Every year a local music store has a sale where music stands are under $20 (and microphones for equally great prices). Now, my band had moved on by the time I got in on these sales, but my mom purchased two for me when I headed off to film school. I now have six microphone stands but I have only used them to hold a microphone once.
But I have used them many times in my productions. In this E-Note I will share five uses for a microphone stand that you can use in your productions.
The following are all things I have done in my productions with mic stands. There are, of course, many more uses just waiting to be discovered and implemented. If you come up with something you would like to share, hop over the Forums and let others know about it.
1. A light stand. Instead of shelling out for film lights, if you purchase bulbs with clamp holders you still need something to attach them to. A mic stand is an inexpensive yet sturdy solution.
2. A C-Stand. These stands hold scrims, cookies, diffusion, flags, and just about anything else you need held. Unfortunately they cost $100-150 a piece. A mic stand can hold things too, and for a lot less on sale.
3. A script holder. If you don't have a music stand to hold scripts for voice overs you can attach your script pages to a mic stand arm which can be placed at a comfortable level for your voice actor.
4.While on the subject of Voice Overs, you can also use two or three mic stands to make a simple sound booth. Sure, it won't be sound proof, but setting up mic stands around your VO setup with the arms out and draping a blanket over them will help keep the sound from bouncing off things and back into the mic. This will help your sound quality. And don't think this is a student film technique. I first learned this trick at a professional studio.
5. If you have an interview but don't have a nice looking backdrop, a couple of mic stands do great at holding up a bolt of cloth or blanket.
Tip of the Month: Rather than spending money on things that other filmmakers have, figure out how to make do with what you have. There will be plenty of time later on to spend money. Don't be hasty to whip out your wallet.
