"One Man Army" Mic Boom
 

Just wanted to pass this on...

I recently stumbled across this amazing convertable stand made by Manfrotto, that stores just like a regular stand, but when you open it you can convert it into a 4 - 7 foot boom. They even include an empty sand-bag that you can fill with whatever is heavy at your location.

Bogen / Manfrotto 3397B - Convertible Boom Stand 420 with Sand Bag
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...oom_Stand.html

I often have to play "one man army" when I shoot corporate video interviews, and having a stand that doubles as a 7 foot mic boom is just a dream come true for me.


- Guy

I use a light stand with a grip head and a thingee from a fishing store. To see it dunno if this'll work, but I'll try to attach the mov.

Regards,

Ty Ford

It worked great, Ty!

Thanks for the tip.

Music store (like guitar center)...make boom mike stands that can get your mike overhead of your actors:

Hi there

I picked up a little device called a Boom Buddy...converts any light stand into a boom stand...cost about £50.
pretty handy for one man op stuff.

cheers
Gareth

The best thing about this Manfrotto convertible boom stand is that it works and stores just like a regular 13 ft stand, but can be converted into a 7 foot boom in about 10 seconds. Nothing else required to use it as a boom.


- Guy

Here's a good deal to add to your kit for cheap...for seated interviews/drama dialogue bits:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...ree?sku=453710

I have two of these in my audio kit they work great. :-)

Bill

Reviving this thread for a follow up
 

I have a follow up question for Ty and others who use light stands to hold the boom:

Is there any reason to spend the extra money on an actual C stand, many of which sell for upwards of $150, to hold a mic boom? The best I can tell, the major difference is weight, a C stand is about 25 lbs versus a light stand such as a Bogen at less than 5 lbs.

Do I need the extra weight for booming a mic?

Thanks and Happy Holidays
Bob

The extra weight of a C-stand comes in handy if you're booming WAAAAY out there with the mic. You'll note that most of the 'booms' on the mic stands on this thread are about 30-36 inches. The arm on a grip head is usually about 40 inches. A light stand/mic stand/ c-stand will hold a mic cantelevered out on the end of a 40 inch boom just fine... but a sandbag counterweight is always a nice option.

I have, on a number of occasions, used a C-stand grip head and attached a boom to the end of the grip arm... thus the arm/boom combination angle out forty inches from the base, and another FIVE FEET from the end of that arm, in order to keep the boom out of the shot. In such a case, a C-Stand with it's added weight and rigidity was a definite asset. I wouldn' try that with a flimsy light stand.

It really depends on what your shot is going to be. It's a matter of the physics of leverage. If you can place a mic on a thirty inch 'arm' and have it be close enough to your talent to pick up, and be out of your shot... then any boomed mic stand/light stand combo will work. IF you forsee using a full length boom... that might extend six feet or more, (see the examples of boom pole lengths) then you'll need to anchor the weight of the mic/shockmount/cord and boom arm securely with a heavy base and/or sandbags with sturdy stand.

I prefer the heavier stand with a wider base because on certain occassions I have to extend the boom pole more than I'd like to to get around the lights.

Also, I don't always have sandbags on site...so it's a good safety feature to have to heavier stand.

The heavier stand can be multi-functional in also mounting a bounce card for fill light.

Hi all,
Forgive me for the silly question. I was looking at purchasing this stand (the 3397B), but I'm not sure what I need to attach my Sennheiser ME66/K6 to the stand, given it's a lighting stand. It seems the screws are different sizes, and I'm not sure if I need a shock mount with it or not. I tried asking a guy at B&H, but he was incredibly unhelpful, just telling me it's a light stand and won't work, and all he sells is boom poles.

Thanks!

Josh, I can't speak authoritatively to the shock mount question since I haven't reached that phase yet, but I'm inclined to think you will need one.

As for the thread issue, you need a Manfrotto MIBA (I think that's the part #) Microphone adapter. It's essentially a thread adapter. I have one sitting next to me right now that I bought with the convertible boom stand. I think it was about $6.

Bob

Thanks, Bob! That looks like the right part.

The stand in the first post of the thread is also great to mount a light.

The stand comes in both aluminum and steel. The steel stand is heavier and carries a little more weight.

I remember seeing a DVD about interview lighting where this stand was featured. In the video is used for a light.