using mirrors to get front of face shots in car?

C

c.g._eads

Veteran
Has anybody tried this? Instead of putting the camera outside of the car, just shoot from the backseat into a strategically placed mirror (on the dashboard) angled towards the actor's face?

It would have to be a pretty big car with a lot of space between the subjects and the windshield, but I think it might work. What do you think?
 
Hmm, I would just give it a try. You need to make sure the mirror doesn't shake/vibrate. Might get a good effect out of this. :thumbup:
 
A front surface mirror is a standard solution for shooting in tight spaces. On a short that I am DPing right now (Threading The Needle) we had to shoot in the cockpit of a stunt aircraft. The only way to accomplish it was to shot down into a front surface mirror, there simply wasn't enough space to place the camera in the confined space. If you need information on sources for these, feel free to PM me.
 
At the request made in a PM, here is some more information on this concept.

Here is a link to an image of the setup that I am describing.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=76459&page=184

Its about in the middle of the page. I have used this technique for tight shots in a lot of situations.

Another recent example was in a hallway where I wanted a POV shot of two actors facing one an other but there simply wasn't enough room to position the camera (an SDX900) due to the narrow hall, so I placed a front surface mirror on the adjacent wall at 45 degrees and shot into it from down the hall. It allowed me to keep my lighting setup and still achieve a shot that wouldn't have been possible without having the ability to move walls (this was a practical location, not a studio shot).

The reason for using front surfaced mirrors is that they are much more reflective (95% reflectivity typically) and also have much fewer distortions than conventional mirrors. The down side is that they are very delicate and can't be cleaned easily (doing so can damage the reflective surface), so if you go this route, handle them accordingly.
 
Thanks for the info khmuse. Where do you find a front surfaced mirror? Are these specifically made with filming in mind? Or can you get them anywhere?
 
Your welcome. Front surface mirrors have applications in a lot of industries (rear projection televisions, telescopes, optical instruments like surveying and many others), they are not just for film work. Here is a link to a place that I have purchased them before:

http://www.highreflectivemirrors.com/
 
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