What can I do to get noticed as a boom operator?

[Paul R Johnson]

As a general comment, I thought about what Brian said above.

Looking at all the people I have helped send on their way in this industry, a few really good ones didn't really need help - they did things with me that were kind of entry level, and then used what they learned on the job to get bigger and better jobs. Some now work internationally, despite coming from a little rural and deprived part of this country. The others spent some time at college, and then divided into two - some again, now working world wide and many earning more than me! College also produced some people who will never, ever get a job, and a few who seem to get them, but never get asked back. What is clear is that wanting something very badly does not mean it will happen if there is no aptitude for it.

College (further and higher education) is a problem here. Some places are very, very good and their graduates are on a fast track because of skills and contacts, but the rest, sometimes even the exact same qualification take the money, and generate a cohort of unemployable people. This is very sad, but I suspect that bums on seats is more important than career path to these providers.

This industry is hard. You are as good as your last job, and the crafty ones milk their paid work for the contacts and the selection of skills they pick up. Do the assistant job, learn lots, then take the next fully skilled role that comes your way. You know enough to get in, then you work at it. A couple of years may pass then you start to get the really good jobs creeping in, and you stop doing the lower tier ones. You never pop up on a forum and ask the kinds of questions we see here, because that's rarely how progress gets made.

I've just been given a work experience person for tomorrow. He will either want to learn, and I'll enable this, or he will give it away in the first ten minutes and he'll just shadow me and learn nothing. I have no time to waste.

[Josh Bass]

Again, I get the feeling there arent a lot real/legit opportunities where Ryan is to even get in on the ground floor. He’d probably have to move or have a play to stay for gigs to even do the trainee thing.

[Steven Digges]

I do audio covering the whole gamut from doing it myself with my gear to hiring audio pros EVERY time the budget allows. Using a pro is a high priority for me. If I'm hiring a pro I have not worked with before one of my first questions is "Whats in your kit?" Audio professionals have their own gear far superior to my own. I expect that, it is part of what I am paying them for. The answer to my question should be Sound Devices and Lectros (for example). I do not hire anyone that has simply held a pole over their head a couple of times. Whats in your kit Ryan? Just asking......

Kind Regards,

Steve

[Ryan Elder]

Yeah I did a skills audit. It was very basic though, and it said I was good at planning things. But not sure how I can apply it to filmmaking skills.

As for everyone knowing me, well that may be true perhaps, but I feel I would do better as a boom operator. As for me not being good at things, no one has ever said the audio was bad in my videos, so I thought that was one of my strengths.

[Paul R Johnson]

Not being bad, doesn't mean it's good Ryan. Clearly from the old topics, you had problems getting the audio captured cleanly and noise free. You had issue with wind noise and you had strange mechanical noises (from memory, of course). You were unable to solve these on the shoot. You asked us afterwards what the problem was and you never did master the art of moving the mic from one person to another in a conversational style - remember you wanted scripts and stuff? You got wind noise moving from one to the other, but the big wind shield sorted this, but cast shadows the lighting and camera people hated, and it added to the weight. We suggested lightweight foam shields but you found these inefficient and didn't work. Most of use can get around these things because we've learned the techniques - but you just wanted to add weight to mean you didn't need technique. That's why we wonder why you want to do sound again. A few weeks back, being a Director was the ultimate goal, now you've gone back to craft instead of art?

We're just left wondering.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh well the wind noise was just with one mic though. My other boom mic works completely fine and does not have that problem. Plus, what problem was I having when moving the mic from person to person? I haven't seemed to have an issue with that lately. Perhaps on other people's projects lately, they have been lighting the scene in a way in which the boom is not casting shadows or anything.

As for becoming a director, I was told before to not start out directing and to get on sets with another skill. Since I have been doing this on my own projects, and have all the equipment, I felt this was my best skill, especially since people haven't said anything about it being a problem.

[Josh Bass]

Yes but how high are the standards of the folks youve previously boomed for? How do WE know that these folks just dont know what subpar sound sounds like? You could post the completed projects here if possible or at least your raw sound files. All we have to go on is your own word that you are somewhat skilled, and its generally been agreed here that your own assessment of your work is somewhat lacking.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh well, I don't think I would be allowed to post the raw files of their work though. I can ask. What about the boom mic audio from this current project:

Kenton's speech edited 2 - YouTube

[Josh Bass]

Anything youve done that you think sounds good enough to make you consider yourself a professional would work.

[Paul R Johnson]

Ryan - you stood still for 3 minutes. Could you have put the mic on a stand and saved yourself the effort? A mic, close enough to the talent, no wind, no roads nearby, no aircraft. I see zero skillset. You could have given the mic boom to a schoolbag person and said hold it there, don't move. It doesn't show anything whatsoever I'm afraid. The absence of mistakes isn't proof of skills.

[Ryan Elder]

Well if I put on a stand, if he decides to turn his head or move forward, then I have to move with his mouth, so I want to be ready for anything like that.

As for recording during an aircraft for example, why would I want an aircraft to be in the background noise? I was taught if there is an aircraft passing by, to cut and wait therefore, if that's the proper thing to do.

Here is another one, is my booming good here? The little girl was short, so she sounds further away in the mastershot, but there is also wind in this shoot, and it was recorded on a city street. How is it?

Rebecca McGrath : Demo Reel - YouTube

I also recorded the audio on a windy day in one scene in this short. It's the news interview scene from 8:38 to 9:27 into the clip since a boom operator could not make it that day. There was also an aircraft flying over, but I decided not just record again and not use that take of course. It was also recorded on a city street.

Is that audio good in that scene:

Timewine H.264 copy - YouTube

I also boomed during the interview in this video:

The Jazz Corner at the Bassment - Featuring Award-winning Eliana Cuevas - YouTube

[Pete Cofrancesco]

The audio in the first two clips is bad to the point it distracts from the video. In the first clip there is a large volume disparity between the man and child. The second clip I can’t get past the harsh unpleasant sound. I don’t know enough to say its poor booming technique but I wouldn’t want to use these as samples.

The third clip sounds is the best of the bunch but it looks like both subjects are wearing lavs. It’s not an extraordinarily difficult scene to boom and with all the background noise it makes it difficult to evaluate booming. Most interviews would either do two lavs or two mics on stands.

I think boom operator is a more obtainable goal but I’m not convinced of your skill. Someone earlier asked what your setup is. It seems like every time you post you’re going in a new direction and career. I do think getting some sort job in the industry is better than burning all your money and time on your own passion films.

[Ryan Elder]

Okay thanks. In the third clip, they were wearing lavs and I also boomed, but we used the boom sound in post, and not the lavs.

In the second clip, which sound are you talking about, could it be the wind?

As for wanting to do changes in career, I was told I should get on sets and not direct my own projects only, so I thought this would be a good way to get on sets, since I already have all the equipment.

Also, you say that the background noise distracts in the second clip, but is it the wind or traffic noise then? So if I am doing booming and one actor is much taller than the other, what should a boom operator do to correct that then?

[Pete Cofrancesco]

Originally Posted by Ryan Elder

Okay thanks. In the third clip, they were wearing lavs and I also boomed, but we used the boom sound in post, and not the lavs.

I can see her hair is moving on top of the lav which would have caused noise. Like I said for sit down interviews booming wouldn't be your first choice and when they talk at the same time I don't hear a difference so I'm not sure how you could have boomed them both. It's not only your technique but whether your approach to the given scenario was appropriate. Audio wise this sounds like what I would expect nothing amazing and nothing bad.

In the second clip, which sound are you talking about, could it be the wind?

I was talking about the indoor scenes. I re watched the outdoor scene you indicated, that's bad for a different reason. I can clearly see the mic with the dead cat in the lower left part of the frame. Terrible!

As for wanting to do changes in career, I was told I should get on sets and not direct my own projects only, so I thought this would be a good way to get on sets, since I already have all the equipment.

No I agree this is the first sensible approach that I think multiple people have been telling you to do for ages.

So if I am doing booming and one actor is much taller than the other, what should a boom operator do to correct that then?

I'm not qualified to tell you how to fix it, strictly from a viewer stand point I hear a noticeable problem and I find it distracting.

Filming yourself in action isn't probably the appropriate way to demonstrating your skills but if you watch this tutorial you can see his technique and hear the results. The video also shows more difficult booming scenarios that would be better indicators of your skill. but most any creditable operator wouldn't need to film them self, they would simply be known to do good work or be recommended.

YouTube (Short URL)

[Ryan Elder]

Originally Posted by Pete Cofrancesco

I can see her hair is moving on top of the lav which would have caused noise. Like I said for sit down interviews booming wouldn't be your first choice and when they talk at the same time I don't hear a difference so I'm not sure how you could have boomed them both. It's not only your technique but whether your approach to the given scenario was appropriate.

Oh okay, well there is no lav sound in that recording, in the third video. I was able to boom them both by moving the boom mic from person to person and taking turns.

Originally Posted by Pete Cofrancesco

I was talking about the indoor scenes. I re watched the outdoor scene you indicated, that's bad for a different reason. I can clearly see the mic with the dead cat in the lower left part of the frame. Terrible!

I didn't do the indoor scenes, I just did the outdoor interview scene. I just did the one scene, and a separate boom operator did all the other scenes. The reason why you see the deadcat in the outdoor scene is cause it's a news interview and news reporters don't care if the mic is in the shot. So seeing the deadcat is intentional there, to give the illusion that it's the news. But I was asking about the sound quality though.

So my booming is much better in the third video then, and boomed from person to person successfully though, do you think?

I watched the video. I pretty much learned everything in the video already from booming experience, but the video does not talk about how to get rid of uwanted noise such as traffic or aircrafts though.