PORTABLE BOOM POLE HOLDER (EP.225) 

Very cool! Take BTS of the LA trip!

FWIW, I've been doing sound for 30+ years. I've bought and tried a Ton of these Boom Pole Holders that work this way. I also often do multiple boom interviews where I'll drop 2, 3, 4 shotguns over talent. I ditched all of the special holders Years ago and reverted back to simple Mafer Clamps. The special ones need 2 pieces, the mount in a gobo head. This obviously adds the ability to Tilt. But... A) I rarely ever Want a tilt. The pole is parallel to the ground and I kiss the top of the frame with the tip of the shotguns(s) B) If I need a little tilt down, I loosen the clamp slightly, while it still is Securely holding the pole it can give micro adjustments up to maybe 1ft drop, much faster and easier that adjusting a gobo head. (Using 1 hand rather than 2). C) That Securely Holding part. The 2 part holder/gobo combo systems Dont actually grab the pole. They use gravity and a fulcrum point where the length and weight of the mic & shock mount keep it in place. Until you wanna move it! I build and stage, one or multiple, Stand/Mafer/Boom/Shock-Mount/Shotgun near my audio rig, with the poles fully collapsed. While Cameras and lighting are being set, they're out of the way, but ready to Fly In. I often run XLRs to where the stands are going to land, again Out Of The Way. When Cams, Lights, Monitors, Prompters, Whatever are set, I can fly in, drop the stands (often 1 in each hand), extend the booms to whatever length they need to be, raise the top stand section first, then the next and while loose use the stand to swing and drop the mic head Exacly where it needs to be. (Helps if camera or someone is looking at the monitor to tell me Im in...then out!) Oh and to angle the head I loosten and twist a section of the boom pole (which are usually loose enough anyway). Now with the 'boom mates' I find All of that slow and clunky. The boom's not really attached to the stand, so if you grab the stand, the boom flops around and possibly falls out of its gravity system. So you Shoud take it out, carry the stand and boom in separate hands, then put it back in at the destination. Already inefficient. But then you really have to extend the boom to where you think the length should be, Before mounting it, with the same clunky-ass Angle it just right procedure that Was shown on on the Desktop Demonstration in this video. Except the boom may be Fully extended, and the thing you might bump into is a camera, light, prompter or Worse...Talent. It's already awkward for the Celebrity, Athlete, CEO which are all professionals, but even more for 'Civilians' to have this object being swung in front of thier faces. But when you have to fumble around with it, with everybody on set watching,...idk insert your emotions here. Ive seen tons of sound guys use em, more power to you. But I've never seen anyone convince me why they're Better than a simple Maffer Clamp. (And btw, before these devices, I used and occasionally still use a Cardellini Clamp in a Gobo head. Same control, but much more secure.)

Isn't this what everyone uses ? Ive never seen anyone ever use anything else .