series wireless, the mic that comes with it may be 'usable'.. but 'not good' for pro results. Generally speaking, one has to spend at least an additional $200USD (more or less) to move up to the next level of quality. That said, Oscar Soundtech makes great mics at very reasonable prices, I assume they ship to the UK. I highly recommended 801 or 802 Tram clone. Oscar SoundTech.com/ (http://www.oscarsoundtech.com)
In any case, factor in a good fuzzy type windscreen if you're mostly outdoors.

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 (http://www.rycote.com/products/personal_mic_solutions/)

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?

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.

[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....

(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....

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