Why you should budget for a boom operator on your video productions?
While not every video content type requires a dedicated boom op or A2, there are plenty of video productions that are not feasible at all without or at least not without sacrificing quality and speed on set. While possible to operate as a single person sound department as camera movement, talent blocking, time constraints, or complexity of workflow requirements for sound increases; So does the need for a dedicated boom operator. I get not every production has the need or budget for hiring a boom operator, but it’s worth having realistic expectations about what is possible without. I’d encourage producers to consider when it makes sense to budget for a boom op on their productions!
Not having a boom op is akin to the director of photography not having an assistant camera to help them. While it may make sense for certain smaller simpler shoots for the DoP to also operate and pull their own focus, there are limits to what can be done as a single person. As such, not having a boom op on my team can have deep impacts on the level of complexity that can be achieved or the speed and quality of work possible.
Quality of Work
Putting yourself in the shoes of boom op, it takes two hands to boom…now strap 15 pounds of audio gear to your chest and ask yourself if you can both operate the boom and effectively mix at the same time. Yeah, I didn’t think so.
When trying to boom and mix simultaneously your hands and attention is divided and you can only focus so much one one over the other. As a result, either the booming, mixing, or both suffers. While this may be good enough for some types of content, that doesn’t mean it is ideal. However if you budget for a dedicated boom op then both the sound mixer & boom op can both deliver a higher level of work that impacts the end results of your production.
Speed of Work
As a single person department it can sometimes be hard to keep pace with a fully staffed camera and G&E departments. Whether it is loading in & out, micing people efficiently, or setting up large amounts of gear, all these go faster with more hands. I’ve had shoots that I couldn’t have gotten setup in the allowed time window without an A2. Inversely I’ve had shoots when I asked for a boom op I was told it’s not in the budget and the pace of the shoot meant I couldn’t keep up as a solo operator.One example, the shoot was explained to me as a bunch of quick locked off interviews….what was left out was a fully staffed camera department on a dolly and lighting all on rolling stands rotating around a factory getting a unique setup for each interviewee with a rapid fire pace. They were set and ready to roll before I could even get the mic off the last interviewee let alone mic the next subject.
Often when working with high profile talent (like celebrity athletes) their availability window is extremely limited and if you don’t get what you need in that time window you are out of luck. Having a dedicated boom op ensures there are no slow downs and more can get done at a higher level in a tighter window. It’s simply not worth the risk to not have a dedicated boom op in these kinds of scenarios.
Complexity of Work
As the complexity of production goes up so does the need for help. There are a lot of different types of content with vastly different audio needs. Whether dealing with complex camera and talent blocking, managing large amounts of equipment, or running hundreds of feet of cable, sometime the sound mixer just needs support to ensure a complex shoot goes smoothly. Having done several comedy specials for major streaming platforms, we don’t always get a dedicated tech prep day to do an install and test the system. Having someone that can simply take some of the workload off keeps complex setups going smoothly.
Contending with Camera Movement & Talent Blocking
Contending with complex camera movement and talent blocking can make it difficult to effectively boom even when you don’t have audio gear strapped to your chest; Let alone with. Even with single talent on screen this can be a challenge while trying to capture high quality dialog with movement and doing this while staying out of frame or without casting shadows from lighting. Without a boom op, you are sacrificing quality and having to rely heavier on lower quality wireless lavaliers (which come with their own set of challenges). If the shoot relies heavily on steadicam, dolly, technocrane, or other camera movement, than it can absolutely benefit from a dedicated boom op.
Client Experience & Impressions
While not relevant to a large chunk of productions, some productions and clients expect to see where their money is going beyond just delivering a higher level of production value. Having an exceptional client experience and seeing a crew work at a larger scale can go a long way for a client’s impression of your company. Sitting at video village in front of monitors with listening in with IFB headsets while seeing the production unfolding in front of them can be a powerful experience for premium clients.
Budgeting for A Boom Op
When it comes to budgeting for a boom op or A2, expect to pay a day rate close to the same range as the production sound mixer’s rate (labor only) or around the same as what you would pay for an first assistant camera. Beyond the boom op’s labor, there may be a negligible bump in cost for sound equipment because of going wireless on the boom and a communication system for the op. I’m also always happy to work up a custom quote for you
Hiring A Boom Op
There is little extra work on the producers side, once the job is confirmed with your mixer, they will hire a boom op on your behalf for the shoot and provide contact info for the call sheet. Whoever you work with as your production sound mixer should have working relationships with boom ops or A2s that they can trust to bring on your production.
