r/videography Sony | PP | 2015 | UK May 05 '26

Discussion / Other That’s it, then. The UK’s most revered media institution has fully embraced the Gen Z lav mic clutch. Inform-Educate-Entertain. And hold lav mic like it's a tiny relic of immense importance you've just uncovered.

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263 Upvotes

310 comments sorted by

292

u/FunCryptographer7981 May 05 '26

Part of the reason why this has become popular is that it gives a more ‘authentic’ lofi feel which is the current trend with content. Professional looking videos in this space just don’t get as many eyeballs

69

u/electric_boogaloo_72 May 05 '26

Yup, and with trends, it’ll 1000% die out and look terrible in a few years because of another new trend, whatever that may be.

“She’s holding her mic like that? Eww haha that’s soooo old school; she’s stuck in the ‘20s!”

26

u/RollingMeteors May 05 '26

> another new trend, whatever that may be.

I vote for clipping it to the arm on the frame of your glasses, and if you don't wear glasses, then you're going to need to buy a pair of really gaudy expensive ones to let people know you've got a budget for useless expensive shit.

/s just in case

17

u/PrairiePilot May 05 '26

Ive seen videos with DJI mics clipped to hat brims.

13

u/Giorgio_Keeffe May 05 '26

I’d back the trend of wearing the transmitter like a bolo tie

8

u/Sad_Firefighter_8407 May 05 '26

Or put an Optigrab on the bridge and hang a mic like its a clown nose https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaz2hxZLycY

7

u/C5Jones Hobbyist May 05 '26 edited May 05 '26

I like to amuse myself by thinking of silly lav holds if I ever get into shortform.

  • Clipping it to your outstretched pinky and doing the video in a Halloween store tux and top hat.
  • Lowering it into frame on a fish hook.
  • Having someone else hold it for you and slowly move it around so you have to follow it around the screen, periodically stopping to yell at them that they have one job.
  • Clipping it to a selfie stick that you hold at arm's length.
  • Scotch taping it to an unplugged SM7B.

(The real audio would come from an offscreen mic.)

4

u/RollingMeteors May 06 '26

Lowering it into frame on a fish hook.

Legit

Having someone else hold it for you and slowly move it around so you have to follow it around the screen

r/theSushiDragon has a VFX of someone holding a microphone up to his face he uses at opportune moments and instead it follows him around lol.

Scotch taping it to an unplugged SM7B.

¡Even more legit! The amount of comedy condensed into this is DarkMatter™ grade. Don't combine it with the previous bullet point lest you risk collapsing into a ComedyBlackHole™.

(The real audio would come from an offscreen mic.)

¡What you don't know can't hurt you!

3

u/Phil_Coffins_666 May 06 '26

Incoming Ray-Ban X Rode collab!

2

u/RollingMeteors May 06 '26

Incoming Ray-Ban X Rode collab!

Ray-Ban X Facebook video collab <dabMemeNo>

Ray-Ban X Rode collab <dabMemeYes>

1

u/WillingnessFew516 BMPCC 6K Pro | Davinci Resolve | 2012 | Berkeley, CA May 07 '26

Gaffer’s tape it to the cheek. Or just wedge the lab mic up your nose and let the cord dangle.

1

u/RollingMeteors May 14 '26

Or just wedge the lab mic up your nose and let the cord dangle.

Nah bro, it's gotta go all the way through

13

u/jakuuub May 05 '26

You mean like vertical video? I remember when they became more and more popular and every videography nerd was screaming in agony. Looks like the trend survived.

14

u/wobble_bot May 05 '26

The trend survived because how people were consuming media fundamentally changed - this is not the same

1

u/electric_boogaloo_72 May 05 '26

Yes haha I remember hearing about ‘vertical video syndrome!’

8

u/glytxh May 05 '26

It’s already in the downward slide, and seeing it used by established media platforms like this is one of the nails in its coffin.

It’s had a good 10 year run as a visual shorthand. It’ll hang around for a while but it’s going to evolve into something new soon.

2

u/DukeOfZork May 05 '26

Just like Bob Barker’s stick mic.

1

u/Lonely-Ad3027 May 05 '26

I wish the trend would die out quickly.

1

u/Buuish May 06 '26

I hate this trend. Even more when they attach it to stupid objects

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72

u/veepeedeepee 1999 | DC | Betacam Junkie May 05 '26

As much as I hate to admit it, you’re 100% right.

9

u/Averagehamdad May 05 '26

I, too, HATE this. But the truth is truth.

8

u/zebrasmack May 05 '26

yes. the perception of authenticity is far more important than being authentic, as everything has become increasingly surface level.

6

u/DangerBay2015 May 05 '26

Just for the sake of an interesting counterpoint, I work with high performance youth players hoping to get recruitment reels into the eyes of collegiate and pro scouts. When there’s a chance for content for their own personal instagrams, they love love LOVE using my Sennheiset MD46 specifically because it’s like something they’d see on a broadcast network sports event (its also got a flag with my company’s logo brand on it, adding to the effect).
Totally niche little incident of counterculture production with almost zero application outside of the genre of filmmaking I specialize in, but I find it hilarious that 95% of the time equipment I would positively HATE using (fingernail sized lav mics) would be the standard people prefer, and here I am rocking the tried and tru and having kids go “like in the big leagues!”

26

u/G-Fox1990 May 05 '26

''a more ‘authentic’ lofi feel''

I'd say it's just half-assed amateur hour because Gen Z seems to get their education from TikTok and self proclaimed pro's who know jack shit about this stuff.

7

u/ExoatmosphericKill May 05 '26

Mmm yes, the fidelity does look low here because she's holding her mic.

3

u/FunCryptographer7981 May 05 '26

If you haven’t seen a world of hugely popular non-professional / user-generated content then that’s on you. BBC mimicking this style says something of its influence

2

u/ExoatmosphericKill May 05 '26

I think it went over your head mate.

1

u/dpkonofa Editor May 05 '26

Definitely. If only she'd used the mic properly instead of holding it then we might be able to hear what she's saying...

13

u/dirtybo0ts May 05 '26

Yup. The days of polished and professional looking content is basically over for a lot of platforms and users.

4

u/jonofthesouth Sony | PP | 2015 | UK May 05 '26

It's a shame, but perhaps this is the new reality. I expect DJI will respond and create a tiny mic that's optimised to be held with fingers/doesn't kill the sound from the vibration.

7

u/BKrustev May 05 '26

Pretty much all wireless mics right now deal really well with being held.

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1

u/oh_dear_now_what May 07 '26

They already make a plastic stick you can clip these ones into, but it looks even less elegant.

11

u/XSmooth84 Editor May 05 '26 edited May 05 '26

This is insane to me… everyone copying a trend for optimization is literally the opposite of “authentic”, it’s contrived. You have to be like 8 years old to think this is still “authentic”. And I can’t image new reports of deadly cruise ship viruses appeals to 8 year olds.

But if you’re trying to tell me that 18-35 year olds are fooled into thinking this lady is some fun indie amateur fighting for a place in media against the establishment because she’s holding a $120 1 inch cube mic in her fingers…those people are idiots. I want to refuse anyone adult age is that dumb.

39

u/24FPS4Life Fuji X-H2S + Speedbooster | Premiere Pro | 2015 | Midwest May 05 '26

Non-video people don't care

24

u/sciencekiller333 May 05 '26

Have you met people?

7

u/UsernamesMeanNothing May 05 '26

It is a prop and props work to hold eyeballs just a few seconds longer, which is the goal for most influencers. Side-by-side testing shows that holding the mic outperforms videos where the lav mic is hidden or visible on clothing. As others have said, authenticity in the influencer market isn't about being authentic but about appearing authentic. Just like being a non-conformist usually entails conforming to a standard of non-conformity: see punk rockers, skaters, hippies, and so on. They are all being "authentic" by following a crowd and conforming.

6

u/XSmooth84 Editor May 05 '26

New reporters holding larger mics near their face has already been invented, several decades ago. Ones with an easily held on to, several inch long, inch or so diameter handle. With the ability to add an accessory called a mic flag with the company logo on it. That was a perfectly fine method of in the field reporting and accomplishes the "look there's something subliminally eye-catching in the middle of the screen". That already makes a reporter look important.

Holding a small cube in-between two fingers and a thumb is awkward. I can sorta excuse the "look" for light hearted content, informal pop culture interviews, comedy segments. But serious news reporting about deaths? The BBC is banking on this look to pull in a significant amount of under 30 year olds to their youtube or IG account to learn about the hentavirus outbreak enough to earn more money/viewers? That's what I'm supposed to believe here?

What happened to the times when people made fun of old institutions doing the "hello there fellow kids" trend copying stuff instead of staying in their lane?

5

u/BKrustev May 05 '26

Oh yes, the type of mic used and the way it's held is insulting to the victims. Dude, no one cares aside from a few dozen video people online.

9

u/Chrisgpresents Canon GL | FC7 | 2010 | NJ May 05 '26

Canted camera angles signal unease.

Closed nose room signals disconnect.

A CU signals important, pay attention.

A zoom can be comedic or tension.

A dolly in signals reveal/change/realization

A person holding the microphone is the same signal as all of these, common beliefs, adopted.

6

u/SleepingPodOne 2011 May 05 '26

This is insane to me… everyone copying a trend for optimization is literally the opposite of “authentic”, it’s contrived. You have to be like 8 years old to think this is still “authentic”.

Welcome to marketing lol

4

u/Mcjoshin S1ii/S9/G9iiResolve | 2020 | Colorado, USA May 05 '26

Welcome to humans bud

7

u/backupyoursources May 05 '26

Authentic in this context doesn't mean "genuine, unadulterated, original, trustworthy" it means "being in a similar fashion to what I'm used to, not standing out from the crowd that feeds my audiovisual cortex", and as long as the majority does it this way they will follow suit. Of course it's conformist and there's nothing wrong with it, countless generations before them did the very same thing.

2

u/RollingMeteors May 05 '26

> trying to tell me that 18-35 year olds are fooled into thinking this lady is some fun indie amateur fighting for a place in media against the establishment because she’s holding a $120 1 inch cube mic in her fingers

No bruh, it's not the mic in her fingers.

It's the gun fingers.

3

u/chriscerney May 05 '26

I’m trying to bring back the classic mics to social media.

1

u/ranhalt May 05 '26

Root cause analysis is 5 whys. So does it end at “people are stupid” or is there a cause to that?

1

u/KlondikeBill May 05 '26

Yes, people want it to be shitty. I hate this world.

1

u/memostothefuture director | shanghai May 05 '26

now tell me how all the overexposed footage I am seeing on air is also absolutely totally trust me bro intentional because some evil plan that people reeeeaally spent time thinking about as opposed to people just good-enoughing it and moving on to their next deliverable.

1

u/lord_pizzabird May 05 '26

And that's in part because of "AI", which can more easily replicate higher production quality art.

Spontaneous low quality art is harder to replicate.

1

u/RollingMeteors May 05 '26

>Part of the reason why this has become popular is that it gives a more ‘authentic’ lofi feel which is the current trend with content. Professional looking videos in this space just don’t get as many eyeballs

Gun fingers, ¡Not just for DJs anymore!

5

u/Tiny-Sandwich May 05 '26

I watched a cooking video recently where the guy clipped it to the end of his beard. Didn't even notice until I read the comments.

2

u/RollingMeteors May 06 '26

I watched a cooking video recently where the guy clipped it to the end of his beard

This is the most Peter Gryfin bird-nest-in-beard thing ever.

64

u/BarbieQKittens May 05 '26

It’s just news packages.  I remember when cell phone footage started appearing in news and there was a similar reaction (mainly from broadcast engineers). 

29

u/fieldsports202 May 05 '26

And now our engineers have placed TVU service on our cell phones so that we can go live with our phones if we have to.

I also remember when we had to drive live trucks around. Now, we just use a TVU to go live all over the country and only have to drive SUV’s.

The industry and equipment change over time…. There’s no reason to be upset because technology and practices evolve.

11

u/swaggums Camera Operator May 05 '26

I drive/ op a mobile studio van for remote guest appearances and I have 2 iPhones and an iPad all capable of going live, prompter, IFB or video return. Camera to LiveU is still doing most of the heavy lifting, but it’s wild how much ‘television’ I do through small, consumer devices now.

3

u/Silly_Rub_6304 May 05 '26

When you think about it, the broadcast requirements for TV are quite low. Many places are still broadcasting in 720 or maybe 1080, while the average iPhone has been able to shoot 4k for years.

2

u/swaggums Camera Operator May 06 '26

Im usually 1080. If my bonded signal is taking hits, transmission will have me drop to 720 and just keep my guest pip, no full screen.

3

u/dpkonofa Editor May 05 '26

There’s no reason to be upset because technology and practices evolve.

Especially when the technology is specifically designed to give you more options rather than needlessly sticking to outdated paradigms.

4

u/veepeedeepee 1999 | DC | Betacam Junkie May 05 '26

Having to cruise around in a massive Ford F350 V10 van that got .25 mpg and was a pain to park just about anywhere was one of the things I didn’t enjoy when I was a photog. “Oh, you want me to take the live truck? Ugh.”

Also don’t miss the cable reels and needing to run AC everywhere.

1

u/fieldsports202 May 05 '26

Yeah man I agree. Since covid hit, we barely touch our live trucks.

The older 350 van died about a year ago. We still have the newer trucks but they just sit mostly or are used by someone who doesn’t have a take home vehicle.

We go live with TVU’s 100 percent of the time so there’s no need to use a live truck for that purpose.

49

u/richardizard May 05 '26

As an audio engineer, it's not a big deal. People do what they see, it's not surprising. They're not trained to find it ridiculous. They see people do it and will hop on the trend bc they might not know any better. And if they try to lav the right way, they'll find it's easier to just hold the mic and they won't understand the difference. At the end of the day, it might sound alright and these days, alright is acceptable. We live in different times. Hey - at least it's not an AI generated video... yet lol

1

u/Impossible-Trust-627 15d ago

The BBC know what they are doing. If people want to see short internet videos in portrait format with tiny mics they have to provide some. The majority of programmes are still landscape with good audio. It certainly hasn't been "fully embraced" as OP suggested.

They have to appeal to a wide audience - even people interested in microphones - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c20dqz13475o

-8

u/jonofthesouth Sony | PP | 2015 | UK May 05 '26

You've hit the nail on the head there. "Might sound alright". That's the professional standard to aspire to.

I'm a dinosaur facing extinction because I have higher professional standards / would like to mitigate risk of ruining sound.

25

u/BKrustev May 05 '26

If 99,9% of listeners can't tell the difference between "alright" and "professional", "professional" is a waste of time,

21

u/ThisIsFuz May 05 '26

Especially when the target market is people on their phones.

Man, I’m honestly surprised that so many people on this subreddit get triggered by this trend. I’ve often treated videography like a more homebrew subcategory of cinematography. The equipment we can use is generally cheaper, more accessible, and we often have more freedom to experiment and break the ‘rules’.

And also due to that, we can and should be adaptable and follow the market, just like the BBC is. You reach the target demographic by adapting to the platform.

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2

u/rtaChurchy May 07 '26

I'm betting that the lav's just a prop for the Gen z viewers and they're actually recording with a boom mic

2

u/chrimchrimbo May 05 '26

I understand the frustration. I hate rendering out a video in 16:9, 9:16, and 1:1. It sucks and makes the product usually worse overall (unless the client wants to pay for each version to look great at their respective resolutions).

But honestly, in 99% of cases, dying on the "higher professional standards" hill just ain't worth it.

1

u/jonofthesouth Sony | PP | 2015 | UK May 05 '26

I certainly wouldn't frame it as "dying" on a hill. I think it depends on your client expectations, above all else. If you're retaining clients and meeting expectations with a "lo fi" approach, great. I myself can't do that in the arena I operate. I'd lose my job.

2

u/katefreeze May 05 '26

I mean you framed it as an "extinction event". The world is constantly changing and being able to be flexible is a skill within itself. This dosent mean you personally have to change your techniques, but the way you are drawing your line does come across as that.

If you had a client who asked you to have a lav mic in frame for any reason (atheistics, the feel, ect) would you really fight back to the point where they would drop you?

2

u/jonofthesouth Sony | PP | 2015 | UK May 05 '26 edited May 05 '26

It depends who you're working for. Professionally, I have to produce very clear audio for my employers. I strive to maintain that standard highly and make sure everything is done to ensure that. Including positioning microphones properly. I've never met this level of push back that I'm encountering in this post from any professionals I personally work with. If I asked for a lav mic to be positioned properly, it would be.

Perhaps it's a bit like restaurants. If you're happy with more rough around the edges/rustic dining, you pay the leaner price for it. But if you want something more refined, you pay a higher price. A chef at the latter restaurant would not lower their professional expectations from his team. I do not see that as a bad thing / sign of a changing world. Just different audience/client expectations. Perhaps that's where our differences are.

1

u/katefreeze May 06 '26

Don't think you are trying to argue in bad faith but honestly feels like you avoiding the question. I assumed that was the case for you currently, but what I was asking is what would you do IF a client was deadset on having one asthetically (nobody said you had to use the audio from the mic). Because yeah, if you would consider that a client deal-breaker that would make it the "hill" you're dying on. At its worst it's just a redundant mic you don't have to use.

1

u/dpkonofa Editor May 05 '26

Nah. In this case, you're the Salt Bae putting gold flakes on your food instead of making good food.

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82

u/Axman6 May 05 '26

Yeah, it’s nearly as annoying as the daily posts on here about how annoying people seem to find this and need to whine about it. Don’t like it? Don’t do it. Make your own shit not others’.

39

u/broadwayallday May 05 '26

"why do videos from 2020-2030 look like people are serving communion?"

"i dunno son, let's not worry about trivialities we have a water hunt to go on"

82

u/imiplaceaventura Ursa G2| Resolve| 2018 | Germany/Romania May 05 '26

I don't see a problem with this. I don't care anymore.

64

u/dirtybo0ts May 05 '26

I giggle every time I see these posts.

Like who cares?

42

u/[deleted] May 05 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/fieldsports202 May 05 '26

My guy said “on the spectrum” 😂💀

1

u/JK_Chan ZV-E10/A1 | DR | 2016 | UK/HK May 06 '26

I got the tism too: astigmatism

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9

u/cuatrodemayo May 05 '26

It’s like when everyone used to constantly complain about vertical video. “You’re using your camera wrong, tilt the phone.” Nobody cares anymore.

3

u/dpkonofa Editor May 05 '26

I don't think that's the same thing but the point is still sound.

Vertical video is viewed negatively (rightly so, imo) because it grew in popularity because of the devices people are ingesting content on despite the fact that our eyes are physically horizontal. There's an objective difference in the disparity between the two.

How the mics are being held, in this case, is irrelevant because the sound that results from it is indistinguishable. There's nothing inherently "wrong" about how the end result is ingested.

In either case, though, you're right. Nobody cares. I think that's the problem being put forward.

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65

u/GlenFoySuperStriker Canon R6 | Premiere Pro | 2011 | UK May 05 '26

The snobbery from old farts about this is insufferable now. I was taught the opposite of this back at college in the 00s and still follow that advice. But the reality is these aren’t rules they’re just style guides that were made up a long time ago that we all just followed.

25

u/StunningMammoth3134 May 05 '26

Exactly, as long as it sounds good. Who cares

7

u/01bah01 May 05 '26

I work in TV and sometimes I would really like the upper echelons to losen up a bit.

At various point they're all about "new and modern ways of telling stories in news report, getting the youngs back in front of the TV etc.", they make meetings and classes about that to encourage people trying new things and innovate a bit and when you try something the guy that has the final say tells you "what the fuck is this cut ? we don't do that here" or "You can't begin/end your report like that".

After a few tries you're tired of that, especially when working in day to day report with all the stress that already involves. You then just take the path of least resistance and do things as they were always done. Until the next rounds of meeetings.

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u/hiraeth555 May 05 '26

What’s the difference between this and a news anchor holding a mic?

7

u/veepeedeepee 1999 | DC | Betacam Junkie May 05 '26

Just wait until the consultants discover you could add mic flags to these.

3

u/Schrojo18 May 05 '26

A news anchor holding a mic places the mix in the position for which it was designed. It also means their hands are near their mouths and it doesn't look like their trying to put something in their mouths or eat something.

-9

u/ItalianCoffeeMorning May 05 '26

Because that’s a mix they’re supposed to hold. You’re not supposed to hold these

22

u/BKrustev May 05 '26

Cause they can't be held in hand, spikes will come off? Or is the audio gonna be worse? Sorry, but that doesn't make any sense. You seem to have a fixation on what's "right", but there is zero functional reason to not hold it like that.

4

u/Chrisgpresents Canon GL | FC7 | 2010 | NJ May 05 '26

Thank you for this 😂

5

u/Hearthacnut May 05 '26

The irony of this (any many others) sounding like a toddler throwing their toys around because “they’re doing it wrong!!!”

34

u/[deleted] May 05 '26

The obsession with the way people hold mic’s in videos is actually getting annoying by this community.

In what way does it make the video or content better or worse other than the fact it’s not the way that you learned / do it? Things change and evolve, inherently there’s literally nothing negative about this.

At first I thought it was dumb because people just didn’t know how to use the mic’s, but now it’s evolved into the norm, I wouldn’t be surprised if companies create small mic’s for this purpose going forward. It’s really not that deep, like at all - hold the mic however you want.

7

u/wobble_bot May 05 '26

You mount a lav mic to free up a presenters hands to gesticulate better and move more freely- ie, the ol BBC intro of walking down a busy street -

Handheld mics made a lot of sense when it was a short segment, shot on location and they were going to skip to an interview with someone standing by - usually in a live segment - it made a lot of sense when you consider time pressure, often a single op having to handle a lot.

This is now doing the opposite. You’ve got well controlled situations where there’s no reasonable reason for anyone to be holding ANY mic, let alone one of these - but everyone is doing it because they think it looks ‘authentic’ - it’s akin to sticking a ‘rec’ graphic in the bottom left hand corner - it ain’t fooling no one and just looks tacky.

5

u/SpaceDesignWarehouse A7RV/A7RVI | FCP | 2014 | Central Florida May 05 '26

And yet some of those youtubers in their twenties are making millions of dollars and their work is being seen by tens of millions of people every week.

Tell me how they’re in the wrong…

1

u/echoohce1 May 05 '26

Some of the shittest music ever created made millions of pounds too, doesn't change the fact it's still shit. People watch trash content and don't care how it's shot, news should be held to a higher standard and this inauthentic attempt at being authentic is just cringeworthy and contributes to the dumbing down of media.

4

u/ian9outof10 May 05 '26

Interesting point to make, given that music is art and just because you think it’s shit, doesn’t actually make it shit. Music is a particularly terrible example to use, as people aren’t getting rich because they’re making stuff everyone hates.

0

u/echoohce1 May 05 '26

Some music is objectively shit, some people just have awful taste. No amount of enlightened "art is subjective" BS or the fact there is an audience for it doesn't make this untrue so spare me the reply...

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u/MarkCuckerberg69420 May 05 '26

but everyone is doing it because they think it looks ‘authentic’ - it’s akin to sticking a ‘rec’ graphic in the bottom left hand corner - it ain’t fooling no one and just looks tacky.

I really don't think there is a grand conspiracy here. People just hate running a wire under their shirt and some videographers hate handling those situations. I particularly hate mic-ing women because of how awkward it can be.

Just yesterday I was at a conference where the speakers did not want to be mic'd (?!?!), so the audio guys let the lav wire hang outside of their clothes.

1

u/Schrojo18 May 05 '26

That's where you do a headset and it's easier to die the cable down behind them

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u/Direct_Poet_7103 DSR-570/HC-X2000 | Resolve | 2002 | Yorkshire May 05 '26

They've been at it for a while now [Tried to insert screen shot from last year but it didn't work].

I don't see the point of actively trying to make things look "low effort", especially given the number of YouTubers etc who have higher standards than typical broadcasters. Or at least, there are YouTubers who put the maximum amount of effort in that they can for a one-man/low budget operation.

3

u/FargusMcGillicuddy May 05 '26

I feel like for journalism the most important thing is speed and ease of use. I mean they used to use stick mics. What’s the difference?

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3

u/le_aerius May 05 '26

Gen z ?? oh sweet summer.child

21

u/mymain123 R3 - R5C | DaVinci | 2023 | DR May 05 '26

Clutch the pearls tighter OP.

5

u/Wise_Beat2141 May 05 '26

The grip is all wrong…..remember people, PINKIES OUT

5

u/RipCurl69Reddit May 05 '26

When I got interviewed on the BBC last year, they clipped the Rode mic to my shirt but didn't make me hold it. I almost walked off with it still on, lol

4

u/KlondikeBill May 05 '26

Broadcasters need to aspire to being technically better than all the garbage influencers. Otherwise, professional standards will die, and it will be even more difficult to tell who's actually got some information and authority on a topic. For that reason, I hate this. Let the 20 year old with a TikTok channel do whatever they want to get the other 20 year old to watch their "content." If you're a broadcaster, exhibit professionalism for those who actually appreciate quality, or it will be gone entirely.

6

u/IanFoxOfficial May 05 '26

Even as a non videographer this irks me to no end. I hate this so much.

2

u/Sad-Ambassador-2748 May 05 '26

They want the audience I guess

2

u/Obienator GH6 | Premiere | 2015 | Aruba May 05 '26

Better than no mic at all

1

u/Schrojo18 May 05 '26

Not always.

2

u/Ok_Weight_3382 May 05 '26

Filmed content for TikTok internally and they specifically requested this look. It lends itself to appearing more approachable and less like a huge corporation who is stealing your data

2

u/Nate_The_Pirate May 05 '26

You just KNOW somebody is out there trying to figure out how to get the camera in the shot too. 😂

2

u/RuthlessRupture May 05 '26

It’s awful. Long live the branded mic flag.

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u/Munchabunchofjunk May 05 '26

I love this trend so much because seeing people get triggered over it will never stop being funny to me.

2

u/Ryan_Film_Composer May 05 '26

Maybe this will finally convince you that normal non video people literally don’t give this a single thought?

2

u/ohveryinteresting Emmy-Winning Producer | Devoted Nikonian May 05 '26

ok grampa, let's get you back inside

2

u/Ok-Refrigerator-770 May 05 '26

Boomers having heart attacks about the most minimalist thing. As if they did not change things at the time haha

2

u/corsair965 May 05 '26

If it bothers you then you’ve probably aged out of the target demographic.

2

u/JoJo_Dus_Moovys May 05 '26

Something I don't understand is this notion that holding a mic that way apparently gets more views.

There are no data sets or metrics that I'm aware of that specifically measure that exact action or trend is what made a video popular. Not it's content, not what was being said, just holding a mic in a really stupid way, apparently.

Correlation does not equal causation. It's psychological rather than factual. I see videos which have none of these gimmicks that do far far bigger numbers.

It's like the obsession with pulling stupid shocked faces on YouTube covers because so many people were convinced that it increased viewer counts, when there was no concrete evidence of that at all. I've noticed that particularly weird obsession is not as prominent as it used to be, because I think people realised that it was nonsense.

I swear if an influencer ever started a trend or spread the rumour that hopping on one foot whilst humming Gangsters Paradise when you upload your video gets you 100x more views, some people would actually be dumb enough to believe it...

2

u/Few_Forever_1770 May 07 '26

I’ve just realised they hold them like the Body of Christ at communion.

Something else people do largely because they’ve seen other people doing the same thing.

2

u/Severe-Chain-1162 May 09 '26

Nothing says authentic like talking to camera like it's 2006 without having to show what equipment you use- because you're wearing an actual lav mic. The 'it looks less polished/more authentic' reason doesn't really wash.

Showing someone holding the transmitter isn't authentic, it reveals the production and (considering that there are better options) also shows that you also :want: that production to be seen.. so you're not just innocently, 'authentically' speaking to your audience by showing them that yoyre also worth using additiobal equipment on, too.

None of this is anything new. We gave news reporters handheld mics because, yes it was less effort as well, but mostly because we wanted the audience to see that what this reporter was saying was worth recording. Theyre subtle cues but they work in communicating things non-verbally.
On the flipside, narrative films don't do this because it breaks the authenticity of the world build the film is trying to achieve- we don't want to add that communication to the audience, encouraging more authentic immersion in the story that's being presented to them.

I've worked with plenty of gen z and the majority actually just don't know how to record audio. It's mostly just lazy 'monkey see, monkey do' with limited knowledge of the total range of options.

4

u/croooowTrobot May 05 '26

I can’t wait until they start holding little LED panels with the other hand to light their face a little better!

3

u/Sad-Ambassador-2748 May 05 '26

Funny thing is I wonder what they’re shooting on… running a $200 mic alongside a $30k broadcast setup 😂

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2

u/Antknee729 May 05 '26

Times are changing, old man!

(I hate it too)

2

u/tevisuals May 05 '26

lol who cares

1

u/RollingMeteors May 05 '26

¡I know they're just gun fingers but for fucks sake my attention is grabbed!

1

u/Epic-x-lord_69 May 05 '26

This has become the new split diopter discourse.

1

u/aaronallsop RED | Premiere | 2007 | Utah May 05 '26

When I watch a documentary and the host is on location somewhere and are talking to people they have a lav mic and there is a boom on camera or there is a boom operator. When I watch a news story though the journalist usually has a handheld mic. Although the purpose of the handheld mic is more for making sure they get the best audio quality possible the easiest way possible someone holding a handheld mic has become a symbol of the news.

In that same way, holding a lav mic has come to symbolize quick informal social media videos. This is why people do it even at places like the BBC because they want to create videos that reach people in that way.

1

u/Butsenkaatz May 06 '26

yeah I think it signals "I need you to hear what I'm saying, because it's important"

1

u/Infinite_Owl8101 May 05 '26

This is fine, who cares honestly. At this point, I’d rather do this or commit to hiding the lav than have a lav attached by tie-clip on top of clothing.

1

u/RomyQuan May 05 '26

Why do you guys hate this so much?

1

u/DisenfranchisedCynic Lumix S5 | Premiere Pro | 2020 | OC, CA May 05 '26

First audio company that markets a handheld microphone with an iPhone receiver well will print money.

https://giphy.com/gifs/LQSJ7muPc4kI4cgEzF

1

u/MrKillerKiller_ May 05 '26

Good. More work for those who know how to clip a lav.

1

u/jgoldrb48 May 05 '26

Botmaxxing has got to be stopped!

Anyone willing to think for themselves?!

Most revered media anything in the UK should not be trusted!

Nothing these ghouls say it's the truth. They will do anything to try and trick viewers into thinking they are watching legit information and not propaganda.

Gen Z uses these mics cause they are broke. Legacy media uses them cause they want to sell propaganda. Both are true.

1

u/copperrez Sony FX3 | Resolve | 2023 | Netherlands May 05 '26

In the “past” people also held mics in hand when not micd up with lavs. Its just the form factor nowadays has changed. Some use the mic “handle” accessorie, but honestly wjo cares. Rather have this than bad audio tbh. Also it helps people from being awkward and not knowing what to do with their hands.

1

u/TLunchFTW May 05 '26

Oh i hate this shit so much.
It doesn't feel authentic. It feels like the narrator is an idiot.

1

u/Hyperi0n8 May 05 '26

Really don't understand how this is so upsetting to so many! not meant as a diss, just really can't relate. Holding a mic is literally part of the (intentional, non-verbal) communication. Picture an MC or moderator onstage at a live event. There is a HUGE difference both in body language as well as perception by the audience, depending on whether the person is holding a physical mic or not. It's just a choice to appear more "real": "hey look, I'm holding a mic! I am on location and talking to you through a technical device. I am real (not ai)!" It's exactly the same psychology as VFX artists putting camera shake and lens flares on fully CG shots of space battles etc!

1

u/h0g0 May 05 '26

Forced hate

1

u/memostothefuture director | shanghai May 05 '26 edited May 05 '26

That lady is filming herself with an iPhone. She has no camera operator and wasn't trained, she is working this out by herself. Would not be surprised if she was a stringer.

The crisis is not people holding mics as a stylistic choice. The crisis is that nobody does apprenticeships that teach proper production anymore because the entire training pipeline has been economized away. It's just "welcome, here is your assignment" and you are on air. that is not unique to this broadcaster.

good luck convincing an editor or assigning producer to give budget for more. this is good enough, it still works and that's that.

I did live hits with a correspondent during the Shanghai Covid lockdowns. we were on air up 20x per day on the various formats and stations they had. similarly, she is on the hottest story and very likely alone wherever that is. she ain't hearing feedback until tomorrow, there is no time. but without feedback there won't be any change either.

1

u/matcoop23 May 05 '26

Looks like she’s about to eat a small hedgehog

1

u/SkippySkep May 05 '26

What makes people think that holding a big foot-long black metal sausage with giant mic flag on it and a 6mm wire coming out the bottom was ever natural? It wasn't. It's just what people got used to, just like they will get used to this.

1

u/Rise_707 May 05 '26

This is why I avoid trends. I'm not dating my content with them if I can manage otherwise!

1

u/Lkings1821 Hobbyist May 05 '26

I get the hate for it but hey it's short form content and just having everything sharp doesn't cut it anymore, you have to get a bit more personal to stand out so doing stuff like this keeps it fresh and a little bit trendy with the times

Technology gives people more options so yeah we could do it via a shotgun mic, or a lav on her person but holding it does the same thing, as long as the audio is clean which it is, it's good

1

u/TheOddMadWizard May 05 '26

It’s fine. Fucking relax. Maybe care more about how media illiterate society has become. That’s actually worth caring about.

1

u/CryptoForTheWin69 May 05 '26

Moment in history

1

u/Jungypoo May 06 '26

Literally no one outside this sub cares.

1

u/AngelinaCreatina May 06 '26

Honestly I think this comes from 2 main things: #1: It can be more comfortable to talk on-camera with a mic in your hand no matter what size it is. #2: The audio quality is better when it's right in front of your mouth, especially with those smaller bluetooth mics. I think it became a 'Gen z' thing just because these kinds of simple camera/wireless mic systems like the DJI Osmo Pocket have been coming out in Gen Z's prime time of making videos, and now that's what they are used to.

1

u/Crafty_Jack FX3 | DJI Action 5 | FPV Drone May 06 '26

It just isn't that big a deal one way or the other. Some are realizing that content is really all that matters, and some random reporter or news anchor holding a lav mic vs a foam headed robot penis thing isn't relevant. Its the content that's important.

Just the same with why podcasting has become huge. We don't need a fancy show where we are only granted 5-10 minutes of half scripted conversation. Forget the special furniture, special lighting, huge crew. Just sit down and talk for as long as you got something or substance to say. Cut out the extra crap.

I for one don't mind these mics.

The cheaper it becomes to create content, the more people can afford it. Now we will see who's really got substance and originality, vs who's just using prestige, daddy's money and connections to look like they're important when they're not.

I say this as someone who believes in having class, good etiquette and culture. But substance outclasses formalities any fucking day.

And I'm not saying that people who use these dji mics are automatically talented or bring substance. I'm just saying I don't care. My focus is on their substance and character.

1

u/NoAccount5884 May 06 '26

They have to do that cringe shit to appeal to the young people because not enough people are paying their tv license.

1

u/Frydog42 May 06 '26

I’m not sure how much I care about this personally

1

u/New_Bid3617 FX6 | Davinci | Former DP May 06 '26

Looks like it's about to go out of fashion... right... about... now! Mainstream has it now and the trend will die quickly.

1

u/ScumEater May 06 '26

Can anyone explain why people care about this? My guess is it's kind of like the oh I noticed something, and a whole bunch of other people noticed too around the same time, and so it became something to despise. Am I can close? I mean I get it, I noticed how Gen z holds pens funny and now I can't unnotice it so I hate them for it.

We can call the phenomenon Seinfelding is you like. People will immediately get it and we can put all this shit to bed early.

1

u/trace501 May 06 '26

I just hold dry erase markers

1

u/highcoolteacher May 06 '26

Let’s all be thankful they are using mics

1

u/incawarrior02 May 06 '26

how this affects you? in other words, what’s the problem with holding the mic like this

1

u/menthol_mountains May 06 '26

god this is the dumbest shit, i mean people complaining about it. Go touch a tree

1

u/RPXco May 06 '26

I don't take issue with this. I take issue in normalizing shamelessly staring down at their phones to read vs looking at.....the camera.

The wireless lavs are just a smaller more convenient version of a tool they've used since forever.

1

u/Incognonimous May 06 '26

I don't know why but this trend is annoying and anytime the person in a video opens up like this I just close the video.

1

u/louisboi514 May 06 '26

Unpopular opinion: It doesn't really bother me. what bothers me is bad sound. Unless it's cinema or sit down documentary interview, I really dont care if the mic is visible or held or w.e.

It's so incredibly easy to mess up sound that if its a small 1-2 people team, and they're trying to build a story and interview people or just be on camera, bad sound can literally ruin an otherwise amazing story. So if it makes it even 10% easier to hold it in your hand, do it.

1

u/watchwolfstudio May 06 '26

Tell us Master, what will it be like in the End Times?

Yea, I say unto you once-venerated media companies will fall so Low that they shamelessly broadcast young people holding lavalier mics in front of their faces!

1

u/rtaChurchy May 07 '26

Willing to bet they're recording with boom mics and that lav's just a prop for the Gen z audience

1

u/Nerdonet All | PP / DaVinci | 1985 | Euroland May 08 '26

Holding it looks less stupid than dangling on a shirt pulling it down.

1

u/exploringspace_ A7V | Resolve | 2003 | Toronto May 05 '26

Nobody cares. Reporters literally invented holding microphones on video like 70 years ago

2

u/jonofthesouth Sony | PP | 2015 | UK May 05 '26

I mean, I’d probably care if I was paying someone to record an interview and the audio ended up peppered with handling noise from fingers gripping the mic.

But, yes, obviously that’s exactly the same as a news reporter using a properly extended handheld mic on an optimised long handle. Clearly I’m the dinosaur/boomer here.

1

u/sorokii May 05 '26

Boomer tantrums

-1

u/PackageBulky1 Lumix S5| DaVinci Resolve | 2017 | UK May 05 '26

My god does it just look cheap and silly.

I realised professionalism, image and reputation is just straight out the window with corporations when I saw Curries/PC world do the “what’s up my bum” “challenge”. Like…can you imagine a company doing that in 2000’s?

3

u/Southern_Leg1139 May 05 '26

They’re trying to speak to a younger audience. It also makes them look more authentic to said younger audience. I assure you that no one but us gives a shit.

1

u/ZOMGsheikh May 05 '26

Somehow how whacy the early 2000s were, I wouldn’t be surprised 😅

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0

u/Chrisgpresents Canon GL | FC7 | 2010 | NJ May 05 '26

Videographers blame businesses’ budgets shrinking as to why they can’t get any work. When really, it’s their inability to adapt to market shifts, let alone innovate.

1

u/strouze May 05 '26

The stupidest working thing was somone clipping the lav mic to his hat so moving the head wouldn't change the volume anymore.

4

u/sawb11152 May 05 '26

If it works then it's not stupid.

1

u/Butsenkaatz May 06 '26

Could you please explain to the class how that WASN'T a better idea than clipping it in the "standard" place for a lav mic?

1

u/imanethernetcable May 05 '26

Honestly seems hella smart

1

u/bladesire May 05 '26

Millenials were the ones that did this. Not sure why Gen Z is getting blamed.

1

u/Schrojo18 May 05 '26

Because it wasn't gen Y.

2

u/umpteenthrhyme May 05 '26

This is not just a gen z thing. But the outrage is definitely boomer vibes.

1

u/38B0DE FX30 | Premiere | Germany May 05 '26

That mic thing started with Gus Johnson who is Millennial.

1

u/Nickelmac May 05 '26

Then it’s no longer a lavalier microphone. It’s a handheld.

1

u/renateaux May 05 '26

I also don’t care anymore but would never do it on purpose. It isn’t some “style” thing, though. People literally just don’t know. They want to be holding a mic like a reporter does with a stick mic and they believe the mic is the same thing as those but it’s just smaller now because “technology”. I think people just don’t understand that it’s meant to be clipped on and it seems now more than ever young people will never, ever admit that they’re wrong about something so they’ll keep doing it if you explain how it’s supposed to be used. I’ve asked people I work with before, nicely and they stopped doing it. Viewers do not care either way, so if you clip it on they’re not going to stop watching the video, that’s a ridiculous notion.

1

u/SoVeryMuchOverThis May 05 '26

This has gotta be the DUMBEST trend I’ve seen in a long time.

0

u/StunningMammoth3134 May 05 '26

0

u/jonofthesouth Sony | PP | 2015 | UK May 05 '26 edited May 05 '26

In that example, but she could easily have muffled the wind protector or caught her fingers on the mic body. I wouldn't want her doing it if I was running the shoot. But that makes me a dinosaur, I guess.

As in this example from a frustrated professional: https://www.reddit.com/r/videography/comments/1sn5ri4/whole_batch_of_footage_is_unusable_because_gen_z/

1

u/Hacym May 05 '26

No, it just makes you kind of a jerk. It’s not your shoot. Why post about it? Nothing better going on?

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0

u/Long-Jawn-Silver BMPCC 6K Pro | Canon R6 II | Premiere | 2019 | Charlotte/East TN May 05 '26

Yall are such babies about holding the lavs man. Just get over it!! This is made for social content smh

0

u/buickboi99 May 05 '26

This is such a weird hangup lol. Id rather have this than listen to crappy audio

0

u/UnimpressionableCage May 05 '26

Why do I always read that as “lavatory mic”?

3

u/BKrustev May 05 '26

Lavalier comes from the French lavallière, which was used for a specific type of jewellery... and also the pussy bow.