finally going to a boom...stand/holder?
 

ok, i finally ordered a gitzo boom for the documentary i'm about to start shooting this upcoming week!

for stationary interviews with 2 people i want to try putting my me-66 overhead just out of frame, i may, or may not, have an assistant to hold the boom...

i have seen links for the boom mate and for a similar product but it is confusing for someone new to a lot of this, how to best support this stuff.

i have looked at the century stands and can someone just outline the basics of what you need and don't need to hold up the boom?

i mean i see the boom holders/boom mate's but i need a grip head and a stand?

looking for portability (ultimate would be to fit in a hard case that is airline checkable without being oversized...

matthew

I have a cheapo mic stand that will hold the mic over one or two people out of frame as well as a manfrotto 420 combo boom / light stand. The manfrotto has more reach and a lot sturdier.

well i have the boom, so i figure i just need one of those stands...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=277230&is=REG

and then some sort of head to hold it...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=details_accessories&A=details&Q=&sku=139495&is=REG

the missing piece is the tripod like stand to hold the pieces up...

the question is what are other people using, does this make sense? can i get something that includes the tripod and the head so i don't go and get two things that don't fit together.

i have had a few problems where i call Big and Huge and get someone in the appropriate department and ask a question that i don't know the answer, and get a definitive answer that later turns out to be totally wrong.

matthew

To list a few: (they all feature a 5/8" stud to be able to mount the grip head)

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ku=5594&is=REG

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ku=5593&is=REG

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=128626&is=REG

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=128625&is=REG

I don't quite understand that last paragraph about "big and huge"

The boom stand i was talking about is a lighting stand that will work for audio. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=152012&is=REG

That tripod thingy you spoke of is a light stand or a C stand. You'll need a fairly robust stand and possibly some sand bags to steady it and keep oit from tipping. C stands are more sturdy but cost a fair bit more

www.manfrotto.com

Bryan is probably right about C-stands

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=243714&is=REG

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=243710&is=REG

If you feel that you also need a Sand Bag for the C-Stand...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=162701&is=REG Will fit nicely on the C-Stand leg.

Matthew, FWIW, here is what I bought for fixed position overhead mic'ing. Your basic tall, long boom, mic stand:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=154639&is=REG

big and huge meant b&h

that last one is what i need, i just thought i could come up with a combo that would let me use the gitzo boom pole instead of having duplication.

matthew

I didn't have time to check all the links listed for details on the products, so I may be offering duplicate info. I also don't have the stand at hand that I use so I can't give the model number.
It is made by Gitzo and it's a light stand like has been mentioned. I know it goes to at least 12 feet in height and the tripod legs spread about 4 feet. It also comes with removeable casters, which are very handy for making small movements of the whole rig without too much difficulty.
On top of that stand I use a Bogen/Manfrotto Super Clamp. This has a quick removable socket that fits the top of the stand. It also allows the boom to be held horizontal without having to use an adjustable grip head and boom holder. Having the boom horizontal gives the most clearance of the frame line with minimal height of the mic. You just need to be careful not to torgue down the Super Clamp too tight on the boom.
I also use a small sandbag with a strap on the short end of the boom to provide perfect balance when placing the boom in the Super Clamp. A small sandband on the base support struts completes the package.
If you are constantly taking the boom in and out of the rig, then a boom holder might be more convenient than a clamp. For my use I've found what I use to be the smallest lightest combo that gives great stability, reach and horizontal height all the way to the corner of the frame line.

I included a link to a bogen /manfrotto combo lightstand and boom. For roughly the same money as the mic stand that Dan mentioned and a little more than the C stands you can have a very sturdy unit that will hold 22 lbs and boom 12lb. it's a light stand but i don'
t think the mic will mind. The boom end is convertable and has a removeable and reversable spigot.

Matt G uses these as well.

The last 2 stands that Maty linked have plastic collars. For $4 less you can get the version with cast aluminum fittings instead of plastic. it's just that B&H sell so many of this stand they get a dynamite price
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=NavBar&A=getItemDetail&Q=&sku=5342&is=REG&si=feat#goto_itemInfo

i like the combo stands but a master stand will work well and ithas the same load rating of 20 lbs and it $79.95
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=NavBar&A=getItemDetail&Q=&sku=5334&is=REG&si=spec#goto_itemInfo

I looked at my stand today at work, it's the Bogen/Manfrotto 3365 that was mentioned in Marty's first post. It's black, goes up 13 feet, has aluminum collars, removeable casters and most importantly for me can reach out about 14 feet when i'm using my long boom pole. Plus all the parts of the kit (stand, superclamp, 3 pound sandbags, regular audio boom pole) can be utilized for other duties as needed with no hassles.

Jay
That's a very heavy duty stand . I use that for my medium softbox.
It's a master 004 manfrotto outside of the US. The silver version is about $25 less

I know, I hated paying extra for black but it really does help when you're working near reflective surfaces that the camera can see or if you're right on the edge of the shadows in an interview setup. I agree it's a heavy-duty stand, but it's much lighter than some of my others that don't have the 13-foot height or the 4-foot base. I can't think of much that would be worse than an expensive mic and boom falling over on pro talent. Makes me want to buy some extra sandbags just thinking about it...
I may end up getting a second one of these stands, the puny stand I have with my medium softbox isn't really getting the job done. Thanks.