How Much Weight Do Boom Operators Hold? Sound Speeds!

[@bobodonnell1219]

thank you to the PAs for not sitting at my feet while I'm trying to follow the actor. %^&*^ to the writer/producer directly behind the tail of the boom while I was trying to follow the actor.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Pinning this. So true!

[@Podcastage]

The way you said “OUR tracks, that’s right they’re OUR tracks” had a bit of bite to it. Haha. I can tell that you have experience surrounding this discussion.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Yeah, some sound mixer's are territorial and say it's their tracks. I take pride in my work. They're mine too.

[@luscofuscos]

heeeeeey, loved this video! I am a boom operator and as a woman I always have people coming to me and asking "how does it weight?" and that's a tricky answer. When I can I give the boom pole to the person asking so that they can feel the terror of doing it. Wonderful, I will use your numbers next time. Since the beginning, I've tried to use both sides, but I do have one that I use more often. And it had already made an impact in my body, I have one shoulder resting position lower than the other. No harms so far, but I had some occasions in which I had to ask for a tripod base or some kind of grip rig from above, I've used a stripe as a relieve for the weight. In my experience clip duration is the factor that can exponentially complicate things. Even if it's for just 10 seconds, a brief rest between takes can make booming a lot easier.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Oh yeah! Check out this video. I just found this product and reviewed it after using it 2 months on set. It's wonderful! kzbin.info/www/bejne/hXe1ZpSJmJ56kLc

[@soitshall_be]

This is exactly the information I was looking for. Thank you for making this!

[@SoundSpeeds]

Sure thing. Thanks for watching.

[@danielgrib8230]

Crazy how much weight a boom weighs once it’s extended. Never realized how much it actually was. Thanks for the insightful video!

[@SoundSpeeds]

Thank you. Not that it means anything in the real world, because boom ops still have a job to do, but perhaps this will lead more boom ops to healthier practices.

[@TechWeLove]

Very Insightful. ❤ I think you did an amazing job demonstrating the physical demands of the job. Not to mention all that other gear that you've shown yourself wearing in your other videos. And then you add wind, sun, rain, etc.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Thank you. We sure do wear a lot. :-

[@jonathanayalacolon9107]

This is the highlight video for me this year, so so grateful for your channel and its content.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Thank you and thanks again for watching! I hope you got your Ambient Velcro!

[@Xtreemdrummer]

Great video! One important thing to add is that these are all the straight up/down forces. Downward force on an angled support is even higher, and many times, we can’t have our arms perfectly vertical to support the load, so the weight we’re actually bearing is much higher.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Duration also matters. The longer we hold the boom, the more difficult it becomes.

[@alisaljic]

Good topic my friend. Always wandered about this. Nicely executed.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Thank you. This was a tough one.

[@nickr5213]

Very interesting! I always wondered about the strain of the boom pole. Now I know why people prefer not to boom the 816.

[@SoundSpeeds]

I love the 816 in the right circumstance. Note the long shotgun I used at the beginning of the video. It's 4 feet over my head but sounds like a short shotgun at 2.

[@nickr5213]

Sound Speeds I love the sound of it too. But it takes endurance to put that on the end of a long boom pole!

[@SoundSpeeds]

It does! Plus you have to be spot on with your axis!

[@jphwood9466]

816s should be banned from fishpole use. They are causing physical damage to boom ops. They should only be on a Fisher, or handheld.

[@SoundSpeeds]

They sound so good though.

[@adamlanesturkenboom1904]

I wish gyms were open, cause this video made me want to actually go 😅 another great video 😊

[@SoundSpeeds]

Thank you sir. Yeah... makes me a little nervous about returning to set... after all this lazy self isolation. I'm used to working nonstop so I keep loose.

[@alexwilson8831]

This has been a real eye-opener dude! I had no idea what my boom ops were dealing with (I don’t think even they knew specifically!). For our next project I’m going to make sure we experiment and experiment until we find the lightest combination for them. Thanks for the video! Also, it would be interested to see what these weights mean in kilograms since I can’t do the conversions in my head

[@SoundSpeeds]

I did think about that. Maybe I'll go back and perform the conversion in the description.

[@aussernllc]

Liked the practical demonstration. The physics/math people might be able to provide a more detailed explanation. Either way, a light weight pole, microphone, cable becomes a heavy, difficult to handle/keep still, torture device. Then add heat or cold, like Las Vegas, NV in August, Duluth, MN in January. Would love to see this demonstration on a windy day.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Ha! Yeah... I usually find some wind easier than none because fighting to keep the boom still changes up the muscles used to hold it. Those little micro rests between muscles at work and not help.

[@aussernllc]

@@SoundSpeeds lol - was thinking what trying to mic Twister or Jurassic Park would be like with the wind, rain. BTS of Empire Strikes Back doing the Hoth scenes looked like hell.

[@SoundSpeeds]

And back then they didn't have all the same boom, shockmount and wind protection options that we do now.

[@jphwood9466]

@@SoundSpeeds Ask Beau Baker. I believe he boomed Twister.

[@SoundSpeeds]

No, Robert Maxfield boomed Twister. He's a friend of mine and even told a story for me: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZSYqGN6htR2hac

[@pwoblem]

Funny thing is, before i got in to the sound business i was a flight attendant, and this is how the service-class introduction went like. The coffe pots get really heavy after serving 250 pax for 8 hours and a few of the crew were actually permanently injured due to closing luggagde bins and lifting coffe pots all day long. Good i transfered to a more safe job LOL!

[@SoundSpeeds]

Do anything enough and it takes a toll on you. Welcome to sound!

[@SoundSpeeding]

Good you're no longer in the flight business! It is looking grim in the COVID-19 world

[@SoundSpeeds]

So is film... right now at least. I think the airline industry has a great future post COVID though.

[@SoundSpeeding]

@@SoundSpeeds true true, our future isn't looking rosy either! But still, I'd rather bet on the film industry right now than on airline companies thriving!

[@SoundSpeeds]

I'll always bet on the film industry. Well, almost always.

[@00solman]

Heavy stuff! Another great vid!

[@SoundSpeeds]

Thank you sir. A challenging video but worthwhile.

[@Dustbrigade]

Nice one. Could you maybe do one about transmitters and cable management? I usually run uncabled booms and recently picked up a lectro plugon transmitter. The easiest way is ofcourse to plug it on the top of the pole, get rid of all cables, but that really adds up to the weight. Put it on the rear of the pole to balance out is instinctly pointing me to internally cabled poles, but then my local audio shop (who by the way makes great affordable stiff and lightweight boompoles) says that one needs to be very careful to not get handling noise from them. What options are left? Is externally coiled cable an option? Otherwise I guess a straight cable and plugon at the hip, but that is slightly taking away of the possibility to quickly put the pole away and help with other tasks, having to manage cable and the TX might be more blocked by bodies. Would love your thoughts and see some actual examples.

[@SoundSpeeds]

I go into that a bit here. Shoot me an email if there's anything else you'd like to know. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZPGhqBql7RgrNU and kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4XFk3yYos-Xd80

[@Dustbrigade]

@@SoundSpeeds Thanks will check them out, seen the 2nd video, but not the first one.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Let me know. Preferably via email. Thanks!

[@highlycreativedigital5472]

Love this video

[@SoundSpeeds]

Thanks dude.

[@ErynKnight]

Allen. I have absolutely no doubt that you could comfortably boom the ISS. From the side of an interstate. XD Also, I now realise why the weight of the NTG5 is such a big deal.

[@SoundSpeeds]

I'm not getting younger and the job is getting more physical. Light mics matter!

[@SoundSpeeding]

@@SoundSpeeds CS-M1 for the win!

[@SoundSpeeds]

I'm not a fan of that mic.

[@SoundSpeeding]

@@SoundSpeeds oh, how about the miniature 8050 then? You haven't reviewed the CS-M1 before have you? If so, I can't find it. What don't you like about it? I've been considering it for a while.

[@SoundSpeeds]

No, I haven't reviewed it and won't unless paid to. I don't like the way it sounds. Sure, it is light and has great rejection and reach but there's no low end. It's a mids and high. I was using a 4017b (very flat and natural) and my mixer wanted to use the CS-M1 for 2nd boom... it had no low end and didn't sound natural. The mixer loved it and many people do, fine - more power to you, but I like to hear a voice that sounds natural.

[@coolcopetins]

WOW!!!! Thanks for sharing details of your work and teaching! Stay safe and, go to the gym to stay in shape and support that weight? Lol! Seriously, take care. See you in your next video!!!

[@SoundSpeeds]

Seriously! Staybsafe yourself. Thank you for watching.

[@kstrain1]

This video makes it very clear how much worse it is putting a transmitter on the end of the boom pole.

[@SoundSpeeds]

I'm going to redo this once we have a few new lightweight options like the TRX4. I want to see if a cable is heavier than the TX.

[@casperamenyo6417]

Woow.. Thats soo much weight

[@SoundSpeeds]

Welcome to my world.

[@SoundSpeeding]

10.8 vs 12.3 vs 13.5 Interesting, only slightly more than a pound heavier having a Deity HD-TX vs a cable.

[@SoundSpeeds]

I thought so too. An ounce weighs so much when extended!

[@SoundSpeeding]

@@SoundSpeeds my immediate gut guess is that the gap would've been bigger in terms of how much extra force the wireless creates, but then again several feet of cabling isn't insignificant weight either!

[@SoundSpeeds]

Yeah, that's why I said leverage and time is what will hurt.

[@GarethWalkerPhotographer]

Great video and I’m not even a boom operator.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Thank you. :-)

[@charlesisrecording]

the Sanken CSM-1 is looking sexier after watching this

[@SoundSpeeds]

Not to me. I'm not a fan of the way it sounds.

[@luscofuscos]

Yeah! I've love to work for a sound mixer that owns a DPA shotgun, also very light and pleasant sound

[@dimasrandypatria2849]

No wonder boom operators are quite buffed.. only on one arm..

[@dimasrandypatria2849]

And now I can see why you're so excited with boom buddy and boom swinger..

[@SoundSpeeds]

Totally! Even a bit of help occasionally helps a lot!