- Begin with the microphone fully
visible, in frame, then raise it until
the camera operator says that the
mic has cleared the frame. As a
boom operator, mentally draw a box
around the talent that approximates
the frame the camera is capturing.
Then, place the boom mic as close to
the edge of that imaginary frame as
possible but keep it out of frame.
- Wrap a light-colored piece of paper
tape or gaffer tape around the end of
the foam, softie or zeppelin. This lets
the camera operator see if the tip of
your mic intrudes into the video frame.
If possible, try to work out a set
of visual signals with the camera
operator so that if they change the
framing and your microphone ends
up in the frame, you’ll respond by
raising it up and out of frame. This
can range from simple hand sig-
nals to watching the camera opera-
tor’s eyes or head signals when they
need you to raise the boom and clear
the frame.
- If the camera is locked off, there’s
often no reason to hand-boom a scene
or interview. Boom operators often
place their boom pole onto a C-stand
or light stand with a boom-pole
holder when shooting a long, locked-
off scene. That’s because your arms
will get shaky the longer you hold the
boom pole above your head. So, use
a mic stand wherever possible to save
your strength for when you have to
hand-boom a scene.
You can also place a pillow or sand-
bag on top of a light stand and rest your
leading arm on it for scenes with more
than one talent where you still need to
rotate your boom pole to pick up more
than a single talent.
- When booming overhead, keep
your lead arm—the one closest
to the microphone—locked. You
should also try to position the elbow
of your lead arm close to your head.
Positioning your arms in this man-
ner allows you to hold the pole
steady during long takes while also
preventing muscle strain.
Your rear arm functions as a tilt-and-
swing control. Use it to position the mic
and pole wherever you need them.
To smoothly move the mic from
actor to actor, rotate the boom pole
using your fingertips. In scenes with
two or three actors, it’s common for
one boom operator to cover the lines
from all the actors. If there are more
than three actors, it’s best to cover
those scenes with two or more boom
operators and poles.
- It’s extremely helpful if the boom
operator can wear headphones to hear
the sound that the microphones pick
up. In fact, there are special duplex
cables available for headphones that
will allow the mixer and the boom
operator to both hear what the boom
microphone as well as other micro-
phones are recording. DPP
Premium XLR cables are available in several
different lengths and colors, allowing you to
customize your cables for your situation.
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