So you have decided to dabble in the art of film making, and you need the Best Shotgun Mic for film use. With today’s internet success on YouTube, Facebook, and social media sites, why not?
An interesting fact is that Internationally, the box office for films hit $40.6 billion in 2017.
People, in general, are curious and watch almost anything on YouTube today, and the more hits you get, the sooner you will be recognized for your efforts.
What is a Shotgun Mic for Film
A BEST SHOTGUN MIC FOR FILM is a highly guiding mic.
The shotgun mic must be pointed directly at its target sound source for suitable recording; otherwise, the audio recording will be soft and very unclear.
As they use unidirectional microphones, the sound must come directly from the front when sounds move to the sides and rear the sound quality worsens.
When interviewing an individual, then a Shotgun Mic for Film will be what you need to try to isolate the sound coming from a speaker’s mouth.
When shooting outside of a controlled environment, i.e., studio or stage background noise is the biggest problem any sound recordist will and can face. With one of the best shotgun mic for film, consumers have found that they can record dialogue in almost any situation.
Making recording more comfortable, and you don’t have to take as many “takes” of a scene. Thus said, it does mean you will probably need someone to assist with holding a boom pole.
We’re going on a journey to see the best shotgun mic for a film that is designed to be used on-camera but works off-camera as well.
I will give you a guide touching base on
- shotgun mic for DSLR,
- external mic for camcorder,
- best shotgun mic for a camera,
- external mic for a video camera,
- microphone for video production
- Interview shotgun microphones.
There are plenty of usages like in podcasting to field recording, but they get used to their fullest potential on a film set.
When producing a film, the most crucial aspect is the sound quality. Without a shotgun mic, that foley sound of anything dropping to the floor would suffer from too much environmental noise to be useful.
The number one question is what to look for in a shotgun mic?
And that is why I have assembled this guide on the best shotgun microphone for a film.
The first problem when buying a shotgun mic is budget, and there is a wide variety of microphones, and they differ from $100 to thousands of dollars. You need to know what group and range you fall into for your specific need for a Shotgun microphone.
If your budget can’t allow an expensive shotgun and it’s only for use on your DSLR occasionally, there are a few things to consider.
The longer the mic, the better they suppress unintended sounds.
For a camera-mounted mic, it is better to get a long mic that won’t be in your shots when using a wide-angle lens. Another feature to think about is what exactly are you planning on producing.
Let the recording begin
1. Sennheiser MKE Camcorder Shotgun Mic
Excellent quality and sound microphone.
The Sennheiser is with reason no one on our best shotgun mic for a film.
Sennheiser, the brand, is one of the most celebrated manufacturers of grander audio recording devices in the world today.
Slim and unremarkable yet talented at delivering audio that’s been attentive with pin-point precision, It will bring an astounding quality to all of your voice recordings.
The MKE600 gets directed at people who record in a structured environment, i.e., voiceover artists, YouTubers, and podcast hosts should get a kick out of its impeccable sound results.
The Sennheiser MKE Camcorder Shotgun Mic ticks our box
- for on best shotgun mic for DSLR,
- external mic for camcorder,
- shotgun mic for a camera,
- great external mic for a video camera,
- microphone for video production and
- Quality shotgun microphone for interviews.
The essential specifics of this mic is its fabulous focus.
You can expect to hear nothing bar the sound recorded.
Expect a balanced, natural tone with minimal noise interference and excellent concentration.
Pros
- Amazing sound quality.
- Side noise rejection.
- Phantom or battery powered. AA batteries will give you 150hours of recording
- DSLR camera compatible
- Light-weight.
Cons
- a bit pricy if you are on a tight budget $300+ price.
2. Rode NTG Shotgun Microphone
The NTG2 is in the top two of our list as it is
the best shotgun mic for DSLR,
external mic for camcorder,
leading shotgun mic for a camera,
best external mic for a video camera,
prime microphone for video production
and the best shotgun microphone for interviews.
Rode shotgun mics are renowned for two things
- Offering exceptional audio-recording devices that give you the best regardless of their price
- and the best insurance of quality with their 10-year warranty, which leaves no doubt when it comes to their microphones’ quality.
The NTG2 is most famous for best-performance and most cost-effective models that won’t disappoint.
The NTG2 is a comparatively short shotgun mic that thankfully doesn’t suffer from rivals flaws, which are reduced performance when recording from far away.
Recording sound with the NTG2 shotgun mic is nearly indistinguishable from hearing.
Due to exceptional off-axis rejection, sounds that are not appropriate won’t record.
You can assume to hear perfectly coherent and isolated audio even in harsh environments where noise levels can reach 130 decibels.
The durability of the NTG2 assures that you won’t need to worry on bumpy rides or unfavorable weather conditions.
NTG2 gets mounted onto a DSLR camera and used without a stabilizer.
Pros
- Outstanding sound quality
- Tough construction
- Two power sources
- High pass filter
- Can be used on a DSLR
Cons
- Poorly-made windshield
- Has no off switch
3. TascamTM-2X Stereo X-Y mic Shotgun Mic
Does the image stabilization sound that your DSLR camera makes annoy you. The Tascam Tm 2X has been specifically manufactured to address the unwanted sound that comes into your audio.
It isn’t the most visually pleasing of shotgun mics, but the mic is bought for sound quality, not for looks.
You will notice a strange looking extension that screws onto your camera on one end and the mic on the other when seeing your Tascam Tm2X for the first time.
This seclusion arm will abolish the stabilization noises, as it brings the mic into the forefront and away from the camera.
With that infuriation out of the way, you can focus on the audio you want to record. The microphone has two capsules that document along two axes.
Thus letting you emphasize one on the person you’re talking to, while the other can pick up the ambient noise.
The finished result is a delightful recording that places the subject of the gathering in a natural atmosphere.
The TM-2X is compatible with the DSLRs via a hot shoe mount and shares the camera’s battery.
It can be rotated 180 degrees for ideal sound pickup and has a low cut filter that excludes unwanted sounds.
The Tascam TM2X has made our list due to it being the best shotgun mic for DSLR
Pros
- Portability
- Quality and price
- Produces natural-sounding recordings
- Eliminates camera noise
Cons
- Flimsy isolation arm
4. TAKSTAR SGC 598 Interview Microphone
Takstar’s interview shotgun mic makes it no 4 on our best shotgun mic for the film although certainly not as good or durable as other mics we’ve reviewed still has the ability to outshine many onboard mics by a perceptible margin.
As it won’t cost you your life’s savings, it’s the best choice if you are uncertain what kind of an alteration a shotgun mic makes and want to find out.
Sharp-eared fanatics may detect some static, but anyone else probably won’t notice or mind.
The mic’s pickup is cardioid, which is excellent for noise reduction.
The shock mount does away with camera handling noises and cable chafing.
There’s also a convenient feature that lets you increase its output by 10 decibels.
Used properly, it allows you to single out muffled conversations or isolate voices in a crowd.
It needs an AA battery to work, but will do so for 100 hours per battery, making it quite economical.
Pros
- Excellent value for the money
- Good for recording interviews
- Has a +10db boost function
Cons
- Cheap build quality
- Recordings can suffer from static
5. Rodeo VideoMic Go Shotgun Mic
Rode’s entry-level
Lightweight shotgun mic delivers reputable performance for the beginner videographer or anyone that wishes to make a video with sound quality. That is miles better than what they’d get with the onboard audio of their recording device, yet don’t want the bother of lugging around batteries and microphones.
The Rode VideoMic Go got built for just that on the go mobility.
Its body is manufactured from aluminum and coated with a matte black finish.
Weighing in at just 1.5 ounces, it is one of the lightest shotgun mics out there. It does a satisfactory job of isolating the sounds you want to hear, even in windy or congested environments.
You have its shoehorn mount and the Rycote Lyre and included fluffy windshield to thank for that.
The Lyre is a durable shoe mount that helps remove vibration, sounds of you handling the camera, and more.
Pros
- Lightweight and Portable
- Doesn’t depend on internal batteries
- Comes with lots of accessories for the price
Cons
- Overall Quality of sound not so great
What is a BOOM Microphone
Did you know that “The first noted use of a boom mic was on the set of Beggars of Life (1928)?
Wellman wanted a tracking shot of two actors walking down a street, and the sound man refused,
In the most comprehensive of definitions, a boom microphone is a microphone that is attached to a boom (a pole like adaptor).
The term mic boom typically refers to a boom pole that holds a microphone at one end and is held out-of-frame in film settings by a boom handler.
In general, when people in the audio and film industries talk about a boom microphone, they mean the microphone mostly used in video production.
Shotgun boom mics work astoundingly well in the world of film/broadcasting and are not mainly used in other fields that require audio.
This boom microphone has a directional shotgun pattern.
Shotgun Mic Boom pole kit
When purchasing a Rode VideoMic Directional Video Condenser Microphone w/Mount, you will get a microphone working right out the box.
This exceptionally priced eStudioStar expert bundle comes with:
- Rode VideoMic Directional Video Condenser Microphone w/Mount
- accessible MS101 Microphone Stand with Boom
- Hosa MHE-125 1/8 Inch Headphone Extention Cable – 25 foot
- WindTech M-1 5/8″-27 Female to 3/8″-16 Male Thread Adapter
- WindTech MM-4 Mic-Muff Windscreen
Conclusion
A shotgun mic might pick up more noise than a lavalier mic. It also makes your interviewee or actors’ voices come through close and clear.
Shotgun mics are more discreet as they are held over or just outside the frame.
For that reason, shotgun mics (with a boom pole) are usually the ones you’ll hear about being used in story filmmaking.
Expensive shotgun MICs do not inevitably mean that they will be ideal for your project, so get the mic that is specific to your needs.
For those just beginning their filming adventures, I hope that the guide introduced you to some new perceptions that you may not have come across on your own.
The mic is not erogenous. We don’t get the same blast buying a mic as we do a new camera, but it can bump up your video to a new height and is of grave significance. Your sound is what makes the footage fail or not.
The type of microphone is very reliant on the situation you want to create. Ask yourself, what am I looking for in my video podcast solution, live show, or narrative? Use the apparatus that gives you the best in producing the sound you are wanting. A tip if you take your sound audio seriously, audiences will surely take your video seriously.
Go forth and concur with the film industry I hope my guide has assisted in making your decision easier.