Karaoke Documentary Captured with Three Sennheiser MKE 300 Mics

Old Lyme, Conn. -- Director/subjects Gabriel Levitt and JudithSchlieper used MKE 300 camera-mounted shotgun microphones for thefilming of Three: Open Mic Night in America. The documentaryexplores the tension between a musical life of freedom andself-expression and a "responsible" life of income and commitment bytracking three twentysomethings (going on thirtysomethings) as theyplay open-mic nights across the country in a final attempt atjump-starting their music careers. Because music and candid commentaryfigure so centrally to its success, Schlieper selected the microphoneswith care.

In contrast to the marathon scene arrangements of traditionalfilmmaking, documentarians eschew any setup time at all. Of course, thereality of the moment dissolves away when a cameraperson stopseverything to switch microphones. Further, with no crew to speak of, aboom operator was out of the question. So her charge was clear:Schlieper had to find a camera-mounted microphone that would reliablydeliver high-end audio in any situation that the cameraperson found himor herself in.

She opted for three Sennheiser MKE 300 microphones, one for each ofthree cameras that the participants would use (one Canon XL1 and twoCanon GL1s). Designed specifically to fit on a camera's flash mount andtuned for an optimal onscreen pickup pattern, the MKE 300 is providingthe sort of transparent audio Schlieper sought. Added extras includethe virtual elimination of handling noise via state-of-the-art capsulemounting and battery life in excess of 200 hours.

"Having worked for WashingtonPost.com, I had occasion to use the MKE300 before we set out to do Three," Schlieper said. "Itintegrates wonderfully with the camera -- it becomes an extension ofit. The audio quality is superb and the pickup pattern is just right.It's not so focused that you lose ambience, and yet it's not so widethat you lose oncamera detail. The MKE 300 is the perfect microphonefor this application."

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