Lavalier Mics

Lavalier Microphones

About Lavaliers:

Lavalier Microphones are also known as a lavalier, lav, lapel mic, personal mic, collar mic, or even a neck mic. A microphone is an instrument for converting sound waves into electrical energy variations, which may then be amplified, transmitted, or recorded. Specifically, a lavaier microphone is a small microphone that attaches to a subject in order to allow that person to have their hands free while they are talking. It is used when the normal aesthetic of a visual microphone is not wanted, typically in movies, tv shows, theaters, and even in public speaking applications. Usually the microphone is attached to a small clip that allows someone to clip it onto their shirt or jacket. Some lapel mics can be wireless, however, they are expensive so most people use ones with wires. The wire can easily be hidden under the speakers shirt or jacket or can be manipulated so it is not in the frame of the camera shot.

History:

The lapel microphone dates all the way back to 1932 and the device ranged from suspended microphones on a belt around the neck in 1941, and telephone operators and air traffic controllers using microphones that rested on the chest and were secured by a strap around the neck. In the 1950s, some microphone models were officially designed to be hung on a string around the neck.Some of the mics were made with condenser diaphragms, ribbons, moving coils, and carbon buttons. The name comes from a small microphone that could be hooked into the buttonhole of the lapel of a coat. The term lavalier originally referred to a pendant worn around the neck. Its use as the name of a type of microphone dates from the early 1960s.

How do mics work:
https://youtu.be/PE6Qn4ZiEyo

Work Log:
Monday: watched a few youtube documentaries on ADD
Tuesday: Worked on question sheets for interviewees
Wednesday: Worked with lavalier microphone on camera
Thursday: Worked on question sheet for interviewees again
Friday: Storyboarded B-Roll footage ideas