What the hell is a "boom operator"?

    For me, summer is a time to spend time with friends, sleep, and troll the internet for movies and shows. I think I've spent the most time trolling haha. ^_^ I just finished watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off (which is a fun movie to watch, by the way. Plus, it was made in 1986 and I love watching pre-1990's movies because I get to see what fashion trends were going on before my time, and I have a particular fondness for 80's-wear. Maybe I'll try recreating Mia Sara's (who plays Sloane Peterson) or Jennifer Grey's (Jeanie Bueller) look some day). 

                             

omgggg. Shoulder pads and baggy shorts were trendy. 

Athletic sneakers. So eighties. My mom shows me old pictures of her in the eighties and she totally dressed like this. :D Too bad she didn't keep any of her old clothes ;~;

    Anyway, I decided to stick around after the end of the movie to watch the credits because there was some after-footage shown on the side as the names rolled down, and I spotted someone's name under the heading "Boom Operator."
   "Boom operator?" I thought. I didn't recall any explosions having occurred throughout the movie, because naturally the boom operator would be the person in charge of cuing the "boom" sound for all of the production's various explosions... 
   According to creativeskillset.org, "Boom Operators are responsible for placing the microphone in the best position, without impeding camera operation, or hampering actors’ freedom to perform. Clear dialogue is expected by cinema audiences, and this is usually achieved by placing microphones suitably close to the actors saying their lines. This is part of the Boom Operators’ responsibility, and is a physically difficult enterprise, requiring a great deal of skill and experience."

Yep. The lady holding the microphone-on-a-fishing-pole is the boom operator. 

    Well, my hypothesis was fiercely inaccurate, but now I know who to thank for the audibility of movie dialogues. Thank you, boom operators. ^_^