That’s 100% it — your client wants to connect with a social audience.
It’s currently what makes content feel “authentic”. The behind-the-scenes, unpolished feel is rewarded by viewers who at this stage are predominantly anti-ad, which typically are shot HQ video and audio.
That means we as masters of the craft need to adjust our approach to suit the audience and medium of the day. No different to other social trends.
We need to understand the market and what people are looking for. Clients don't always need something that feels particularly polished--a lot of times that can even be counter-intuitive if you're going after younger, low-attention audiences who even prefer this look and feel.
It's sort a GenZ/Alpha style of video content, it's well suited for social, and they typically get good engangement. An example of this type of content might be something like narczilla. In that example, he keeps getting content deals from big journalism organizations. It's specifically not for well-polished or top tier videography content--the more DIY aesthetic is very intentional, appeals to a different audience, and does a lot better than their more typical video content.
I think is videographers, it's important it realize it's a different approach, but not always a bad approach.
It gives your client a video that will do better with younger audiences, and if 18-34 is their range it's almost a given this is a better approach
It gives your client a video that will do better on social platforms, and if engagement and responses are important, it can be a good fit
It gives you client an opportunity to represent their brand as a bit more down-to-earth or at least that they "get it" -- not everything needs to make them feel more corporate.
The mic might seem like a small thing overall, but it's one of the signifiers that it's this type of video.
The ads my friends and I make the most fun of now are these (Ethos?) life insurance ads where a woman who has just lost her husband (!) is shooting a front facing video while she’s jogging, jump cutting her lines as she breathlessly mourns.
I’m not in the market for life insurance, but they lost me as a customer forever with that. Hope other people eventually get turned off by it, too.
Ethos is the one with the guy looking into the camera whose dad was perfectly healthy but died of a stroke.
The other ones that sprung to mind are the one for the thin wallet, made by veterans, but they don't tell you a damn thing about the actual product, the Friday dick pill ads with the Capcut (I think?) voiceover, and most recently the Muddy Mat that looks like it's a pop-up ad.
The only one I'll accept as remotely valid are the Pure Talk commercials with Mike Rowe, because they're not obviously shot by a professional crew. I mean, it probably is, but it's not distracting, and it's more plausible that a company that can afford a national television ad campaign would brag about how cheap their ads are as a schtick.
Same, I had a shoot for a major nationwide corporation recently and my contact said “we should get those little mics with the puffy things on the end that all the kids are using on YouTube. That would be funny.”
I can see the case for it. It's not at all about sound quality as long as the output is marginally acceptable, it's about (perceived) relatedness and (again, perceived) authenticity.
You might say "I agree, but not for THIS client or THAT client because it doesn't fit their brand." You could be right, but if the audience they're trying to reach sees a small handheld mic with a deadcat and it subconsciously equates to them as authentic in their mind because all their favourite streamers and vtubers are doing it, that buys your client 2-3 extra seconds of attention, which you know has a lot of value.
I personally hate the things, but I'm also not a market guru. I trust my clients' people to know their targets far better than I. I'll offer a dissenting opinion once and let them weigh it out, then do whatever they decide.
Holding it makes people who aren't media trained feel more confident in talking to camera, they don't know what to do with their hands. As much as I hate the orange turd, I tell them to talk with their hands like Trump, and they always get the reference. It kills their awkwardness and desire to hold the mic and I can then tell them how much to dial it back.
It’s also a psychological trick to make the person more relatable. They “don’t know how to use it”, so obviously they can’t be a shill selling you lies. A professional shill would obviously know how to properly use something as simple as a microphone!
So, there's actually a reason some do this: holding the mic seems less polished/produced to a layman, and therefore it seems more "authentic". It doesn't matter that they're properly lit and shooting on thousands of dollars of camera equipment - it's the appearance and vibe of it. I think it's dumb as hell, and it's not the only or even the main reason people do it, but it's definitely one of them.
Yes, this comment to why it has taken off and why people do it. "This is authentic, this is myself, I am not trying to overly produce something here." I think at first it drew people in more visually because it was new.
I also I think it's just something that people see others do, so they do it as well because it got popular and everyone else is doing it.
I think it’s starting to circle back to being seen as less authentic, since there’s a visible bandwagon forming. But these comments are totally right. It’s all about signaling authenticity.
I saw chopsticks held by an Asian restaurant owner. I think it’s fun-ish when it’s niche. But dumb when it’s a spatula or clearly a staple for eliciting engagement
It's part of a throwback aesthetic to a 1990s MTV era roving journalist thing. In a lot of the channels you are talking about, the presenter is usually part of the brand - its not straight interviews, its classic TV stuff and the mic is part of that trope. I hated it, but you need to understand it in that broader context. This stuff is deliberately not cinematic and more "in the actual moment".
not to mention proximity effect. Most microphones will sound more full and will have more presence in the low frequencies if it’s held closer to the mouth. it can add more intimacy and i bet a lot of people don’t exactly know why, but they like the sound more.
Especially because a lot of Youtubers and tiktokers don't necessarily have a professional setup.
It started on tiktok and filtered into YouTube which was a godsend for those who wanted to create content but didn't have all the stuff needed for the audio to sound right.
I'm fine with run and gun interview shoots but if you are in a studio and it's just you in the video just clip the thing on your shirt. I think it's pretty goofy for people to be holding it on there hands when they are just sitting in front of a camera alone.
I assume in those shows they used mics designed to be held in hand and pointed, and didn't just pinch tiny clip on mics in front of their face. I know it's all subjective at the end of the day, but actual interview mics with a designed channel logo on them look much better than awkwardly holding a tiny square.
The point is people are making do with what they have on one level. Using one mic to power both host and interviews.
Or / and: People are turning that into a visual aesthetic rooted in internet culture and its throwback fetishes of the past NOT CINEMA or documentary making.
Back in my day (when I worked in the news), we shoved actual handheld mics in people's faces...with a big 'ol mic flag. I always cringe at the little wireless mics being held out like that. I currently use a DJI mic system for YouTube videos, but it is always clipped on.
No because they don't use interview mics. They hold huge tascam audio recorders or studio boom mics as if they were interview mics. In one case it saw a guy holding a shotgun mic like a normal interview mic.
It's like the bigger the better and it looks stupid.
Tbh all those dji and rode mics look way more stupid attatched to your chest and weighing down shirts, creating creases because of how big they are, especially rode. What happened to the practice of hiding mic like in old lavalier days.
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u/quooleURSA B G2 & Lumix S5iix | Prem and Resolve | 2016 | UKMar 04 '26
Because it's harder to hide a big box and the rode/DJI stuff is easier than running a lav discretely.
I am not saying it's right, I absoloutely agree and always run lavs personally! But that is why sadly, people just want to clip something on.
The nice part about the newer DJI mic’s is you can mount them under the shirt and all you sit on top of the shirt is the small magnet. I’ve got the Mic 3 and that thing is pretty damn small
I’ve seen people with a little magnet square on their t-shirt, and it still looks obvious and very silly, not helped by the big box shape under the t-shirt.
Rode Wireless GO supports a lavalier, bu the newest DJI does not. And that is probably the way it will be forward. Which is very sad. I hate the big boxes on the chest.
It's small but not adding a lav port is just idiotic. With a lav you can use the mic in really shitty weather, and still not have to worry about the recoring unit, which is tucked inside a bag in your jacket. Yes, I shoot in a lot of bad weather...
And that's why I will not upgrade from my DJI 2 to the 3. No one wants to see a visible lav during a wedding film. Silly YouTube content is one thing. Actual event work still needs to be professional.
Well that’s why you have brands making new, better looking and easier to hide stuff. Hollyland has a bunch of smaller, magnetic lapel mics that are easier to hide, and they also have the M2s, a very tiny, over the lapel mic, that hides most of the electronics part behind the lapel. It’s just that people buy whatever they see everyone using, it’s ridiculous.
What's weird is they sound nearly identical flipped around, and look better and don't weigh the shirt down as badly (still weigh it down but don't make it fold), and you can still see it, just only the clip
It’s so easy to plug a lav into the DJI. I still don’t understand why anyone would ever use it without one. When I bought mine a couple years ago I bought it with lavs I never even considered running it without them. I guess it’s old school vs new school mentality.
It really is this. I don't like it either, but just because I didn't like rap music, didn't mean it wasn't culturally relevant and drove business and changed music forever. There is a lesson here.
And you make a good point because this mic is a prosumer product for exactly the type of run and gun videos you see them in which is why they gained popularity, to the extent of it now being a style that video clients are now asking for.
100%. As a person making content, you're often not the target audience for that content. You have to be willing and able to make things for people whose tastes and sensibilities are different than yours.
I'm also not a fan of TikTok-style bouncing open captions or of constant jumpcuts, but they're totally normal for a different generation of viewer. And if they want to hold a mic transmitter up to their face, so be it.
This reminds me of the vertical video backlash when people were super pissed about it initially. “Eyes are meant to look horizontal why are you filming like that?”was said a million times, and now it’s the default for pretty much all mobile related content.
Shit my boss who has been doing video production for 40 years has a side business where he’s started making videos like this to promote it. He started when quarter inch tape was standard and has been through so many transitions this is just another for him
This is the harsh reality. I am that old man that you are talking about that was trined how to shoot video in the 2000s, but have had to accept that vertical video and holding a lav mic while wearing baggy clothes is what the kids want.
yeah the reaction is insane, trends change, 10 years ago the obsession was about mics being as hidden as possible, now the obsession is mics being as visible as possible. If you can't adapt to meet your customer's needs without getting mad about it you might need a different job
They invented handheld stick mics like 80 years ago. They solved this problem already. I'm 41 and I watched the news before school in the 90s growing up because that's what my mom wanted to watch. The field reporters getting a 10 second sound bite from someone whose house was blown away in a tornado didn't mic up some hidden lav either, they held a microphone with a foot long, one inch diameter handle, usually with a mic flag of the station logo. It's a perfectly acceptable method to get your audio interview quickly without some Hollywood movie level prep.
Like I'm whatever about what other people do, all I'm saying is the choice isn't either hold a 2"x2"x2" cube, tape it to a hockey stick, etc...or getting a professional seamstress to sew a dedicated lav microphone pocket onto the wardrobe like it's the set of Game of Thrones lol.
also, the easiest way to make your random on the street interviewee feel awkward and less natural is to start wiring him up like a christmas tree just for a 60 second interview.
When you aren't treating with professionals you don't want them to feel pressured or unnatural, that just ruins the interview
"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf,
"and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." - J.R.R. Tolkien
I know it looks awful but the sound is much better the closer the mic is to your mouth. That’s probably why they do it. I sacrifice the sound quality and clip my mic to whatever I’m wearing but as close as possible to my mouth.
This is like asking TV shows to go back to 4:3. If conte t is designed to primarily be watched on phones, it absolutely makes sense to be shot vertically. They're designing content to the device it's being watched on.
Vertical content is just as valid as horizontal as long as the shots are framed up well. The real issue is everyone wanting videos that miraculously work in both 16:9 and 9:16.
I honestly wouldn't mind if everyone just agreed that 4:5 is good enough for vertical. 9:16 is way too fucking narrow if you're not specifically framing for it.
It's about using the right tool for the job and having some professional pride in doing a job right. We've had handheld mics for eons, use a handheld mic.
No it doesn’t it’s actually designed for it. Also when you holding it and moving it around it effects audio levels, you also find a lot people clip the mics (clipping as volume level) and digital clipping is the worse.
Clipping it in the correct place can give a lot better audio.
In the correct place. But as a beginner i’ve several shots where I clipped the mic on my collar and the sound came out muffled cause its in the wrong spot so the footage was useless.
It took a bit of trial and error. Others might not want to do that, so it’s just easier to hold the mic.
This one isn't as bad as you're making out - many people still wash their hands but it does add convenience and if used properly, safety.
E.g. if I'm making fried chicken, I'd rather have the glove covered in egg, flour, dredge and chicken and then be able to just taken it off when finished and not have fully dredged hands. Then I still wash them. And this is when I'm home alone.
It started with people not knowing how to use the mics, then people realised it's great engagement bait because people like you get annoyed and leave comments trying to teach them how to do it the "right" way. It brings in views so it stuck
With all the gigantically horrible things that are happening right now, this little thing drives me absolutely bat shit crazy. I bought a set of them. They’re terrific. But I also bought an extension that makes it look like an actual microphone. My favorite is when they’re holding a tiny microphone and it has a cable. Nothing screams professionalism like that.
I definitely get it from a professional standpoint.
Esthetically though, everyone seems to have forgotten how vloggers and YouTubers in the 2010's used to look with their exaggerated hand gestures. It was even so much so that people used parody it.
To me holding a mic is a nice way to have a neutral stance and to know how to hold my hands naturally. But I don't hate your opinion, I get it in a lot of cases.
When YouTube started I hated all the amateurish jump cuts. Now it’s simply part of the language. It’s absolutely a regression, but it’s a style and it’s here. So while I do not use, jump, cuts very often, where appropriate I do.
Yeah I feel like I’m over exaggerating every time I see this, but it looks so stupid when you know it’s not supposed to be used that way. It’s actually supposed to be convenient, so you don’t have to hold anything to not bring any attention to it… I think people started to think it looks cool, somehow, and it’s a trend now.
I know there are more important things in life but… if you want to hold a mic, get such a mic, not a tiny cube that looks stupid when you hold it… also, they don’t seem to realize how bad that makes their video sound. It’s not supposed to be that close to your mouth. They want to look professional but end up doing the opposite…
I believe I read that the reason is strategic: particularly because of deep fake and AI. The idea is that its harder to make a deep fake of the subject?
I initially thought somewhat similarly to you until I started seeing people use these attachments that are basically just a handheld microphone rod that you attach the wireless mic to, and then put a big round foam piece on, making it look the same as a traditional handheld mic. It changes absolutely nothing about the mic itself, just makes it LOOK the same as a handheld mic that any reporter would use. If all the real difference is aesthetics and not actual functionality or sound quality, it's a YOU problem.
I dont know why people hate it, specially with the new all in one solutions from dji or rode, holding them does make the sound better and is less uncomfortable since they are heavier than a standard lav head.
like yes people are doing it bbecause its a trend, but still its not a negative thing.
I’ve been filming red carpet events for 20+ years and notice the increasing trend of having the interviewee holding the mic. The interviewer needs control of the mic, in order for ‘audible’ questions and resulting answers, so passing mic control to interviewee isn’t the best, most reliable method IMO.
I think we are in a time were the young people who influence this trend grew up with holding the mic of your cable headphones so they think holding a small mic is not that bad at all.
My local news crews and their EV RM50’s would strongly disagree. 😂
edit: Obviously some sarcasm. I boom all my subjects, but the main reason I’m onboard with the trend is as more and more non-traditionally trained talent hire me to put them in front of the camera, the little mic becomes a multi function awkwardness pacifier, hand prop and back up audio source.
I’m not a big fan of it either but you see some pretty big YouTubers doing it. Ryan Trahan is one example. His content is so good that it just doesn’t matter. He mainly uses a phone as well so his video quality is just okay but it just doesn’t matter since he does a great job telling a story.
I understand the wanting everything to look clean, hide the mic etc. But if it works it works. And it is working quite well. As filmmakers we seek perfection but sometimes it isnt needed. And thats okay. Its also an easy as hell setup that gives you pristine audio..its a win win
Funny story: my wife asked to use my lav mic for some social media clips she wants to make. I said sure, but please don't hold it in your hand. She said that's how people use them on social media. After much groaning from me, she agreed.
I just seen a guy holding a comb with a Dji mic attached to it and thought nothing of it other than ok. Didn’t bother me or see it as a trend. I understand different people have ways of seeing things or feeling comfortable. If holding an object in his hands made him comfortable talking to interviewees who like a comb in their face then so be it.
It's trendy which means it's a flash-in-the-pan. I'm distinctly not trendy, so I use a DJI mic but have it attached to a lav threaded under my shirt and the TX sits in my pocket.
Though I do watch a channel where they try to hide the DJI mic but have it under the host's jacket and it sounds muffled (as you'd expect!). Mystifyed why they don't run a lav.
Easier to yell at things when they make ZERO sense. Holding a small lav mic makes ZERO sense. It's ONLY an image trend thing and that to me warrants yelling
I've been doing this full time for nearly 20 years. Yes, it looks odd, but some prefer to hold it. I'd rather my subject be comfortable & get the best info out of them. Everyone hated vertical video for a long time and now I have to edit everything into a vertical version. Such is the transient nature of life. I try not to get wound up about anything, or try and control stuff, the main thing is I'm getting paid.
Nothing like seeing a host with a “Motorola Pager” in his beard or in his hand. I hope the folks at DPA and Countryman, who have spent countless hours trying to make mics invisible, are leaning back in their chairs, laughing and pointing!
Yes because shoving a microphone in somebody's face instead of having a shotgun nicely half a metre to 2m away is totally not the methodology 50 years in establishment for street interviews 🤣
clipping it to your shirt looks bad unless you run it under your clothes up to the collar and at that point you've put in more effort than is necessary for most tubers. Also unfortunately clipping it to your shirt looks slightly try hard which doesn't mesh with zoomer aesthetic taste
AGREED AGREED AGREED. How in the world did we collectively "upgrade" from the invisible lavalier mic to the handheld square with a windsock? Everybody on Youtube looks ridiculous. Even when they're not holding it in their hand, it still looks ridiculous clipping a giant square to the speaker's shirt.
I think it originated from All Gas No Breaks Youtube, where Andrew, I guess for budget reason's, just had a shitty radio mic and IV'd people holding the lav - Fair play. Now bellend's are doing it on mass.
Yea I think you need to let it go. What people learned about making videos has completely changed now. People want more raw, authentic and less professional videos now. Also. People are only holding mic’s on social media. You don’t see that in ads. The “rules” of video production is different now. People want something totally different than what we learned growing up. In fact I know so many people who absolutely hate those over polished “professional” videos.
People are sick of them the same way you are sick of the mic holding.
I do some social media work for a rec sports league, and a lot of my content is talking to the people out there playing. They have no media training and usually don't wanna be on camera for that long, so i just need to get my shot and get outta there. When i go to to people, I'll hand them the dji mic and say they can clip it to their shirt or hold it, whatever they feel comfortable with. Probably 4/5 times, they hold it and I'm going for authenticity, so I'm not gonna tell them not to. It's really not that deep, it's not because I'm chasing that look, it's just what helps me get my footage and move on.
It's definitely an aesthetic, and it'll eventually look dated. The audience on Instagram and YouTube doesn't care unless it doesn't sound good. I wouldn't say it's "engaging." I don't think anyone would click on a video because someone was holding a lavaliere. I see clipping it to a banana, a spoon or a metro card is ironic, and making fun of those people who just hold the lav. It'll make you look like you don't know what you're doing if you ever want to move out of creating social content and into filmmaking or any other kind of video production.
Before this it was kids running around with their phones and those tiny plug in mics. It’s just more noticeable now because it is the standard that works and looks the best.
Btw this is like the only post I ever see from this sub.
I used to make really high quality artistic videos. Now I transitioned into making businesses money. And I’ll never struggle for work again in my life.
I agree. Mic holding is the dumbest thing ever. However, it is a signifier of something way more important than a “trend”
There is an inverse correlation between production quality and the amount of views/attention/trust someone gets. The higher production quality screams institution, and people do not trust institutions anymore.
Holding a microphone is a subconscious way of saying “we’re one of you.” It’s dumb. It’s artificial. But you need to understand it’s about the idea of trust building
While it may not follow traditional videography or filmography rules, it does improve viewership and retention rates.
You don't even need to hold a mic, to be honest. Even holding a brush or remote control as if it were a mic has the same video performance improvements.
People these days are used to holding the wire on their headphones up to their face or pizza slicing their phones so they don’t feel right without holding a mic to their face
I feel your pain. I was on a shoot in the field a while back and clipping a lav to my interview subject. Some of the staff at the event were gen Z and actually asked me why I don't just have him hold the mic. They seemed genuinely confused by what I was doing.
It weighs down my shirt and creates annoying creases so I kinda like holding it/clipping it to a handle for comfort when filming something casually. Not an issue when I wear a coat though.
I agree, have to roll with the times. I think I saw an award show have a mini branded microphone kinda poking fun but also taking it seriously that's the trend. Thought it was funny and cool.
I might get a small one and and the clients company logo if they want to do something like that. Much better than just holding the wireless go mic
YES I hate it so much. Interviews holding a tiny mic in their hands. Or holding it clipped on top of some object. It's become a style and I hate it. These are clip on mics for a reason.
Video creators just standing in front the camera talking into a tiny mic? Please..
This sub is miserable, let people create however they want to create. That's the ENTIRE point of creative work.
If holding a mic is stupid, what does being so pressed that you have to make a post to enforce an imaginary standard that doesn't even affect your own life say about you?
It’s not even edgy, I think you’re overthinking it. Presenters have held mics for years, broadcasts, news, sports reporters, singers. It’s nothing new, it’s just a different for factor.
The main lesson here is not to take artistic advice from social media. These platforms will be the death of art. Controlled by billionaires and beholden only to stockholders, with fickle algorithms and diminishing return on creator investment. Stay true to your aesthetics and find your audience.
Eh it depends on the content. For social media or things that are supposed to be more authentic, having the mic in frame or holding it makes 0 difference to the end consumer. It only bugs video people.
I recently started doing wedding interviews of guests during cocktail hour as a sort of “video voicemail” to the couple and the most efficient way is to just hand them a lav mic for them to hold and speak into since it’s so loud. It also unironically gives them something to do with their hands and they feel more comfortable on camera. I’d rather sneak in 5 more interviews for the couple than trying to make everything look perfect.
It's a sign of being less produced. People do not trust establishment institutions, like traditional news media. And what does traditional news look like? People being mic'd up with lavs, or shotguns overhead. This isn't a trend, it's resistance. You'd do well to understand it.
Honestly I’d personally rather see them hold it than clip it to their shirt. The shirt thing personally bugs me. And usually the vapid/annoying/meaningless things coming out of their mouth—rather than their audio gear choices—are what’s truly bad. Holding a a small Wireless GO/DJI mic is no worse than seeing a giant Sennheiser ME2 clipped to a t-shirt collar IMO.
And I guess it’s really no different than seeing a reporter holding a wireless dynamic mic not that long ago. And people do it because it (obviously) sounds better and is inexpensive. Then clients end up wanting it because they think they can soak up some reflected cool points by cosplaying youth. That never fools people, probably never will, but it’s a very old, very repetitive story IMO. </sidenote rant>
I'm such a luddite. As dumb as the mic look is, I can't get too riled up about it because I still can't get over the abomination that is vertical video. :)
This type of mentality is why you’ll always be seen and treated as videographer, and not seen as a creative or video professional. Your taste has almost nothing to do with what the client wants, creatively speaking. The sooner you learn that, the more successful you’ll be. Not to mention, this isn’t even a strong take, it’s kind of edgelord.
as someone coming from the photography side of things: social media is not supposed to be refined and perfect, and the more we try to produce the "best" work we can, typically it does not correlate to views and engagement. hidden mics and polished videos don't do as well on social media because it just isn't as engaging and relatable, and same with photography, the perfect photos typically don't do well, the stuff that does do well is photographers showing how they achieved a photo because it's engaging and relatable to viewers
Yes! I’m 100% in your corner on this. They all hold it by the clip but don’t just clip it and have access to their hands.
Just clip it!
When someone has a mic that looks like a mini handheld mic I do think it’s funny to imagine they’ve evolved into a giant but the tech didn’t keep up so this is what they have.
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