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2 noob questions :)
Hello everyone,
I have two trivial questions on which I couldn’t find answer…
I hope that this is right place for me 🙂
1. I see on every behind the scenes video that one member of crew (probably AC) use some device which looks like black box with some kind of lenses and viewfinder,
It looks to me, like some kind of light metering… But device doesn’t look like light meter.
2. There is always one little black device with seven segment display (red numbers) ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven-segment_display ) which is attached to camera body.What are those two devices? It really bugs my mind…
PS. Sorry for my English. 🙂 -
11 Replies
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Hi Filip,
You’re probably wondering about the “Cine-Tape” which is an ultrasonic device to measure distances for focus.
Here’s the link to the manufacturer’s website with complete information:
https://www.cinemaelec.com/products/cinetapemeasure.php
JS
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That’s interesting, John… pretty cool. Probably works better than my method, which is a Stanley “Fat Max” laser tape measure. Then again, I imagine it’s a touch more expensive than the hundred-buck Stanley.
And Filip… John may be right about Item #1… my only other thought would be that it is a Fries director’s finder that you are seeing. But it’s unlikely you’d ever see an AC using that, so I don’t know…
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x4GqRY1Wuq8/Sk_Rwjj1VBI/AAAAAAAACPw/fo1rHOBhkXg/s400/Fries_003_LG.jpg
As for Item #2, not sure, probably some kind of timecode slave for the smartslate.
If you have any links to examples of these we could probably tell you exactly what they are.
T2
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Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
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Todd,
I think the #2 is the other part of the Cine Tape, the readout. It’s available now in both wired and wireless versions.
JS
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“A picture is worth a thousand words”
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2.
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Well those are definitely two unrelated things…
The top photo is a camera (still camera, an SLR or DSLR) in a soundproof blimp… so the still photographer can silently take production photos during takes….
T2
__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
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Incidentally, as far as the Cine-Tape goes, RedrockMicro also makes a device like that, although theirs is an all-in-one, not a separate display.
No doubt it is not quite as full-featured as the one from Cinematography Electronics… but it’s about a tenth the price…
https://store.redrockmicro.com/Catalog/microTape-Sonar-Rangefinder/microTape
T2
__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
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HI Todd,
Apples and Oranges; the Red Rock is a Laser, so it’s visible and potentially injurious (also 10x the price of a simple laser measure). The Cine Tape allows real time use as the subject or camera moves during the shot.
As with all specialized movie kit, it’s priced commensurately, but always seems with the cost when the “impossible” shot is made and in focus!
The economics of it are that the top camera assistants can both rent to the show and/or just use it to do their job much better. It’s a finicky device and best used by an owner operator who’s familiar with it’s quirks and has also the special widgets to mount it properly.
Frankly, the AC’s I know who own these units are generally the best in the business!
JS
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Thank you John, thats it…
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John and Todd, thank you very much. You solve my mystery 🙂
It’s funny to me that I never saw sound proof housings for dslr cameras, beside movie sets… -
[john sharaf] “Apples and Oranges”
Oh no doubt, I’m sure they are not even in the same ballpark…
[john sharaf] ” the Red Rock is a Laser”
Just one clarification, the Redrock does have a laser you can turn on as an “aiming assit,” but like the other unit it does work ultrasonically and does continuous measuring.
I do not own nor use either. Sometimes I’ll whip out the aforementioned Fat Max, but not often. And I still have the old-fashioned roll-up tape measure if I’m wanting to feel real Old Hollywood… ha.
T2
__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
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