Need microphone help!

[drc]

I'm currently shooting with a 5D Mark 2, in case that matters.

But my questions is, if I'm shooting a dialogue scene from 5 - 10 feet away from the actors, and the two actors are right next to each other, can I use a shotgun mic thats mounted on my camera?

Or do I need to hold an extended boom pole over their heads and alternate the pole's position between characters as they talk?

Or would it be best to just hook them up to some lavalieres?

 

[Remy LeBeau]

Really? They've seemed to work well for me in the past for close up dialogue like he described. Although I always used a wired lav mic, i don't know about wireless if they cause more problems.

 

[UncleKornicob]

External audio is a must have for SLRs. You may be better off with a separate audio source. Syncing up in post takes time, but it is worth it.
If you don't have enough time in post, You should be fine with a shot gun mic, may I suggest the Rode Video Mic for low budget. Goes for 150 on amazon and is Semi Directional so should be perfect for your needs, pretty simple mic, but has great results.

 

[Alcove Audio]

Really? They've seemed to work well for me in the past for close up dialogue like he described. Although I always used a wired lav mic, i don't know about wireless if they cause more problems.

90% of the time, when lavs come into my facility as part of the production sound, I get one or a combination of excessive clothing rustle, off-mic dialog, cell phone interference/weak signal or "dull" sound.

 

[tavoyfilms]

I agree with Alcove. Lapel mics only work well if the actors aren't moving around and you're shooting in a noise-free environment. Even so, it's always a pain having to attach lapel mics to actors, and wardrobe doesn't always allow for the use of them. Shotgun mic on a boom, using an external audio recorder is the way to go. It's no coincidence that the majority of films are shot this way.