Is the EVA1 Dead In 2024? (Compared to S1H?)

[Mark Romero 2]

On 2/8/2024 at 11:37 PM, IronFilm said:

How exactly are you using them and your Tascam?

Here's an example. I did the A Roll / audio for this with the Samson C02 boomed overhead the talent in to the Tascam DR-60-D II. There is a LOT of work done on the audio (I basically had to run it through Adobe Podcaster as well as some EQ and other things in Resolve... don't remember exactly what.

 

The only B Roll I contributed was the parts where Marin County was NOT on fire or under water. 

Aside from the (slight) wind noise (don't have a dead cat / blimp for these mics), we were about a block away from the local high school, and halfway through the shoot they had cheer leading practice, and so a dji was blasting music for them to practice to.

Here's a BTS shot that shows (more or less) the setup. Because my 300 Watt Godox light wasn't adding anything, I just changed out the softbox and light on camera left to a DIY scrim (just draped some translucent cloth over a background stand on camera left, then a white reflector for fill on camera right).

Note that the boom stand was a LOT closer to the talent at the time of shooting (probably around 18 inches or half-a-meter away for thsoe who don't speak Freedom Units). The talent requested this BTS photo after I had already moved the c-stand with the boom further away from the talent in order to strike the set.

On the tascam, I set the gain to medium (in the menu) and then crank the physical dial up, which seems to have slightly less noise than setting the gain to high (in the menu) and turning the phsyical dial down.

 

Let's not talk about the apple boxes :(

[IronFilm]

10 hours ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

Here's an example. I did the A Roll / audio for this with the Samson C02 boomed overhead the talent in to the Tascam DR-60-D II. There is a LOT of work done on the audio (I basically had to run it through Adobe Podcaster as well as some EQ and other things in Resolve... don't remember exactly what.

Why not use the exposed lav I can see on him? (which was the Tascam DR10L? btw, perhaps get this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1444316-REG/remote_audio_urs_furtangblk_ursa_tangle_cut.html , or even: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/885674-REG/auray_wlw_fuzzy_windbuster_for_lav.html or https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/253753-REG/Rycote_065501_Furry_Windjammer_for_Lavalier.html )

10 hours ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

Aside from the (slight) wind noise (don't have a dead cat / blimp for these mics)

No wind protection??? 😮 

Ballsy!!! Just rocking it bare naked. 

That should be #1 on your purchase list to get next. 

Don't you still have the stock foam cover for the Samson mics? 

Something like this, you could wrap around on top of the foam windscreen to give a lot of extra wind protection:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1551649-REG/auray_wsw_vmntg_custom_windbuster_for_rode.html

Alternatively, this here should fit the Samson C02 (they're both 20mm width):

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1541174-REG/auray_wsw_vmicro_custom_windbuster_for_rode.html 

10 hours ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

we were about a block away from the local high school, and halfway through the shoot they had cheer leading practice, and so a dji was blasting music for them to practice to.

Yikes!

But maybe if your mic had been a bit closer.... 

10 hours ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

Note that the boom stand was a LOT closer to the talent at the time of shooting (probably around 18 inches or half-a-meter away for thsoe who don't speak Freedom Units).

Phew! That BTS pic looked scary far away. 

But even 50cm is rather far away. 

Thanks for the detailed info you gave in your post, much better than people normally do when asking for feedback!

I'd say your priorities should be:

1) wind protection for your Samson CO2 mics, as this is super dirt cheap

2) upgrade your boom mic(s), getting first of all a shotgun (lots of choices! Some lower budget but high quality choices are: Rode NTG5, Sanken CSM1, DPA 2017, Audio Technica BP4073, & Deity SMic3. Get one or two), with wind protection (if the mic doesn't already come with it. Such as the Rycote Softie: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/207238-REG/Rycote_033052_Standard_Hole_Softie_Windscreen.html Making sure it's the right size for your mic of course!)

3) get a blimp for it for high wind situations 

4) upgrade your boom mic(s) take two, getting now a hypercardioid microphone (or two... depending on your shooting needs/style), with wind protection for it too. 

5) upgrade your Tascam DR10L to a Sony UWP-D21 or Deity THEOS, so that you can monitor your lav audio too. (send the boom mic to your left ear, and radio mic to your right ear, while recording both in your DR60D)

6) get a MixPre or Zoom F Series recorder

You can see upgrading the recorder is the very last thing on this list. 

Just go through this plan step by step, as funds allow it. 

[IronFilm]

 

10 hours ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

 

 

Just realized you're not using a proper boom pole or any real shock mount either!! 😮 😮 😮 

Near the top of the list (either just before getting a shotgun mic, or just after getting a shotgun mic) should be getting a shock mount and a real boom pole. 

Such as one of these:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/554999-REG/Rycote_041107_INV_7_InVision_Indoor_Microphone.html 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/880280-REG/Rycote_041118_INV_8_Microphone_Suspension.html 

Or get a Radius shockmount (they're new company set up by the ex-Rycote people). 

https://radiuswindshields.com/ (B&H is not stocking them yet) 

Here is are dirt cheap Boom Poles you could get:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1384773-REG/airo_abp1_boom_pole_1.html 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1601173-REG/proam_usa_boom_sq_10_telescopic_boom.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1266050-REG/e_image_ba12_11_5_section_telescoping_aluminum.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1666142-REG/digitalfoto_solution_limited_bm01c_carbon_fiber_microphone_boom.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1374872-REG/came_tv_ms300c_carbon_fiber_microphone.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1504170-REG/proaim_bp_12c_12_carbon_fiber_boom.html

Or spend a little bit more for:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/326966-REG/K_Tek_KE_110_KE_110_Avalon_Series_Aluminum.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/625156-REG/K_Tek_KE_144_KE_144_Avalon_Series_Aluminum.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1606022-REG/auray_bp_59a_5_section_aluminum_boom_pole.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1773622-REG/k_tek_kc108_essential_5_section_boompole.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1490197-REG/k_tek_kp9_klassicpro_graphite_6_section.html 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1639167-REG/k_tek_kp10v_boom_pole_carbon_removable.html 

https://www.gothamsound.com/product/qp-slim-short-quickpole-boom-pole (my personal choice here) 

[Mark Romero 2]

2 hours ago, IronFilm said:

 

Just realized you're not using a proper boom pole or any real shock mount either!! 😮 😮 😮 

Near the top of the list (either just before getting a shotgun mic, or just after getting a shotgun mic) should be getting a shock mount and a real boom pole. 

Such as one of these:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/554999-REG/Rycote_041107_INV_7_InVision_Indoor_Microphone.html 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/880280-REG/Rycote_041118_INV_8_Microphone_Suspension.html 

Or get a Radius shockmount (they're new company set up by the ex-Rycote people). 

https://radiuswindshields.com/ (B&H is not stocking them yet) 

Here is are dirt cheap Boom Poles you could get:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1384773-REG/airo_abp1_boom_pole_1.html 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1601173-REG/proam_usa_boom_sq_10_telescopic_boom.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1266050-REG/e_image_ba12_11_5_section_telescoping_aluminum.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1666142-REG/digitalfoto_solution_limited_bm01c_carbon_fiber_microphone_boom.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1374872-REG/came_tv_ms300c_carbon_fiber_microphone.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1504170-REG/proaim_bp_12c_12_carbon_fiber_boom.html

Or spend a little bit more for:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/326966-REG/K_Tek_KE_110_KE_110_Avalon_Series_Aluminum.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/625156-REG/K_Tek_KE_144_KE_144_Avalon_Series_Aluminum.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1606022-REG/auray_bp_59a_5_section_aluminum_boom_pole.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1773622-REG/k_tek_kc108_essential_5_section_boompole.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1490197-REG/k_tek_kp9_klassicpro_graphite_6_section.html 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1639167-REG/k_tek_kp10v_boom_pole_carbon_removable.html 

https://www.gothamsound.com/product/qp-slim-short-quickpole-boom-pole (my personal choice here) 

Thanks for the great tips and the easy to follow guide to upgrading.

I was looking at the Deity Theos, but...

Due to patent restrictions, APPARENTLY in the old US of A, the Theos isn't allowed to both transmit wirelessly AND record internally at the same time. I could be wrong about that but I watched Curtis Judd and someone else (TL;DR???) and they said you can't transmit and record in the US, as best I can remember.

There is another (non transmitting) recorder from Deity coming out called the PR-2, which appears to be pretty similar to the Tascam DR-10L, but will sync timecode with the Deity TC-1 (and, i am assuming, you can adjust setting through the Sidus app instead of having to bear hug the talent in order to adjust gain).

Nowadays, it seems like for no-budget shoots, people are just slapping the Rode Go or DJI wireless transmitters WITHOUT a lav mic on to the talent and leaving it at that.

You also asked why not use the Tascam DR-10L mics and recorder, and in fact, I DID, but...

The talent and the campaing manager didn't want to use a teleprompter (which I brought and set up), as it made the talent really "tense and robotic." So he kept the script in his hands. He marked out on the script what he had to recite facing the camera, and there were parts of the script marked out that he could look at the paper, as there would be a cut to B Roll in those parts.

Problem was, he would often crank his head down, or raise his arm up quickly while talking, so a lot of the Lav audio had rustling clothing sounds. Or he would clip when pointing his face straight down to read the script.

We actually shot 7 videos that day, and we ended up with 48 takes total. If it wasn't the DJ and the cheerleaders, it was the gardners next door cranking up the power mower, or the construction crews hammering away down the block. Or sometimes the talent would just bring the script up or start tilting his head down too early. There was a lot of audio spliced together from different takes. Hence, my renewed interest in timecode...

The irony is, if he is directly talking to you about political issues, he is a GREAT presenter and VERY articulate.

I guess this would have been one of those shoots that uses the dual teleprompter setup (can't remember what it is called but there is a pretty famour North American Documentary shooter who uses it), where the talent looks in to a teleprompter which is projecting the image of the interviewer, and the interviewer is looking at the live feed of the talent in a teleprompter, too.

[IronFilm]

19 hours ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

Thanks for the great tips and the easy to follow guide to upgrading.

You're welcome 🙂

19 hours ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

I was looking at the Deity Theos, but...

Due to patent restrictions, APPARENTLY in the old US of A, the Theos isn't allowed to both transmit wirelessly AND record internally at the same time. I could be wrong about that but I watched Curtis Judd and someone else (TL;DR???) and they said you can't transmit and record in the US, as best I can remember.

 

Meh, irrelevant

1) recording transmitters is an exceptionally niche need (I've never had it requested)

2) unless you wish to go with Zaxcom, then nothing at the pro/semipro level can do this in the USA

3) as soon as the patent ends, you can bet a firmware update will be pushed out that same day to enable this feature 

 

19 hours ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

There is another (non transmitting) recorder from Deity coming out called the PR-2, which appears to be pretty similar to the Tascam DR-10L, but will sync timecode with the Deity TC-1 (and, i am assuming, you can adjust setting through the Sidus app instead of having to bear hug the talent in order to adjust gain).

I'm surprised you need to change gain with the DR10L? (or at least not more than once, if you come across a very shouty or very whispery talent) 

Just pick the middle ground setting, plus enable the safety track. 

 

19 hours ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

Nowadays, it seems like for no-budget shoots, people are just slapping the Rode Go or DJI wireless transmitters WITHOUT a lav mic on to the talent and leaving it at that.

True, but I presume you've got aspirations at least a half step higher than doing no budget shoots for the rest of your life? 

So use a lav. 

19 hours ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

You also asked why not use the Tascam DR-10L mics and recorder, and in fact, I DID, but...

The talent and the campaing manager didn't want to use a teleprompter (which I brought and set up), as it made the talent really "tense and robotic." So he kept the script in his hands. He marked out on the script what he had to recite facing the camera, and there were parts of the script marked out that he could look at the paper, as there would be a cut to B Roll in those parts.

Problem was, he would often crank his head down, or raise his arm up quickly while talking, so a lot of the Lav audio had rustling clothing sounds. Or he would clip when pointing his face straight down to read the script.

This is exactly why you need to get yourself some wireless! Such as the Sony UWP-D21 or Deity THEOS or secondhand Lectros. 

It would have then become immediately became obvious to you the issues, and you could have then asked him to stop doing this and/or you'd reposition the lav to a better spot. 

19 hours ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

We actually shot 7 videos that day, and we ended up with 48 takes total. If it wasn't the DJ and the cheerleaders, it was the gardners next door cranking up the power mower, or the construction crews hammering away down the block.

What a fun day!

 

19 hours ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

The irony is, if he is directly talking to you about political issues, he is a GREAT presenter and VERY articulate.

You might like to take this shoot as not just a reminder to up your audio game, but also perhaps a reminder to work on your directing/interviewing skills too?

As I've noticed that great interviewers are definitely a lot better at getting the talent to relax and be casual on camera (as it certainly is a big problem, how people without on screen experience can be radically different on and off screen).

It might require having some warm up chats on camera first to get them to be relaxed and ease into it, you might even slip into the interview questions without the subject even realizing (that's why sometimes directors will want us to start recording the camera / audio without the subject even knowing). 

Might require you to be more flexible with the script, not caring if they hit the exact words, so long as they get across the gist / vibe of what you're seeking. 

A 90% perfect script that is 100% natural is always going to be better than a 100%  word perfect script that's 0% natural. 

Just a few thoughts out of many things to consider as an interviewer/director (I'm no expert at it myself! Merely observed many dozens of them at work)

 

19 hours ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

I guess this would have been one of those shoots that uses the dual teleprompter setup (can't remember what it is called but there is a pretty famour North American Documentary shooter who uses it), where the talent looks in to a teleprompter which is projecting the image of the interviewer, and the interviewer is looking at the live feed of the talent in a teleprompter, too.

That would be the dream!

Never seen it used though in person. Usually the director will just position them directly behind the camera, in line with it, if the talent is struggling to perform to the camera.