Do-it-yourself boom pole

[Loud Orange Cat]

At the recommendations of Indietalk members who've "been there, done that", I'm attempting to create a cheap, do-it-yourself boom for my mic (Sony ECM-NV1).

From the local Lowe's, I've purchased a Wooster Sherlock painter's 6' - 12' retractable extention pole for $30. The pole extention is exactly 1" wide.

From B&H, I purchased a 50' male to female XLR cable for only $9.95.

Okay, I'm 40 bucks into a $300+ solution. Not bad.

Now for the mic mount. Should I invest in this for $65 or should I spend two measly bucks and rubber-band it to a paint roller frame?

(If you've done the latter, please provide instructions!)

Thanks for your input!

 

[knightly]

Here are the pix I promised so long ago (I've since switched the mic stand for a much lighter and longer painter's pole):

 

[VPTurner]

The Mickey Mouse school of production presents...

The $26 microphone boom.

Thanks to knightly for the inspiration.

Materials:

12' Painter's extension pole with twist lock - $14.97
3' x 3/4" oak dowel - $3.29
3/8" x 4" hex bolt - $0.30
3/8" cut washer - $0.09
3/8" nylon lock nut - $0.98 for a pair
A pair of 1/2" pipe U-bolts - $1.44
Flat black spray paint - $3.12
Sand paper - $0.00 (already had it)

Grand total with tax: $25.94

Tools:
Power drill with various drill bits
Sand paper to rough the pole for painting
Box/open wrench set (or just a crescent wrench would work)
Hack saw
Black Gaffer's tape
Rotary sander drill attachment

Now since this is a forum of visionaries, I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

 

[VPTurner]

 

[VPTurner]

 

[knightly]

now just get some black long nap costume fur and sew a fuzzy cover for it. Then you can use it out in the wind and cut out wind noise up to about 10-15 MPH

Nice looking unit! Matte black paint makes everything look professional!

 

[VPTurner]

now just get some black long nap costume fur and sew a fuzzy cover for it. Then you can use it out in the wind and cut out wind noise up to about 10-15 MPH

Nice looking unit! Matte black paint makes everything look professional!

Thanks. Yes, a fuzzy cover is next.

I am also trying to dream up some DIY tracks and dolly for a tracking shot. Have you seen this done yet?

 

[Will Vincent]

Thanks. Yes, a fuzzy cover is next.

I am also trying to dream up some DIY tracks and dolly for a tracking shot. Have you seen this done yet?

Since this thread is really old, I'm assuming you've already figured out your dolly and track issue, but if not, and even if you have... knightly and I built one this year during the 48hr film project, using the info from the good folks at Digital Juice TV (Click here to watch the episode I'm referring to).

This thing is just sweet... The dolly, fully loaded with camera, jib, operator, etc.. (so somewhere around 200lbs or so) moves with ease. Literally, it can be pushed with one finger.

 

[knightly]

Here's a video (I'm working on stabilizing it so it sucks less) of will pulling it around with his pinky.

http://www.yafiunderground.com/Video/DIY-Dolly-Crane.mov

 

[Will Vincent]

Ha! I forgot you shot footage of that... nice.

 

[knightly]

Here is the quickly stabilized footage (smoothcam filter in shake):

http://www.yafiunderground.com/Video/dollycrane-sm.mov

it's h.264 quicktime and I didn't bother zooming in, so you can see all the frame sliding around.

 

[EddieLeonardo]

Thanks Knightly for the video. Now I want one of those crane things. Where in the world did you get/build the plans for that?

It seems to be stable and large. How big is it?

Can you divulge the plans?

 

[knightly]

http://www.yafiunderground.com/Video/BTS_Crane.mp4

I've since put it on a samson tripod and added a lazy susan bearing.

 

[Dave Pastecchi]

shock mount

i love Wills shockmount and can be made to fit any number of microphones. and is almost the same as the shockmounts is use.

for smaller mics you will find just one rubber bacd per end straight accross will work just fine..twisting it around a few time before inserting to mic thru it.

i have similar custom mounts i have made with metal that do exactly the same as this one does.

Great Idea Will !!!

 

[knightly]

Thanks Knightly for the video. Now I want one of those crane things. Where in the world did you get/build the plans for that?

It seems to be stable and large. How big is it?

Can you divulge the plans?

I just figured out how to put together a parallelogram and then attach it to a tripod. I've got that kinda brain, so not plans so much as just attaching stuff to fulfill a purpose. The plans originated in my head based on necessity for tripod, parallelogram and camera attachment.

You can pretty much just follow the video to make the stuff, it's a couple of 8' 2x2 as the structural basis for the arm, then a hinged head at the end to hold the camera, then a cradle at the other end to let the arm pivot, then... just problem solving as I go to make the thing work. Once you determine the initial important bit (the arm), the rest will present itself as a problem to be solved, then you just solve those problems as they present themselves.

I've got it on a huge broadcast tripod now, it reaches 10'-12' I haven't really measured it, but it goes down to 6" from the floor.

 

[knightly]

Just realized I didn't post that video for the crane...
http://yafiunderground.com/Video/BTS_Crane.mov