How to Be a Boom Operator | A Filmmaker's Beginners Guide, Tips and Drills

On this episode of Sound 101, Andrew takes a deep dive into how to be a boom operator with veteran sound pro Sara Glaser CAS. This beginner’s guide full of tips and drills covers everything you need to get started as a functional member of the sound crew of all kinds of productions. We go over what a boom operator does on set, why you still need a boom even if you have lavs, how to cue actors with a boom, cueing multiple actors, how boom operator’s walk, and some drills to help you nail all of these concepts.
Getting started as a boom operator can seem daunting because audio is such an important part of making your movies feel professional and there is a lot of pressure. But with this boom operator’s guide, you should start to feel confident immediately and start a career as a boom operator. Let us know in the comments below if you have any questions about becoming a boom operator or how to get started as a boom operator - or if you have ideas for the next episode of Sound 101!
0:00 - Intro
2:18 - How to Hold the Boom
4:42 - Aiming the Boom
7:18 - Cueing Two Characters
9:54 - Frameline
11:56 - Moving with the Boom
15:01 - Drill #1 - Flashlight Drill
16:36 - Drill #2 - Follow the Finger
17:41 - Drill #3 - Boom Whack-a-mole
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Summary:
Deity Microphones produces weekly digital web content to help filmmakers and sound mixers grow in their education. Deity Microphones shares this free web series in hopes that the next generation of filmmakers grows in their video production quality and changes the world.
Deity Microphones produces free educational web content to help filmmakers, vloggers, sound mixers and sound designers grow as creatives and take their production quality (be it independent, TV, or studio) to the next level. Deity Microphones believes that budget should never be a constraint to creativity.
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[@DeityMicrophones]

Do you have any boom drills or practice techniques?

[@scottslotterbeck3796]

Your best friend is the camera op who can work with you and help you get close enough, but not in the frame. What is the best, is if you can see the monitor to position the mic before the take. Find some landmark, on the wall, a window, a tree, whatever. Work with the camera op to tell you when you are just out of frame. Now you know how low you can go. Believe me, no one will be happy if your mic gets in the frame.

[@aputurelighting]

Still can't believe this channel is free to watch. So much good info!

[@TheRealMisterChopShop]

🤫

[@Tmanaz480]

A good tip for riding the frameline: have the mixer tap the talkback if you're dipping into the frame.

[@DeityMicrophones]

Brilliant suggestion

[@SoundSpeeding]

I find that tapping tone is a good cue for the Boom Op to pull UP, while opening the coms (but saying nothing, because you're rolling, but Boom Op can hear the open mic) is the cue to go DOWN with the boom and get in closer.

In my training as a physiotherapist our golden standard when it came to posture was always dynamic. The best posture will hurt if you have to hold it the whole day. The same goes for boom operation. Have different postures, holding techniques or get support if you are exhausted

[@DeityMicrophones]

that's a great addendum, thank you!

@@DeityMicrophones thanks a lot for the video and the channel in general, this is pure gold! thanks so much!

[@SoundSpeeds]

You're in L.A. and you got a sound mixer to show us how to be a boom operator. So many skilled and veteran boom ops in your city. 😞

[@scottslotterbeck3796]

Hey Sound Speeds! There are a growing number of sound guys and gals, just ask around. What I HATE is if they wait to the last minute to find asound guy. And they want them for $100 a full day.

[@SoundSpeeds]

@@scottslotterbeck3796 Yeah, that's very much unacceptable. We've all taken low budget shows but there are still catches you need to cover with the Producer and I go over that in my video "Avoiding Indie Abuse" and again in my Building Better Boom Ops series.

[@SoundSpeeding]

Check out their next episode when they ask a DoP how to pull focus!

[@slimdingo]

Andrew is very detailed in his expertise. The incorporating of animated visuals helps a whole lot for clarity and understanding of the process

[@dbeach4044]

One of the best videos in the series. I’m always surprised at how much I learn from these Deity videos.

[@DeityMicrophones]

great to hear, thanks for watching Dan!

[@biggestduckmusic]

The drills and the tip about moving through the air with the back of the mic is really a life changer

[@DeityMicrophones]

Glad you loved it.

[@imark7777777]

I almost forgot about that one. and I have not seen it mentioned in anything else I have watched.

[@flaviopresutti]

I loved the 80's training section! Great episode guys and gals! Greetings from Uruguay!

[@bboymac84]

Business is booming! 💪🏽😁

[@EthanWiner]

This video is fabulous! Thanks for making and posting it.

[@petekler9583]

appreciate ur effot to watch such a tutorial 20 mins through immersive journey

[@marcussmith9807]

This was so much fun to watch! Really useful tips

[@TheeSmoochieWallace]

solid video! Always appreciate the accompanying animations. Great work!

[@nickoblicko7046]

Thank you! Just getting into this work, these tips are the shizam!

[@neonmammals]

Did anyone else lol when the "Tool" label popped up pointing at Andrew? well played editor, well played. haha.

[@adrianodrummerf]

You guys are awesome! Loving this channel

[@MeajudaNick]

Great video! Thanks guys!

[@AndrewGarrisonIndieFilm]

Andrew, these beginner lessons are terrific.

[@SamandSteve]

Really enjoyed this. Great job.

[@jindialston1099]

Learned more about boom mics in this 20-minute video than all day at school! Great Job, Very Informative.

[@Whaever_1981]

Excellent, excellent, excellent video! THANK YOU!

[@dream_chaser7569]

Very informative, great jjob giving visual with explanation

[@AlwaysDrawing2012]

This video was SO helpful! Thank you for sharing! : )

[@imark7777777]

The tip with the light is great! I've told a few people to visualize speakers and microphones like lamps, and usually get crazy looks. Taping a light to the boom mike is a great idea ( especially for people who can't visualize ) I wanna do it myself now.

[@DanielSRosehill]

Great tutorial - thanks!

[@ShinilPayamal]

Thanks for the wonderful tips on how to become a good Boom Operator.

[@fridafeline]

This is the best video out there on booming!

[@Pendrick_Official]

Nice video really helpful content indeed thank you.

[@epambos]

One of your best, funniest and most helpful videos... Well Done!

[@DeityMicrophones]

thank you! trying to make learning these concepts a little more fun

[@IrreverentSOB]

Great video !

[@Zaflon]

This is great! Cheers guys1

[@ronami3176]

I love how Andrew is really all in with his acting!!

[@davidp158]

Good info beyond the basics. The flashlight drill is interesting, as I think it's easy to misread the mic position and polar pattern from the op end of the boom. I found it a bit funny that Sara had a bit of wind blast on the ol' lav mic when she says "Just be aware..." at 13:23.

[@user-pu6qu5si6e]

Thank you so much for this

[@swiftabubakher]

Thanks you so much you guys.

[@Thomas-eu6fj]

Nicely explained

[@tappetisonori]

Great! i love it!

[@svenlakemeier]

I don't care much about the funny parts, but the visualizations are spot on and very helpful. Great production on this video

[@Josh-kr9xf]

Great video!! I’ve just recently started getting on sets and building out my gear and this video was super helpful! Just like all of the videos on this channel!😂🙏🏾 thank you Andrew!

[@DeityMicrophones]

Glad you loved the video. What else should we make a video on?

[@Josh-kr9xf]

@@DeityMicrophones I love all of the content you all come out with! Maybe a video on theatre audio for plays and live shows like that

[@DeityMicrophones]

@@Josh-kr9xf we've been toying with this idea for a little while because it comes up in a lot of comments. once we find the right venue we can try to make it happen!

[@acraycz]

Booming for the first time tomorrow! I Now I feel way more confident!

[@GrantAce]

Just got the S-Mic - 2 for my birthday!!! So excited to use it on my next shoot!!! Appreciate you deity!!!

[@DeityMicrophones]

Happy Birthday

[@GrantAce]

@@DeityMicrophones thanks so much

[@massetozacarias5693]

Loved the flashlight part

[@michaelhesse2263]

I am from Germany...i love this Channel ! Everythink ist pretty Professional! Good Job! Best regards...

[@KnoxSe7eN]

Loved the comedy bit in the gym scene. Had a good laugh

[@valisoarakotomanana]

This video is amazing. Thank you. Now, I'm interested in Deity Microphones, you really got me 🙂 Thank you.

[@trteeerryfse-wy2ww]

I love this. Sound capture is my daydream. Im blue collar and cant afford college so these videos really help

[@robertdocherty6127]

Fantastic content and so enjoyable to watch. A new subscriber here. I'm saving these videos and, taking notes along the way. I would love to see a script through the rehearsal to final take, to watch the sound crew.

[@DeityMicrophones]

Thanks Robert! We'll keep that in mind as we brainstorm future episodes.

[@robertdocherty6127]

@@DeityMicrophones Thanks. I'll be watching. Can't stop. Got to get back to the Folly episode😁

[@mikebrady2073]

Good lesson.

[@pedro_a_martins]

Great video. She was a great guest

[@mmgh7298]

Pro stuff, thanks.

[@NLGVIDEOS2]

Excellent

[@cooldead]

you're back!

[@Brett.Hatfield]

Good shit. Thanks bros

[@Bozha_Kapetanovic91]

thanks bro for video

[@principeturandot4593]

Truly wonderful and informative content! 🏅Thank you. At 11:58 = I had to play that moving shot back... That's Barbra Streisand! 🤩😍

[@michaelspencer5614]

with her lines on a prompter and all!

[@sempa1cat599]

Now I work as a sound operator on TV, but someday I want to start working on the set of TV series and films. Either that or I want to become a cameraman. Anyway, the video is extremely helpful, thank you)

[@yourimoggre]

This video deserves 5 stars if you ask me.

[@yared_yehulaset]

Thank you

[@AmazingKevinWClark]

Very interesting but you forgot to cover one key thing. The character is now very angry and starts yelling at the top of their voice!! The booms has likely anticipated this but do you alter the sound volumes or pull away and put some distance between the mic and actor??

[@SoundSpeeding]

If the transmitter is peaking a little, then yeah, you'll pull back a little.

[@medardbitangimana4580]

Thanks for the content. Do you have to change mics when booming indoors and outdoors ?

[@scottslotterbeck3796]

I like doing both a lav and a boom. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS wear headphones!

[@tasha4293]

This might sound like a really dumb question but what equipment do you need to allow the boom ops to wear headphones if someone else is with the recorder? I've only ever been on small sets where the sound person will boom and mix and everything is cabled. Is it a transmitter situation?

[@scottslotterbeck3796]

@@tasha4293 Yes. You can record either wireless or, better yet, wired. You use a cable splitter.

[@Dale_Blackburn]

@@scottslotterbeck3796 What is cable splitter?

[@MintMacelodeon]

Another thing when scooping the boom, depending on the scene/shot watch out for blocking, make sure your pole does not get in the way of actors!

[@DeityMicrophones]

definitely a good thing to keep in mind!

[@UvstudioCaToronto]

Hey thanks for the excellent video with such a qualified boom op. I have a question regarding the exercise at around 8:28: I find that if I rotate my pole quickly, I get this wooff noise. Putting it in a blimp helps but that isn't always feasible indoor. I wonder if anyone here has any tips on removing that wooff noise, short of rotating it slower? Thanks.

[@pradeepchakraverti]

Wow, that's a great video lesson! Probably the best one on 'The Art of Booming' that I've seen. The part on the exercises for booming was the best. Excellent!! 👍

[@Foouhomeyg]

Color coding the characters as a Boom Op and memorizing 2-3 word phrases in a line helps with Boom Cues for me when you have time, but it does NOT help when you get the script the night before with no sides and NO Rehearsals! It's actually infuriating. I am glad that I have mostly been self taught by working on over 100 student projects and many low budget movies so it's actually quite refreshing to hear from another professional like her that I'm doing it right haha. She hit a lot of great points. Andrew is right about booming below, but it REALLY depends on your position, camera position (and frame), and the character(s) path if moving. Unfortunately there are times where when the only option is to Boom below....it can also mean the boom will be much farther away from subject hence having different shotgun mics for different situations. Kind of like having lenses for a camera. Also.....saw a lot of K-Tek, VDB, and PSC booms in those videos, but not enough Ambient or Loon :(

[@soneillindsay5347]

I have a question. Were do i go to get spear parts for my deity connect receiver. I have a broken antenna

[@dexmcluskey4832]

Did you nix the uni mic/pencil condenser? Do you plan to release a mic that’s designed specifically for indoor dialog - a sennheiser mkh50 type of thing?

[@dexmcluskey4832]

“No answer,” came the loud reply.

[@gianthills]

If i started doing boom today how much work is there out there for newbies? Thanks!

[@bentonpix]

Great video, but won't "finding where it sounds the best" always result in moving out of the area where it doesn't sound as good? Otherwise, how will you know that you're targeting the best area unless you actually hear something less than best to compare it to?

[@wildwedding]

When you guys going to make a handheld mic with transmitter and recorder built in?

[@SoundSpeeding]

Just get the Deity HD-TX with a mic such as the EV RE50

[@EbukachukwuTv]

I want to know more about this

[@jackevans1318]

Hey comment section. I’m the boom operator on my first student group film and all of our audio from todays shoot came back really quiet. It’s fixable but does anyone know why this happened? Listening back through the DR-60 tascam it sounded completely fine but once transferred to computer it went super quiet.

[@lumumuhammad2434]

Thanks if I need ur lesson what am sopposed to do

[@YoussefHallouly]

I have a question, i try to record with my Deity d3 pro into my Tascam dr 40x. I have the microphone with the original cable plugged (trrs to trrs) into a 1/4 adapter plugged into the tascam de 40x but nothing is recording, what am i missing? Thanks

[@DeityMicrophones]

messaged you back on IG :)

[@YoussefHallouly]

@@DeityMicrophones yes thanks for the support! 😃

[@cathysonlinesales]

What is best mic for a table with 3 people?

[@SoundSpeeding]

"depemds"

[@tfransson]

"Not so fast grasshopper ", hilarious

[@user-lx1kt9bm3e]

funny and informative

[@yeshwacunairun6814]

Hello, can you show us how to make livestream for church using Avipas PTZ Camera and Switcher etc...

[@chelseahouston4982]

Merci 💖💛🧡💖❤💝

[@michael86734]

Cool I was a camera op But know I'm intrested in sound

[@damianlove8026]

What deity mic is that?

[@FerrisTetris]

15:45 silent F bomb :D

[@SIBIRIAKoriginal]

0:43 Who's Sarah Kamin? 😋

[@cmh6690]

PQCEM !

[@alexandrubadea1100]

🙂

[@spiralfirst6488]

Interesting stuff but the background music is too loud.

[@sweatyshutter]

I like your hair

[@scottslotterbeck3796]

I hate when the actors talk over each other. Cueing is tough. Also, if they do multiple takes, that can save you by giving the sound editor more choices in post. Often on one camera shoots, the camera with do over shoulder takes, so you don't need to cue.

[@rahul-uy4he]

Which movie is that at 4:45? Those two guys looks Indian

[@BenQuiles]

✍️Step one ✍️ Game on a Mac ✍️ must be a laptop✍️

[@skyace888]

Thanks for the video. I get the sense that this is the kind of role that will likely be replaced by robots in a few years.

[@SoundSpeeds]

Not likely. The mixer, maybe.

[@scottslotterbeck3796]

Getting good sound is an art. Robots have a long way to go.

[@DeityMicrophones]

Robots perform best with routines. There's too much improve on a film set.

[@TCStink3]

Did somebody say ‘boom’?

[@Officialmav]

whats wrong with white gloves?

[@Lonelyeco]

Why should the boom operator wear black?

[@vivreennz7867]

First step : go to the gym and get big shoulders.

[@maui0000]

You don't want to get tired arms on set.

[@aaronaustin7760]

You guys are getting scripts??

[@TheBasCast]

*Boom Operators NEVER get a spotter

[@scottslotterbeck3796]

Huh? I have used a spotter. You uave to sometimes say you can't work w/o a spotter. There is no film w/o sound. Uneven terrain outside on a gravel road, etc. You fall, you can hurt yoursrlf or your equipment.

[@SoundSpeeding]

@@scottslotterbeck3796 it is waaaaaaaay rarer for the boom op to get a spotter vs the cam op / steadicam op 😕😞

[@scottslotterbeck3796]

@@SoundSpeeding Maybe, but I demand one if I'm walking backwards on uneven ground.

[@skakdosmer]

The real question is how to avoid being a boom operator!

[@A10Jedi]

The hair… why? You are like 40 something lol