Boom operating

When it comes to getting a job in the film industry in sound, your most likely not going to get sound designer right off the bat, you might get editor, recording mixer, or even a boom operator.

What is a boom operator? A boom op for short is responsible for capturing the dialogue of the film on set. This can be quite difficult because they have to find the best position for the microphone to capture the dialogue without getting in the way of the camera operators or actors. Most people can think this of as a very easy job, but I beg to differ. I have done a few boom op jobs so far and it requires a lot of patience and upper body strength as well as being nimble on your feet and being self-aware at all times.

The reason why you need the upper body strength isn’t because the boom pole and mic are heavy, it’s because you have to be holding them in positions for a long time that can get very tiring. You also need to be good to talking to people because sometimes you may need to voice out your opinion to a director, he might not know that they was something in the audio that was unusable so you have to be able to communicate that without causing any trouble or getting angry if they ignore you.

Some key skills to have as boom op include:

·      Excellent aural skills

·      Good physical condition and stamina

·      A good memory

·      Patience

·      Flexibility

·      Attention to detail