Question about video recording and microphones from a COMPLETE rookie

[El_Mero_Mero]

I recently got a Kodak Zi8. Its not new, but it was free. All I'm trying to do is eventually do interviews on the street of people. I don't want to appear in the shot. How do people that do these kind of videos on Youtube work. Matter of fact, even if I was in the shot like a Vitaly, how does he work? Does he just wear a lapel mic? And how is the sound being picked up by that mic, transmitted to the camera (I know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about video recording, but I'm trying to learn).

Ideally, although it would look tacky and be annoying, I'd like to stop someone on the street, ask him if I can ask 1-2 minutes of questions for something which may appear on Youtube, and just start shooting. I don't want to hold the camera though, cause it'll be shaky, so I guess I'd just set up a tripod. Also, the device wouldn't be able to pick up a good enough recording by itself, and obviously the person is not going to stand in closer, cause then their heads would be cut off, so would I ask the person to wear a lapel mic, or put some kind of weird protruding mic into the mic jack. If the lapel mic has a wire connected to the mic jack of my device, wouldn't it look weird and unnatural that the subject can't move around too much for fear of knocking my camera down?

Help me out with some input here folks, or please direct me to somewhere that'll take pity on me so that I can ask them.

 

[El_Mero_Mero]

Upping...


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[Tetris v2.0]

Lapel mics, I wouldnt personally use for street footage, but they're definitely an investment down the line.

Basically, you need one of these

Its connected to the audio jack on the camera, and the dude monitors the levels with the headphones. If he keeps a bit of distace and aims the boom at the person speaking, it should eliminate most or all of the unwanted noise

 

[Tetris v2.0]

This guy actually attached a shotgun mic to that camera you got. Maybe something to look into, the shotgun mics will naturally gravitate to human voice and can pick up sounds a few feet away.

Might wanna read this
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/indepth/audio/buying-guides/shotgun-microphones

 

[daze23]

Lapel mics, I wouldnt personally use for street footage, but they're definitely an investment down the line.

Basically, you need one of these

Its connected to the audio jack on the camera, and the dude monitors the levels with the headphones. If he keeps a bit of distace and aims the boom at the person speaking, it should eliminate most or all of the unwanted noise

that takes another person though

the easiest thing would probably be a traditional handheld mic

 

[El_Mero_Mero]

I def. can't carry a big mic like that. It's supposed to be more natural, spontaneous, man-on-the-street style interviews. Its not supposed to look like a production or make the subject nervous like that big mic would.

I'm trying to avoid having the subject hold or be seen with a microphone. That may be a last resort though where I have them hold the mic on their own.

Tetris, I'll check out that video you posted soon.

 

[daze23]

I def. can't carry a big mic like that. It's supposed to be more natural, spontaneous, man-on-the-street style interviews. Its not supposed to look like a production or make the subject nervous like that big mic would.

I'm trying to avoid having the subject hold or be seen with a microphone. That may be a last resort though where I have them hold the mic on their own.

Tetris, I'll check out that video you posted soon.

I mean, you're gonna be pointing a camera at them, and you're talking about setting up a tripod. the "big mic" gonna make them nervous, but you expect them to wear a lapel mic?

 

[El_Mero_Mero]

I get what're you're saying. I guess I'm just looking at this as: Walk up on someone with a mini camcorder, and mini-tripod, ask them for at most 3-5 minutes of their time. Record and then move on to the next person. Not trying to draw attention or make it seem more important than it is as I'll be working solo and don't have any actual training or education.

Speaking of which, I'll be getting a proper camcorder in 2014, so if anyone knows any good ebooks or video links that'll teach me some techniques that I'd learn somewhere like NYU Film school, than I'd rather save the money and self-teach, so please pass those along.

I only mentioned them wearing a lapel mic (after some quick online research, as I said, I don't know this world and it seems like a mountain to climb)), as these things will be done in the streets, and I figure that with the surrounding noise, it would be difficult to hear the subject using just the camera's internal mic.

 

[El_Mero_Mero]

For example brehs,



what is the set-up like here in these kind of videos? One dude holding a camera at a distance, but where are the mics? Are they lapels? Or what are they, and how does it sync up to what's being filmed?

 

[daze23]

For example brehs,



what is the set-up like here in these kind of videos? One dude holding a camera at a distance, but where are the mics? Are they lapels? Or what are they, and how does it sync up to what's being filmed?

he's probably got a 'hidden' mic on him. notice often you can barely hear the other person

 

[El_Mero_Mero]

word, I would probably need to get a couple of videos under my belt first before I can ask people on the street to feel comfortable about letting some strange guy mic them up

 

[Notorious 1 E.Y.E.]

For example brehs,



what is the set-up like here in these kind of videos? One dude holding a camera at a distance, but where are the mics? Are they lapels? Or what are they, and how does it sync up to what's being filmed?

he either has a lavaliere tucked somwhere or theyer using a shotgun mic somewhere

its synced in post production

 

[Notorious 1 E.Y.E.]

you should get a zoom recorder/mic and a handy cam if you wanna do stret interviews

idk how well that Kodak will serve u for what your trying to do

 

[El_Mero_Mero]

Like I said, I don't know anything about this field. What WILL the Kodak serve me for then if not "street interviews". I have a handy cam, but its not HD, and if its not HD these days you can't fukk with it because people will notice a difference.

Tell me about zoom recorder/mic. What makes it special?

Also, you think its easy to learn how to sync stuff later in post production? Like, what someone like me (novice) be able to learn how to do it after a day of messing around on iMovie?