So you've got that nice new camera with an 1/8" phono audio in or even XLR ins and yet you still use the shotgun mic bolted to the camera? Time to step up your production value a touch and here's how to do it for dang near no money.

Get yourself a boom pole! Then you can pick up the dialogue you would not usually get and be more equipped against extraneous noises. The method i have devised here is ridiculously easy and cheap and effective. In fact, if you were on a big film shoot out in the middle of nowhere and someone broke the boom pole, you could easily send a PA to the hardware store to pick up these parts and have a new unit ready in no time.

So here we go. First, pick up a telescoping painter's extension pole of whatever length you think you're going to need: 8-12' for indoor work is usually enough for two-shots and master shots, while 12-24' will keep you covered for anything you'll attempt outside. They range in price from $10US to about $30US and are either made from aluminum or fiberglass. Now, this is the most important thing, the threaded end (where you attach the paint roller frame) has to be made out of regular plastic!

An 8' telescoping aluminum painter's pole.

See there, that's PLASTIC.

There's two other items you have left to pick up. First is something called a "hanger bolt", it's basically a half bolt/half lag screw frankenstein crazy thing that looks like it doesn't know what it's supposed to do. You need to ask for this one specific size (it's common, not at home depot or lowes though, because both of those places are foolish. So stick to actual hardware stores), the size to ask for is 3/8" by 2". Where 3/8" refers to the bolt size (technically it's 3/8" - 16, the 16 refers to the threading, 16 threads per inch) and the 2" refers to the overall length. It looks like this:

Print this out and bring it with you, most people at the hardware store won't know exactly what it is you're asking for. They cost around one dollar US or so.

Lastly, you will just need two 3/8" - 16 (or coarse thread) hex nuts. Just plain old regular hex nuts, they're usually less than a dime each.

(I know you've seen these before.)

OK. Now take out the drill (or have someone else do this for you if you're not comfortable or experienced enough to complete this safely) and grab a 5/16" regular drill bit and drill a hole down the center of the threaded portion like so:

Spin the nuts down the hanger bolt thusly:

And then thread the assembly into the paint pole.

Until it stops and snugs down. Do not over tighten here or you will strip out the plastic and be S.O.L.

Now simply bolt on your shockmount and you're ready to go!

Oh wait. You don't have a shockmount. So get this thing for 8 bucks:

It's the OnStage shockmount, model MY-325 (the 25 in "325" refers to the microphone diameter being 2.5 cm, they also make the MY-320, and the MY-330, so measure your shotgun and buy accordingly). You can find it cheapest through these guys.

"But wait! That says that i need standard 5/8" - 27tpi mic stand threading to attach this to my new boomstick! Howzit gonna whirk for me!?" you may blurt out. Whelp, you're correct. so you also have to get one of these bad boys.

WOW! A thread adapter! And it's only like seven bucks!

Now get as much XLR cable as you're ever going to want to use (and an XLR to 1/8" phono or what have you adapter if you need it) and you're set to jet.

I look forward to seeing (and finally hearing) your films!

-Jerkwater