What is this camera for?

[Daniel D. Teoli Jr.]

 

After the actor walked by the main camera, the mystery camera took position. Camera looks to be attached to the main camera. 

Screen photo from Superbad 2007 movie.

[Robert Hart]

Might have been a continuity camera. I don't think they were still using Polaroid instant cameras by then.

[Steve Switaj]

It's not attached to the main camera, it's in the hands of a set photographer, crouched in the lower center of the frame.

You can see her(?) right hand supporting it.

Feature films often employ a separate still photographer to generate all the publicity materials, and sometimes they photograph right along side the regular film crew. Though it's not as much as an issue today, in the days of film you wouldn't want to use a still taken from the motion picture camera - you'd have to cut (or at least dupe) the camera negative, and a 4-perf frame is tiny for a still.

This photo is from 2007, so the camera is likely a DSLR, either film or digital, and so it makes noise when it shoots. Hence the photographer has enclosed it in a blimp, which is why it looks so big an boxy.

 

 

 

Edited March 26, 2023 by Steve Switaj

[Steve Switaj]

 

Also, I would note that sometimes there are auxiliary cameras attached to the main camera. I used to do a lot of VFX and it was common for a movie with extensive facial replacement to rig two small witness cameras out a few feet on either side of the film camera, converged a couple of yards in front  of the lens. These would be recorded and provided to the VFX people to help them understand what the actor was doing in the Z axis.

Edited March 26, 2023 by Steve Switaj

[James Drake]

Yep. Looks like a stills camera in a Jacobson Blimp.

Info here: http://www.nipponkogakuklub.com/NKK/Jacobson_Blimps.html

[Tyler Purcell]

Yep just a stills camera for BTS images. This has been common practice on film sets since the advent of SLR cameras. You'll see similar blimped cameras going back to the 60's. 

[Patrick Baldwin]

With the advent of mirrorless and silent shutters you won't see a blimped stills camera on set anymore. I'm selling my Aquatech blimp if anybody wants it! Ran when parked?

[Daniel D. Teoli Jr.]

On 3/26/2023 at 1:50 PM, Steve Switaj said:

It's not attached to the main camera, it's in the hands of a set photographer, crouched in the lower center of the frame.

You can see her(?) right hand supporting it.

Feature films often employ a separate still photographer to generate all the publicity materials, and sometimes they photograph right along side the regular film crew. Though it's not as much as an issue today, in the days of film you wouldn't want to use a still taken from the motion picture camera - you'd have to cut (or at least dupe) the camera negative, and a 4-perf frame is tiny for a still.

This photo is from 2007, so the camera is likely a DSLR, either film or digital, and so it makes noise when it shoots. Hence the photographer has enclosed it in a blimp, which is why it looks so big an boxy.

 

 

 

 

 

I meant it looked attached with a wire to the main camera.

Was it common that the still photographer would shoot right along the main camera on most scenes like this?

Edited March 28, 2023 by Daniel D. Teoli Jr.

[James Drake]

2 hours ago, Daniel D. Teoli Jr. said:

Was it common that the still photographer would shoot right along the main camera on most scenes like this?

For some of the shows I work on, the Network asks for stills that look "in-scene" in addition to the BTS and posed stuff, so we'll see a stills camera sneak in beside our cameras from time-to-time.

[Patrick Baldwin]

In an ideal world one would capture the same frame as the cinema camera along with other images. In reality it can be impossible to get that near to the camera. However, I have yet to meet a DP who wasn't happy to help me get into a good place. I've met a few 1st Ad's that were a bit grumpy! For clarity, I shoot more unit stills than moving image.