If I were to attach a lightweight Gyoury wand in a Chinese lantern about 3/4 up a mic boom, thus getting some traveling fill light AND sound from one crew member, would the fluo light cause interference in the sound (the actual ballast is connected remotely...on the crew member's belt...so the ballast won't be near the mic)?

Ya better be hiring the Hulk for your boom person. It is hard enough to hold a microphone at full pole extension without adding a lot more weight to the pole.

I think you will have a rebellion on your hands.

Course maybe one of them Sumo guys could do it. :-))

Ah, innovation Mike...innovation.

My boom mic setup is from Lightwave...I got the super compact model (compact wind sock and very lightweight wind cover) and it's extremely lightweight compared to other similar setups. So already we're dealing with less weight than a traditional setup.

The Gyoury wand and chinese lantern only weigh a few ounces combined. Like I said, the ballast itself is connected to the battery belt.

I'd wager that the setup I have in mind will weigh equal to or less than a traditional setup. Add a few ounces of balancing weight to the bottom of the pole and voila!

I'm going to order one of the Gyoury wands and give it a try. If it does cause interference with the mic, I'll just use it on it's own pole.

That is truly innovation John.

The only way to find out is to try it. Making sure you are using top-grade XLR cable that is extremely well shielded is a good start. I would also recommend keeping the XLR and the head cable for the Gyoury on opposite sides of the boom, thus ensuring they do not cross (AC and sound cables are never a good mix). I'm assuming you are using an inverter between the ballast and the battery belt???

Charles,

Yes...the "Slimverter 200" (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh2/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=145608&is=REG) by K 5600 (http://www.k5600.com/) handles 30v battery belts. It's listed at B&HPhoto at $479.95. (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh2/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=145608&is=REG)

BUT... I got an e-mail from Gyoury saying that the Slimverter can now be had for around $200 (I'm writing back to them to find out where...I can't find that price even on the K 5600 (http://www.k5600.com/) site). Gyoury added that the wand bulb will last 10,000 hours...and that with the 30v belt, it should burn constantly for an hour and a half.

Not bad, eh? The only really expensive thing is the 30v battery belt itself. Cheapest I've found so far is around $800!