Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1500728
20 PRODUCTION SOUND & VIDEO – Spring 2023 Safety First: Introducing the XO-Boom by Eli Moskowitz SAFETY FIRST We hear these words on set all the time. Then we turn around and see production ignore safety to accommodate the pace at which the producers would prefer we work. For many Fishpole Boom Operators, this is a physical safety issue. Many Directors have stopped worrying about the length of a take because they no longer need to worry about the cost and supply of every foot of film now that cameras have become digital. Keeping your arms and hands up above your head is a taxing workout for the most avid gym-goer. Now add to that workout: the weight of the fishpole, the weight of the microphone and mount, the weight of the zeppelin and other wind reduction if you are shooting outside, plus the transmitter; no matter how small they are now; adds weight too… OK, now consider all that weight and the effort of holding it above your head for long periods while you are also moving around to cover multiple actors and trying to stay out of the shot and avoiding throwing any shadows. Phew!! It's even exhausting just talking about it. ENTER THE XO-BOOM Over the years, there have been many attempts to create helpful safety rigs for those long takes when you can't put your arms down with a long extension to your pole. Some of those other rigs were so over designed by a specific operator that no one else could really use it, while others tried to limit the amount of strain to the body but left the user almost locked into position. The XO-Boom from