Microphones and working with small objects...

[BTM]

Hey guys, I got two questions or subjects to ask about.  I had this crazy idea the other day of doing skits using my old Battle Beast figures as the "actors".  (Yeah, I kind of "borrowed" the idea from DC vs Marvel Happy Hour, so sue me.) 

Anyway, shot some test footage and found it's really hard to move those guys without my hands appearing in the shot, not to mention getting a CLEAR view of these guys with my camera (granted, my camera's designed more for pictures than movies, but still..)

For the problem of moving them, I came up with two ideas I'm going to try... thinking of making something to put each individual figure on, like maybe a flat stick of wood with some clay or something on the bottom to stick their feet so then when I want to move them I can just pull the stick a bit (and of course, film them with just the feet cut off so one one seems it.)

Dunno if I should try a side stick, or try and made something "T Bar" shaped and them the figure on the top so I can move it around like a puppet or something...

What do you guys think?  Or, if anyone else has a suggestion, I'd love to hear it.  I suppose I could probably get most of it down with just the characters standing still and do a lot editing to suggest movement (not motion capture mind, but just switching angles and stuff) but I have couple of gags plan where I'm going to need the figures to be able to "walk" and stuff.

My second humbler question is does anyone know a good brand of microphone I can get that'll plug into my computer to record voice stuff with?  Got a cheapo from Wal-Mart, but the quality on it sucks...

Well, any thought or ideas I'd appreciate.

Thanks!

[ds21]

Hmm... perplexing problem, pal.

Let's see... ever seen Thomas the Tank Engine (yes, I was a kid once)?  Most of it is done with stills, with some occasinal movement when needed.  Using mostly stills would help cut down a lot of problems, give your film a style of its own (as long as it's entertaining and voice acting is decent).  When you need to have movement, the stick idea is probably best.  My own suggestion would be to use wire instead, and possibly paint the wire the color of your backtound.  Making the wire able to be detached would also be good, since then you could use your hand in shots where you don't need the wire.

Finally, you do have some sort of video editing software, right?

hope this helps.

[Jim H]

You could try doing stop-motion, though that will make it a lot more work - and it is very hard to blend with non-stop motion moving sequences.

As far as the mic, it really depends on your budget.  To get into the "very good" range, you'll be looking at about $100.  A couple of suggestions there are the Samson C03U. 

http://www.amazon.com/Samson-SAC03UCW-Multi-pattern-Condenser-Mic/dp/B000EZKZMY/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1233603668&sr=8-1

Or the Audio-Technica AT2020.

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT2020USB-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B001AS6OYC/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1233603803&sr=8-2

There are others a bit cheaper, like this Samson Q1UC.  For a pretty solid mic like this, you're looking at the $50 range at a minimum really.  You might see a discounted one as low as $30-$40 though.

http://www.amazon.com/Samson-Q1UCW-Handheld-Cakewalk-Creator/dp/B000WNK88O/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1233603803&sr=8-13

[BTM]

Dammit, turns out clay is NO good.  It's not sticky enough and plus it leaves a bit of a STAIN on the plastic.  Have to try something else.. maybe that putty stuff the use to put posters on the wall. 

Wish I could find that left over fishing thread... I'd try that...

[Jim H]

You mean to use as wires?  You can try monofilament, which is basically fishing line.  Pretty cheap stuff, you can find it at department stores, etc.  It shows up more on video than you might expect though, so you have to be careful with it if you don't want it seen...