Question by johnnybannanas: Do shotgun microphones or boom microphones for film production work for only certain kinds of cameras?
Im interested in filmmaking and me and my friends are working on a short movie for school and in some scenes the sound is a problem. Should i get a shotgun microphone or a boom microphone and what are the differences? If i do get one would it be compatible with my jvc camera?
Best answer:
Answer by Robin
First, definitions: A boom microphone is a microphone on the end of a long pole. A shotgun microphone is a microphone with a special grooved tube that allows it to pick up sound from just in front of it and ignore the sounds coming from the sides or behind. There are also unidirectional microphones, which are similar to shotguns but not as pointedly directional.
A boom microphone is cheaper and easier to obtain. Just take any good microphone and hang it from a pole. When you are shooting, have someone hold the microphone above your actors. This will help you get your microphone closer to them, and is good for light or moderate noise problems.
A shotgun microphone, while more expensive, is also better. While you can possibly attach the microphone to the camera, the ideal is to have someone pointing the microphone and monitoring the recording with headphones.
There are many different models of JVC cameras, which means all sorts of compatability issues. Look for:
– Impedance: low or high.
– the plugs and jacks: Sub-mini, mini, 1/4″ or XLR three-pin. Mono or stereo.
– power: some microphones need batteries, others need an external power supply (known as phantom power).
Fortunately, most compatability problems are fixable with adaptors and converters.
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