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ast winter we invested in a GoPro Hero 7 and a Runcam2, with the express intent of recording gameplay videos. Yes, we know there’s a zillion other gameplay video channels out there, but none of them were filmed here. Plus, we felt (and still feel) that it would be great PR.
First game. Well, technically, second game. We didn’t want to add the complications of recording to the season opener, in which we hosted over 30 players! So, second game; first time attempting to record.
Lots of great action video! The picture was beautiful in all its glorious 2.4k, or whatever resolution we’d decided on. However, there was a loud incessant hum throughout. After troubleshooting it down to the root cause, we discovered it was the fan on our ExFog creating a vibration through Bear’s skull (it *is* full of rocks, after all), and it was picked up as a hum by the GoPro.
The only real solution was to attach an external mic to the GoPro. However, the adapter is a convoluted USB thing that the 3.5mm external mic plugs into. While yes, it has a passthrough USB slot on it for external power, it’s more bulk and weight that needs to be strapped to a boonie.
Through a lot of trial and error (mostly error), we finally came up with a system that works. Kinda. See, if the external power gets unplugged or somehow interrupted, it cuts off the mic. So, we went from incessant hum to the sounds of silence. Add to that, USB power banks that don’t perform anywhere near as good as promised, and all this stuff needs to be strapped to a boonie, or other bit of headwear. When Bear recorded at Wolfschlutt IV at Harris Airsoft, he used a fancy strap clip thing that actually did a fine job until he went to shoot, which resulted in extreme closeups on the side of his AEG…. And there really isn’t a graceful way to get a picatinny camera mount onto a WWII Thompson, so there is that.
So now, the only real option is going to be to use an external recording device. They are small enough these days to hide in an admin pouch or a pocket, and we’ll run the external lapel mic up whatever gear Bear is wearing and clip it somewhere. After the game, we’ll sync the audio and video and hope for the best.
Who would have though it would be so complicated to get good gameplay video?
