In movies that contain mirror images how do they film them without the camera appearing in the reflection?
by 
darcys
ANSWERS: 3
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I know of three methods, in descending order of popularity, which happens to also correlate with cost and ease. 1) Just film at a slight angle. As long as the camera isn't pointing directly at the mirror, you won't be able to see it. Examples: Most films with mirrors. 2) CGI. Film the 'reflection' separately, then overlay it onto the mirror in post-production. The mirror would probably be painted green or blue for this method, and it would basically be an identical method to green-screening. Example: Peep Show, a British television show. 3) Hollow out the mirror. In this particularly convoluted method, the mirror contains no reflective surface at all. The set is rebuilt as a mirror image on the other side of the mirror, and actors who appear in the scene must have look-alikes used. Example: Terminator 2 - in the garage where Sarah Connor is treating the Terminator, there is a mirror at some point. They used a dummy for the Terminator, and the twin of the actress playing Sarah for her doppelganger. I am surprised that I know so much about movie mirrors.
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Just to add an example to number two above, there is a shot in the movie CONTACT that begins with a Steadicam move from the living room leading the little girl up the stairs and into the bathroom where her hand enters frame to "reveal" that the entire shot was in the reflection of the vanity mirror. Excellent shot and example of how to tell a complete story in one shot. The example of number three above can be seen in the DVD extras as the shot was not used in the movie (T2). I once had to shoot an interview with a gymnast in a room with mirrors on every wall. It became a lesson in geometry as there was precisely one angle I could point the camera without seeing my camera and the lights. This was an example of number one above which I found was a huge challenge to pull off. Brian Dzyak Cameraman/Author IATSE Local 600, SOC http://www.whatireallywanttodo.com
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Either edit out the camera in post, shoot at a slight angle, or add the effect of a mirror in post. There are probably a lot of different ways of doing it. Those are the three I can think of.
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