4 Ways to Hide a Lav Microphone | Filmmaking Tips

shutr.bz/2s9RFhx - Having trouble hiding your lavalier mics on set? Try one of these 4 methods to get that lav out of the shot.
MUSIC:
"Hopeful Horizons" by Eternity Bro - bit.ly/2KLxFcK
FOLLOW SHUTTERSTOCK:
Facebook - bit.ly/2ByYRXv
Twitter - bit.ly/2ByYRXv
Instagram - bit.ly/2AvBUoG
Shutterstock Blog - shutr.bz/2A3hMgL

[@Mile26point2films]

Here’s a tip for all of you. If you’re going to use tape on a subject matter or actor “do not use gaff tape” like this individual just did. Gaff tape, causes a rash and is very harmful to the skin. If you must use tape make sure it’s 3M clear medical tape. Also have some alcoholic swabs to clean any tape residue.

[@fun_ghoul]

Clear medical tape doesn't leave a residue, but also doesn't work well on anything less than a perfectly clean surface, so use the alcohol swab to wipe the talent _before_ placing the tape! Also, clear tape is shiny. If your subject's skin tone is lighter than a double-double coffee, you will often do better to use a band-aid in terms of concealment. Of course, in white supremacy, there are no band-aids for the other 3/4 of the world's people. Shit.

[@jonathanwilliams7404]

​@@fun_ghoul Depends on the brand. I've experienced extremely good quality surgical tape vs really crappy medical tape from Walgreens etc. Great Tip BTW

[@fun_ghoul]

@@jonathanwilliams7404 I don't mess with off-brand stuff. I steal only the finest 3M products from my doctor's office when he makes me wait 20 minutes for a 3 minute visit.

[@LifeDIY]

Thanks for this tip! Good to know!

[@keatonditchfield8437]

The placements of the mics are really great. But what I struggle with is stopping the LAV from friction noises. I HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING! Mole skin, extra tape, silicon, but everywhere I put it where it is concealed, the movement of my subjects create unusable audio.

[@huser56]

Why didn't you use a lav mic for the tutorial audio ? 🤪

[@huser56]

Helpful video though. Thanks

[@ANigerianPrince]

Great video but I wish you spent more time actually showing the Lav being put on.

[@fun_ghoul]

Maybe if you didn't have such a shitbag username, people would volunteer to help you.

[@JWS1968]

These were good tips but it would've been nice to actually hear some sample audio.

[@comingsoon1791]

Mee too if u got send me link

[@nikinik7503]

The video is great, but I cant agree that lav mic reduce other sounds. Lav mic is omni (in most cases) and shotgun is hyper cardioid, so shotgun reduce more side noises than lav, thats why is the first choice. oh and also it sounds 3 times better.

[@charlieruff6275]

To achieve the same quality with a boom mic requires more time and equipment. The purpose of the lav is more for run and gun interviews and situations (ie moving subject) where a boom isn't practical. If you are shooting a movie your set personal will be different than say a news crew of just a reporter and a photojournalist. All of the examples given are great for these types of interviews.

[@FatihVideographer]

exactly what I've been looking for ! Thanks

[@LincolnVOS]

I hide my lav mic in my shoe. It's pretty hard to spot for the cameras.

[@GabeCuello]

Taping to the chest was a dope idea! Thanks man.

[@JessicaNiles]

Nice video, Robbie! Any tips for reducing rustling? Or is that not a big issue??

[@Avidcomp]

That's what I'd like to know.

[@jacobchristianglover3655]

Awesome Tips Robbie! I appreciate the work that goes into this channel. Give my highest regards to the entire Shutterstock Team. Be well and stay encouraged!

[@markspencer1203]

Very nice but why is the speaker not wearing a lav??

[@charlieruff6275]

I'm going to guess collarbone lav as he demonstrated in the video. He also said it was his go to...#CaptainObvious

[@markspencer1203]

My point is he is clearly not wearing a lav at all, the sound is horrible.

[@charlieruff6275]

judging by the small amount of echo I'm picking up is they shot this with a boom mic in a small room with wood floors. Audio is clear so it's acceptible , but yes for an audio deminstration video, they should of been on their A game.

[@LarryDennisfilms]

You guys are great I just found your channel I am hooked

[@jonathanansleymusic4992]

Thank you for the tips!!!

[@BeingKimKerr]

This was a very good video!

[@IgorDoval]

Great tips bro!

[@SoundSpeeding]

Lots of poor advice here, for instance a well placed boom will isolate the subject better than a typical lav (*AND* sound better as well! Most important of all). So not fair to place this low importance on the all important boom mic. And placing on the collar bone or under the shirt collar could sound very bad indeed if the person turns their head off axis, thus it is highly important you highlight this risk before recommending it.

[@juanQuedo]

Lavalier mics need less infrastructure around; a shotgun mic hanging would require some more equipment and you would still have "bad" audio if the person moves o turns the head.. or you would need another person to hang it there and move it around. All things that you do not need with a lav.

[@BlakeDrummond]

Agreed - booms isolate way better than omnidirectional lavs

[@irvanwiranata6972]

thank youu

[@mattcarlson12]

Thumbs down for the ear lav. 😂 Imagine saying to a bank president in a corporate video, "Just let me see your ear real quick." haha

[@jackdavies8317]

I've enjoyed watching many of your videos concerning video, lighting and editing, and when I saw this video come up on my area of expertise I was looking forward to watching it. However, the advise given really is poor and it makes me doubt the quality of teaching I've received from other videos. A boom mic is far better for clean sound as the cardioid pattern is often tighter, meaning it won't pick up as much noise around the microphone; whereas lav mics pick up a lot more ambient noise due to the cardioid pattern being wider, or omni directional. Some of the positions advised are difficult to execute well, so suggesting these could be misleading without explaining the pro's and con's to a beginner/amateur. I think this video may need a re-film?

[@markspencer1203]

Agreed a lot of these recommendations are just plain ridiculous

[@Juangervasoni]

When he said that lav mics pick up less noise than a boom mic I was like WTF

[@cosmingurau]

Three times I tried using a BOOM, for film. The first two times a NTG3, and then a MKH416. When it came to soundstages or exteriors, the difference in sound quality was apparent. The boom was amazing. Yet, when it came to smaller interiors, the boom was UNUSABLE. The Lav mics are WAY better for those scenarios. Hell, the XY mic on a H4n or H6 is WAY better in those scenarios. Also, the truth of the fact is that on a real production, you will usually use BOTH at the SAME TIME. Not only for redundancy, but also for a more complete frequency spectrum, and for mixing purposes. For example, you would use the BOOM mic's sound to soup up two ore more lav mics.

[@Dustbrigade]

@@cosmingurau 'Boom' mics are useful indoors as well, but NTG3 and MKH416 not so much. The way shotgun type of microphones isolate sounds are less than ideal for small rooms unless it is very little reflections (for example high ceiling, a lot of sound blankets etc). A super/hyper cardiod pencil mic without a long interference tube in the hands of a skilled boomop is usually the preferred option.

[@mupinicreativestudios1997]

Good

[@fun_ghoul]

Can't believe you missed the hair lav. This is the go-to in live theatre.

[@ScribblebytesWorldwide]

So you're telling me it's not Alison Janney, it's Alison Ja-nay? I've been saying wrong this whole time 😋

[@davidmejia4993]

At 2:13 Mark Wahlberg + Timothy Spall

[@xrkund]

For these setups, do you recommend omni or cardioid?

[@fun_ghoul]

You can always turn up the gain on a cardioid if it's not loud enough, but you can't turn down background trash you pick up with an omni. Don't worry, you'll still hear your subject just fine...it's a condenser! OTOH, if all you have is an omni, don't buy a cardioid before trying what you have first! Let your ears be the judge.

[@fun_ghoul]

_"lawvalier"_ _"lawv mic"_

[@RocketRaven]

what about coles lav?

[@aironstorm]

Thank you!! Now I can fool my instagram followers 😈

[@johngwheeler]

ironic that an audio “expert” has such poor audio on their KZbin video…. 😅

[@dial_up_romance]

roooooom sound :)