HOW TO MAKE A BOOM POLE FOR £15 ~ LOW-BUDGET FILMMAKING

[mrphotographyperson]

hey rick! will the boom pole fit with the rode blimp?

[rickvanman]

@mrphotographyperson Don't know if it'll do it straight out of the box, but you could always adapt it I guess

[Sebazshi]

you know, you could actually use a monopod for external mics such as the Zoom series, as long as it has a tripod mount. monopods actually use a swivel head, so its easy to adjust, and most of them are collapsable.

[MaikelFilmingsNL]

Awesome, gonna make it soon

[drmarrese101]

great idea mate

[benasharples]

Hey Rick,

Will the boom pole work with the Zoom H2?

[rickvanman]

@benasharples  Yes, see my video titled: "USING A ZOOM H2 MICROPHONE AND BOOM POLE FOR FILMMAKING"

[georgew0304]

No chance you have a spare? I'm no good at making these things :(

[bednallphotography]

I've just completed this project - total cost under £10

Ext. pole from Screwfix - £9.39

3/8 BSW x 1" socket cap bolt+nut - 30p from local ironmonger,

using a socket cap bolt instead of a set bolt means there's no danger of damaging the plastic end cap when tightening.

[coolkid599gto]

i made a free boom pole because my dad happened to have an old boom pole lying around and i found the bold in the garage too

[afewtube]

Thanks Rick, I find all of your videos useful. I bought my extension pole off Ebay for about £11.00 (I'm in the UK too)

It seems ok, maybe Harris is better quality, don't know.

I want to fix my Sennheiser shotgun mic to it, so ideally will have to make a right angle at the end of it, to point the tip of the mic at the talent\person in the short film that I'm shooting.

[MrLukasDiSparrow]

can you sell it for me for £10? or £15 but with free delivery? :P

[SidneyDraper]

Hi Rick, could you please make a new video showing how to make a boom pole and attach the cheap £15 mike (with all the links to the parts)? as i will attempt to make this next week.

[SidneyDraper]

Please update the links to the nut and bolt :)

[rickvanman]

@SidneyDraper Thanks for the heads-up. Looks like that seller has become another casualty of the recession :o(

[gargantuan13]

How did I never think of a paint-roller extension pole?! My brother even owns a painting company and I have used them hundreds of times. Thank you!

[netshows]

Netshows likes this video and we invite you to promote it and have it featured on the Netshows Website (netshows.us)

~Chic and Peter

[db29db29]

Zoom H2 is cheeper at MAPLINS and you can get the bolt from there 3/8-16 from

the mike section yes i do work for maplins but come on man its cheep

and there a UK based store so you can go in and speek to someone

[sk8ersuper64]

pounds



[jamesholgate93]

I got my bolts and nuts from eBay by searching boom pole bolts. Their from the US and its cost me a bout £10 for 10 bolts and 10 nuts, though that does include delivery. Still waiting for them. Brilliant video. So simple yet unbelievably ingenious. Thanks.

[FilmReady]

Thank you so much! This helped me a lot :)

[SacredEffect]

Hi Rick can you make a 35mm DOF adapter and post it.

thank you.

[SidneyDraper]

Hello,

Will This Work With The HDTZ HT-81 Cheap Microphone You Showed?

Thanks, Your A Big Help :)

[rickvanman]

@SidneyDraper just tested it - yes the HDTZ mic holder fits the boom pole thread using the correct screw-thread adaptor (not sure of the measurements - it's a standard microphone stand thread adapted to fit over the 3/8-16 thread ) The only downside is the mic is suceptible to wind noise if outside or if moving around in the air.

[Morellolover]

@rickvanman Can you also hear the wind noise from the HDTZ even if using the anti-wind cap?

[rickvanman]

@Morellolover yes

[mattsmovies]

Hi Rick,

I managed to make a boom pole just like this and it works great, thanks a lot. I went out filming today and it couldn't have gone better. Great video!! Also what is the song you used for your 'Jingle' at the start of this movie, i understand its royalty free, i just can't get it out of my head for some reason. lol

Cheers

Matt

[95bradders95]

great video rick, im buying the Audio-Technica ATR25 Stereo Condenser Microphone, from amazon for £30, but im not to sure what extension cable i would need and also as my camcorder does not include an external mic input, would i be able to use the shotgun mic through my laptop,

[rickvanman]

@95bradders95 tricky one. technically - it 'should' but by extending the mic you may encounter some buzz issues. your laptop may also cause some buzzing. it'll be a case of see if it works when it arrives.

[95bradders95]

@rickvanman

ok thanks rick, i have a new dell laptop, so theres not much fan noise, and i would place the shotgun mic high up mounted on a tripod, so it should be ok sound wise, but i think it will be trial and error if it actually goes into my laptop

[HMZinSPOOKY]

why are real boom poles so damn expensive?

[neaped]

Rick, where would you get a good cheap extension cord for the rode videomic and does it loose sound quality on the way to the camera?

[rickvanman]

I use a basic headphone extension cord from eBay. It's fine unless you are setting-up near other electrical equipment like a TV, at which point you will get serious buzz issues.

[VegasHelper1]

I just popped intro B & Q and I got that extendible pole for £5 :)

[rickvanman]

Nice one!

[thisiswerethepartyat]

im from australia right and im having trouble getting a 44mm bolt. any suggestions?

[rickvanman]

I got mint through a specialist nut & bolt shop I located on eBay.

[lordsamoth]

u could pass the cable through the pole itself through a small hole possibly. this would help getttin urself into a snake pit =P

[rickvanman]

good idea - thanks for the tip :o)

[SelfSufficientEire]

Don't know if i ever told you but I made one of these after seeing your vid. Cost me €17 for the pole tho.

[rickvanman]

The question is though - do you ever use it? Mine gathers dust a lot :o)

[SelfSufficientEire]

Not yet, but i will when the film studio and production company gets going.

I have mic stands for studio work though.

[MrSmallButBrave]

hi rick,

do you know where to buy a very cheap shotgun mic.?

I'm from beligum, and i don't want to wait very long, so do you know a company, with cheap mic's, and short shipping?

[SelfSufficientEire]

CHeck out ricks video on the HDTZ, I have two they're great and only about €40 inc delivery for hong kong

[Flashimpact]

The cap & bolt/nut idea got me totally! Thank you!

[rickvanman]

no probs :o) happy to help

[fuckinwok]

Your budget tutorials rock!!!

[stormmyD]

great! I've hardly got any money, and your tutorials help alot!!!

its accualy quite hard to find someone in the UK with cheap alternatives!

[MusicalHybrid]

Thanks man, and yes, it was very useful!

[FusionParkour]

Hey Rick,

If i construct this boom pole will my microphone pick up the vibrations of me handling it? There for creating annoying sounds on my audio.

[rickvanman]

It all depends on how steadily you hold the pole.

If you are flailing about wildly, then yes I suspect you might pick up a sound or two! :o)

If the mic is in a shock mount, then you should be ok unless you are unfortunate enough to get a particularly creaky pole.

It's always a good idea to have someone monitoring the sound real-time anyway, so that you can deal with any problem audio right away .

[MrSmallButBrave]

nice rick!

i was wondering..

Wich camcorder do you use? [not your fuji ofcourse (:]

En how much does it cost? in euros please, 'cause i'm from belgium [sorry for the mistakes in this text (:]

and wich editing program do you use?

thx, MrSmallButBrave

[rickvanman]

hi. I use the Panasonic NV-GS500. it's not a current model but you can get a second hand one on eBay for around 350 to 500 euros.

Editing software is Adobe premiere elements 3.0

cheers

Rick

[MrSmallButBrave]

ok ty.

[corleone0714]

Rick your tutorials are amazing mate...u should get a knighthood dude

[rickvanman]

Cheers for the compliment! been there, done that! LOL (brough it on eBay!)

Sir Rick.

[hansenfitz]

Rick - Great tut. I'll be trying this with another washer inside and a 1/4 thread for a speedlight mount for my photography.

[jawy5791]

3/8 bolt = m10 metric size

great tutorial :)

[jamesman376]

subed you are the best tutorial guy on YT

[rickvanman]

Thanks :o)

[patrickstardust]

Thanks Rick, very helpful.

[rickvanman]

no probs :o)

[kieranhenshall]

Any ideas how this could work to point a Zoom H2 mic downwards?

[rickvanman]

see my video titled:

USING A ZOOM H2 MICROPHONE AND BOOM POLE FOR FILMMAKING

At the end of the video it explains exactly how to do it. :o)

[zachmanZM]

Hey rick, Just a question, I don't have a rode videomic, Is there some kind of adapter I need to get so that my mic can slip into the boom pole bolt?

[rickvanman]

difficult to say - it all depends on which mic you buy and what fittings it comes with. - there are thousands of different designs out there - but all can be adapted with a little thought and improvising.

[MobileMediaProducts]

Can you run an extension from that mic all the way to your camcorder? If it was XLR it would work, but I think that's trs, and it's unbalanced? Marius

[rickvanman]

Hi Marius. Here's the thing.. Last year, I could run a huge extension on the mic (using a series of standard headphone extention cables) and it worked a treat with no buzz whatsoever.

This year however, I can't even run a 2ft extension without getting massive buzz issues. In fact, I only have to plug an extension into my camcorder (without a mic attached) and the buzz drowns out all sound.

Not sure whats happening there, but it sucks.

My next camera will have XLR for certain!

[MobileMediaProducts]

If the location is the same, then 1, it could be RF interference from somewhere, or 2, the cable could be bad and it's picking up rf interference. What has changed in your environment? Have you tried replacing the cord? What happens when you plug a mic into the jack? Do you still hear the buzz?

[rickvanman]

I have about six different 3.5mm headphone extension leads, all of them now buzz terribly when I plug any one of them into the camera (even without a mic plugged in). Adding a mic on the other end of the extension makes no difference.

If I plug the Rode Videomic directly into the camera, it works ok.  It's only the extensions that cause an issue.

I suspect that something is up with the camera itself :o(

Appreciate the feedback (Your feedback! -not that from the mic's!) LOL!

[MobileMediaProducts]

Have you added a new appliance or a tv to the area where you're working? It sounds like all of your cables are unshielded, and something in the room is creating the interference.

[rickvanman]

Actually, it's interesting you say that, because I just tried it out- up here in the workshop, and it's working fine now - I think the last few times I tried it, I was setting it up next to the TV, so the cable might have been picking up on that. I've just put the theory to the test and walked past the TV.

You sir, are a bloody genius! You have just solved my problem! It was inteference all along!

Thanks so much!

Rick

[MobileMediaProducts]

Actually, I use a Juicelink box with my GL1, so I have watched a lot of the Juicedlink videos on YT. The guy who runs that site showed me how extension cords between camcorder mics and their inputs can pick up tv interference. Glad I could pass his good information along! Marius

[mkesadaran]

in the states, i tried to find such a paint roller with such an end cap but couldn't find any. is there any way i could make one with just a threaded end? i tried looking up indy mogul's instructions but their hanger bolt is ridiculously hard to find

[rickvanman]

You just need to shop around and improvise with whatever you can find. the only critical component is the thread size on the bolt.

[metal263]

hi rick, where can I find a question exactly the same pipe that comes up on the video? where you bought it? I liked the video please answer

[zachmanZM]

he says it in the beginning of the video

[rickvanman]

This pole is from a shop in the UK. If you cant get one where you are, you just need to shop around and improvise with whatever you can find. the only critical component is the thread size on the bolt.

[Oetampje]

where can I get the paint roller pole because screwfix doesn't deliver to the netherlands right?

[rickvanman]

you'll need to look at your equivalent of screwfix, and see if what they sell can be adapted.

Rick

[raybarber]

Rick, you're my hero :) I already have a Rode Videomic and never noticed the screw thread fixings!!!

[rickvanman]

:o)

[kieranhenshall]

Hey rick,

Loving the content of these videos..

I use a ZOOM H2 also, however just curious - the mic doesn't point down like the one in the video - wouldn't the audio come out a little different since the positioning of the mic would be straight.. and not pointing down?

Hope I put that across right, was hard to explain. Awesome video, I live in the UK. Guess whose gonna head over to Screwfix?

Cheers!

[Djmorley1169]

i have to say this is the first thing i tryed to make and it works very well

[rickvanman]

Hey! great job! glad it all worked out for you!

Rick

[moviebuttmonkeys]

I followed the instructions and even managed to find the exact same pole. It works perfectly. Thanks rick.

[rickvanman]

No worries! glad it worked for you.

[Hypnotiststretch]

hey anyone who need bolts IM more then happy to send you a bolt and nut please send the length and I will find you one or two. you can pay me back by giving my videos a 4 star review ...I am going to make one tommorow and call it vanman microphone extender stand.

[VALENTINEproductions]

Hello Rick. Quick question. I have the same mic you presented her. What kind of wire do you use as an extension for the rode mic?

[rickvanman]

Until I started getting major buzz issues from my camcorder mic socket, I was using standard headphone extension cables. worked fine for about a year but nowadays I get a really bad buzz on the audio whenever I plug anything into the mic jack, regardless of whether there is a microphone on the other end of the wire. :o(

I record everything independently now using the Zoon H2.

[VALENTINEproductions]

Thanks Rick.

[hyperliteBo]

There is a error in the title... its FILMMAKING and not FIMMAKING, you forget the L lol, nice videos man

[rickvanman]

they probably wont have it listed, you need to get in touch with them by private message or email.

[tonykamm1]

I have an idea. How about making a "Director's Viewfinder." The kind you see director's use as they set up the shot? I'm in the market for one, but their expensive. Keep up the good work.

[bazle64]

would this work on the sennheiser k6/me66 mount? oh and just checked out bolt-it-up and cant seem to find that specific 3/8-16 nut-bolt? please advise Rick!

[rickvanman]

sorry dont know anything about the sennheiser.

For the bolt, try a shop called BOLT-IT-UP on ebay:

stores(dot)ebay(dot)co(dot)uk(­slash)BOLT-IT-UP

[MrPants591]

great idea! I hope I can just go to a hardware store to find most of the parts. I was also thinking about making a dolly.

The only thing I need now is a decent aftermarket mic.

any suggestions?? I am on a slight budget as well. thanks

[rickvanman]

The Rode videomic is an excellent all-rounder.

[guitarluiscaballero]

Great idea! A really good way to save money and in the third world is not easy getting this king of gear. thanks

[MishaVertkinFilms]

Which ebay shop did you buy the 3/8-16 nut and bolts?

Misha

[rickvanman]

Try a shop called BOLT-IT-UP on ebay:

stores(dot)ebay(dot)co(dot)uk(­slash)BOLT-IT-UP

[MrManiac300]

hi, really good idea to save some money! I'm definatly gonna make one!

[thechekov1701]

Great intructions, I'm going to make one now! Cheers Rick.

[michaellaumy]

I don't have a microphone =[

[rickvanman]

Hi. I'm going to make another video specifically dedicated to the Zoom H2 mic and spider shock mount. Watch this space - should be up within the week.

[GAPfilmsanddocos]

Nice one...I'm gona give that a go.

How do you go with the mini jack connectors with crackling in the connections.

Will you also come across trouble with a humming noise due to long leads back to your recorder.

[rickvanman]

Hi Glen.

I've been using sealed, factory manufactured 5 meter minijack extentions (not home made ones) with gold plated connectors with zero crackle issues.

I've managed to get a 10 meter extension (two 5 meter leads) with not many buzz issues, although I've found they can occur if the mic battery is weak.

I've gone for the Zoom H2 mic as it is self-contained and doesn't need extension leads ( video coming soon!)

Be interesting to see an AUS version of this pole!

Cheers.

[Squeakyz]

You should be careful about interference. a lot of times, people listen to their audio for the day and hear these unexpected buzzing noises in their audio for a couple seconds in sometimes the most important parts of the video. this usually because of unshielded lines(such as the 1/4" jack plug lines) are bombarded by signals from devices such as cell phones or other waves. you can get XLR cables, which are shielded, and any risk of interference should be lowered. for 411 on my setup, MSG me

[redtail5]

a 15 pound boom pole? damn that heavy, lol jk

[samcamfilms]

LOL, at least i laughed... thanks for the tutorial!

[Squeakyz]

I'm curious, how do you prevent the rode videomic from unloosening itself during a shot using the boom pole? I've made a pole myself with two different sized(diameter-wise) PVC pipes that fit within each other making it able to extend. then i drilled holes through the two pipes every in or so for adjustment. some creative stuff for the bolt at the end + black paint the biggest problem i had shooting our recent project was that the rode videomic would come undone because nothing is holding it.

[Squeakyz]

I've tried tape temporary, which works.. but not well at all. Also i've been thinking of some sort of mechanism at the end of the pole so i can swivel the mic up and down like most mic clips.

[rickvanman]

Your setup sounds quite inventive! I'm intreagued! Have you considered making a video about it?

I haven't encountered this unscrewing problem. The videomic tightens up nicely against the nut that's on the bolt, and seems to stay put.

Can you place a nut onto the bolt before screwing on the mic, so the mic tightens against the nut. Or how about adding a locking nut?

Failing that, try adding a couple of rubber washers. You can easily make some out of an old inner-tube.

[Squeakyz]

Hrm yeah, sounds like some good ideas. i'll try them out when i get a chance. I haven't really thought of making tutorial videos, but i would like to as soon as stuff with school slows down so i can breathe again--its not that hard, but sure is time consuming. I think a good idea would be as you said a nut before screwing the mic on, AND then how about another nut on the bolt after the mic is screwed on. that's gotta stay put enough for a day's work. as said, come Summer, i'll be experimenting!

[Squeakyz]

btw i really despise the comment characater count limit. every comment here, i kiss the limit by a couple characters left.

anyways, keep in contact. looking forward to seeing your other inventive ideas.

[CanadianBeaver]

5 Pentagrams.

PEACE and LOVE!

[poppyl90]

cool man!