Using mirrors to asst. filming

P

petey

Member
Hey guys, this might sound a little weird, but hear me out.

For a while ive been wondering if mirrors could be used to help when filming. For example, with angles, movement, and getting to awkward locations.

I've done some experimentation just with a standard mirror and i think there is some potential within the idea.

I'm just wondering if anyones ever done anything like this and whether anyone thinks that it may have some merits?

Please gimme some feedback because i reckon there could be some handy techniques that could come out of it... :-/
 
Re: Using mirrors to asst. filming

I've been planning on trying to shoot with a mirror this weekend -- we'll be shooting in a couple of tight spots and I could use an extra few feet between the lens and the actor.

In terms of real life storeis, I remember hearing something in the commentary of the "Sunset Boulevard" DVD. Early in the film there is a shot where William Holden is floating dead in the pool. Director Billy Wilder wanted the shot to be from the bottom of the pool looking up, so we see the floating actor, with other poolside actors looking down at him and down at the camera.

Instead of putting the camera underwater, they pointed a pool-side camera into a mirror that they placed at the bottom of the pool. The shot looks great.
 
Re: Using mirrors to asst. filming

Hmmm... intriguing...

One of the keys to shallow DOF is to get the lens zoomed in as far as possible. Not often possible to get all the way to Z99 when in a regular room... but if you set the camera next to the talent, then set a mirror across the room, you could double the distance between the camera and the actor, perhaps giving access to the full Z99 zoom range...

Of course, you'd have to remember to x-flip the image in post or your actor's face would be backwards, but other than that, that sounds like an interesting idea...
 
Re: Using mirrors to asst. filming

I might have to experiment with that tonight and see how it works. Good call.
 
Re: Using mirrors to asst. filming

It could definitely be a help with tight angles (as most people's houses aren' especially production-friendly . . . ).
 
Re: Using mirrors to asst. filming

When I was shooting news a few years back I was doing a hunting story and I wanted an effect that a gun was shooting the camera. I put the mirror 50 yds away and the camera at 45 degrees from it. It looked good but there was a double image, I think you need a surface mirror to get ride of the problem.
 
Re: Using mirrors to asst. filming

We have used this techniq when we were working with miniature models doing some model animation. It is little tricky to set up but works wonderfully well. I never tried it out in live shoot but definitly use it in the first oppertunity I get and I will try to post the results.
 
Re: Using mirrors to asst. filming

Mirrors can definatley aid one in getting the shot! You imagination is limitless! Here is an example:

Set up a mirror and shot the DVX right into it (45 degrees I believe) and then have a baseball pitcher throw a strike right into mirror. The shot you will get is a baseball going right into the lens.

If you can dream it, you can do it.
 
Re: Using mirrors to asst. filming

Here's another interesting mirror technique, although I'm not suggesting any of us use it, because it is somewhat obsolete.

Long before After Effects and even before optical printers, a lot of films used a mirror trick that I think was called the "Shuftan Process" to combine live actors with miniatures.  I know this technique was used in "Metropolis" and in Hitchcock's "Blackmail."

A camera is pointed at live actors. A mirror is placed in front of the camera lens, angled to show a model that is off to the side. Then, part of the mirror's silver is scraped away, so that the image is a combination of the model (the mirror) and the live actors (the scraped glass).

It's fascinating stuff, but I think I'll stick to After Effects.
 
Re: Using mirrors to asst. filming

m bass has the name partially right. what you need is a 'front surface mirror'. most mirrors are a silver foil on the back of glass. with this type of mirror you will will get a double image, one from the silver and one from the front of the glass. not a problem for everyday use but a big problem for photographic use. also, everyday mirrors tend to have a green tint in the glass. Do some searching for 'front surface mirror' and you will eliminate the double image and get a cleaner color. one place to check is edmund scientific.
 
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