Are you guys able to figure out how the audio was recorded in this video?
The Future of Prison: Frank Gehry and Gehry Partners Advanced Design Studio - YouTube

I understand it's not a great audio, but it's intelligible. I don't see people being miked, is this on camera mic picking up audio? I don't think so, because then if the camera was moving then the audio would be inconsistent. Is it a mic on a boom in a stationary position? They couldn't have possibly used a boom operator in this setting, he would have to run to each person speaking disrupting the event.

Boom poles can be pretty long (12-15ft), so swinging a mic from the side wouldn't be a problem for picking up audience members.

There is a number of ways that can be done. I think an operated boom is the least likely. A few fixed mics with someone riding the gain is more likely. Background music is not always added in post for a nice effect. It can be very effective in hiding background noise on the voice tracks. If you listen carefully the voice tracks have a high level of background noise indicating they are gained way up. It is much easier in that situation to have an operator adjusting gain on a mixer instead of swinging a boom over a group like that.

Steve

Are you guys able to figure out how the audio was recorded in this video?
The Future of Prison: Frank Gehry and Gehry Partners Advanced Design Studio - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnUW6bQT_m4&t=358s)

I understand it's not a great audio, but it's intelligible. I don't see people being miked, is this on camera mic picking up audio? I don't think so, because then if the camera was moving then the audio would be inconsistent. Is it a mic on a boom in a stationary position? They couldn't have possibly used a boom operator in this setting, he would have to run to each person speaking disrupting the event.
I think the presenters were wearing concealed wireless lavs. Everything else was likely boomed. Some of it sounds roomier because the boom op wasn't able to get as close to that person due to the layout of the room. They might have had an additional fixed boom as well. Only guessing.

Usually with multiple speakers you can’t lav them which then leaves you with a boom as your only option. Even then for some events a boom is just too obtrusive.

Every event is so differnt I’d be cautious about adapting a practice based only on watching the end result. I’ve seen what appears as a simple interview then they pull back and they’re surrounded by a large production crew.

Boom mic and each speaker is pretty much set up and selected sound bites chosen in the edit with music added.

Done many a doco and conference this way with just a 416 on a panamic as you don't need to get it too close but most of the headroom on the camera shots indicates they were framing to allow the boom to get reasonably close.

I think it’s boomed as well, and not very closely. Mic sounds like it’s a good five feet off in most of those clips. I’m guessing that the boom pole was relatively short to keep things unobstrusive and the boom op moved around a lot. I’ll bet there’s a ton of audio they missed while the boom op was moving up to the speaker. A lot of these comments sound like the second half of what they were saying.

Ya, I think mostly boomed. I've boomed lots of stuff like this. It works. I didn't watch the whole thing, but they had at least three cameras (you can see a BMD lunchbox camera at one point), and the audience shots are fairly tight. So there's room for a boom. On-camera mics, I think, wouldn't do it.

And notice how the audience cuts seem to occur mid sentence. Perhaps covering the boom op's necessary time to get over the speaking person. Maybe two boom ops?

Ya, there's a lot of room ambience. But look at that big space with hard surfaces. It's motivated.