I recently had the pleasure of photographing an interview with Indira Naidoo, an Australian journalist, turned writer and very inspirational speaker.

Clickity-click I went (well, silently anyway) and felt I had coverred some of the subjects many expressions so my journalist could choose the one that best suited his angle.

Only afterwards did it dawn on me, I had missed the perfect opportunity for a short video interview. We are not a TV station, but we do have an online presence, something that gets a lot more room and allows a diversity of output to deliver our news. What we can do, that the TV guys generally don’t, is a longer, more intimate sit down interview with lesser known locals.

It had all the elements. Clear questions answered in an articulalte and engaging maner, in a semi-controlled environment with decent (ish) light and background and in the perfect time frame of 2-3 minutes.

What went wrong?

Lets ignore the obvious one, an unprepared photographer not thinking outide the box and look at technical things.

I still need to take stills images, so I would have needed a small tripod or handy table to rest the video cam.

I did have some basic mics, but would have liked to have had something better like the F1 and SSH-6, a LAV or a condenser boomed.

Lighting is often an issue, but maybe one that I need not worry too much about.

So, a tripod.

I have a smaller Velbon Sherpa tripod with a very basic monopod head that I use for video. It is normal length three section unit and light, but sturdy and tall enough. Maybe a smaller one would be good, something I can strap to or maybe even put inside a bag? The minimum length (10-12cm) with a decent maximum (50cm+) is hard, but there are tons of options around so we will see.

The other, much simpler option to the tripod dynamic is to simply shoot stills, then do the video, then get some more stills again. Stills and B-roll can be used to make up a more interesting video than just the straight interview.

Option three, an option favoured by the other photographers, is to record sound separately, then shoot B-Roll for fill with stills. The problem with this is any synching of sound that is in line with the interview, but interrupted.

I do have a little Manfrotto table top tripod and maybe a monopod for the video rig to free up my right hand.

Sound?

For mics, I decided to get the one that has been hovering for a while, the Sennheisser MKE-400. This is basically the same sound quality as other similarly priced mics, but has an “X” factor. It is small and compact with a built in shock bracket and is surrounded by its own wind shock/pop filter “blimp”. It also has a forward facing cable socket, is self powered with a low pass and gain controls.

Compared to similar mics like the D3 Diety or various Rodes, it is smaller, more robust and far more convenient to use, while providing similar sound quality (less bass-muffled than many). As a Domke bag user, it is ideal for a front or side pocket.

My F1 and SSH-6 combo is still the better option for more controlled setups especially when some degree of ambient sound is desired*, but assembled it is really long (long-lens long) and quite deep with the shock mount connected and I am not keen on continually dis-assembling it between jobs as I want to avoid excessive handling.

This gives me a balanced approach. One semi-studio kit for big static set-ups when I am using a dedicated video kit and one for run and gun out of my day bag, but I will also add the H1n for environmental sound recording and backup. Both run off AAA batts, so logistically they are handily aligned.

Basically I have too many mics now, the lovely Lewitts are yet to be employed regularly, but I hope they will soon get a run with some drama recordings, otherwise, my two lives seem to have all other opportunities covered. The thing I have realised too late about sound is, it is easy to get up to a good standard for most uses, but anything more is often wasted. My maximum sound recording potential is probably now at the equivalent of 4k vision, but like 4k few output sources can tell the difference. My 1080p grade sound equivalent is probably going to be the MKE-400.

I have a few really good little shotgun mics so why another? Basically the quality, which is a level up (the MKE-200 is more their equivalent and noticeably thinner sounding than the 400) and form factor. The Neewer mini shotgun for example, with a rycote, wind muff etc is actually as big, but sacrifices some quality and is less robust.

Lighting?

It is easy enough to carry a small LED panel, just enough to add some contrast to a flat scene, but this needs a stand or clamp, which is another hurdle. If I can get a small and light weight tripod that fits in a small bag, then maybe one of my very light light stands and a 176 LED would do? Off angle, they are enough to at least reduce flat light and light very dark spaces. It can even be camera mounted, but I would rather more control.

If this becomes a thing, I may get something like the battery operated mini Aperture Amaran 60x light I came across recently and a little soft box (which I have), maybe some of the little Smallrig/Lume cube or Joby mini box lights or a bigger LED.

Thinking outside the obvious, probably to the more obvious, I could use reflectors, diffusers etc.

Like a lot of things, this runs the risk of getting out of hand, so first step, a good hand held rig, then the tripod and light option as a “step up”, then maybe more, but as I can actually go full on, it needs to be looked at as a series of logical steps. I am a bit sick of finding solutions to problems that may not exist or I may already have answers for.

*I did look at the MKE 440, a stereo shorgun option, but decided that the MKE 400 is more practical and does not risk cutting the zoom outfit out of the picture as an all too easy option. I have two X/Y, a pair of condensers and several shotguns, so another option is not needed. Balance.