What is a "shotgun" microphone and can it improve my camcorder's sound quality?

What is a "shotgun" microphone and can it improve my camcorder's sound quality?

Tim Smith (Camcorder Training Specialist) gives expert video advice on: What kind of sound quality can I expect from my camcorder?; What do I need in order to use an external microphone for my camcorder?; Can I use professional microphones with a consumer camcorder? and more...

Shotgun microphones are very directional. They are great for picking up particular piece of sound out of a big area because they stay very focused in a straight foward direction. They tend to eliminate sound that's coming from the left and the right or above and below and pinpoint your sound to a very specific area. Some of the most common situations where you would want to use a shotgun microphone might be a let's say when recording a speech given in a public place where you have a lot of additional noise; maybe some crowd noise, maybe some road noise, or noise coming from directions other than where the podium is. Now you're not in a position to get a microphone on the particular subject so you settle with what's called a shotgun microphone which can kind of shoot straight through all of that; it ignores what's happening to the left, to the right, top and the bottom and kind of pinpoints the subject at which the camera is aimed. The shotgun microphone is perfect for those types of environments.