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Author Topic: Photographers in TV series and movies  (Read 852 times)

Petrus

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Photographers in TV series and movies
« on: February 16, 2017, 07:53:58 am »

I am watching TV more than usual while recuperating from a hip operation, so something caught my eye the other day (several days actually): how photographers are depicted in movies and TV series.

This particular thing was press photographers in the British series "The Crown". They are happily shooting away with Speed Graphics and similar early fifties press cameras, but:

1) they shoot like it had a LCD display in the back, not using the wire frame viewfinder.
2) they keep shooting without changing the plate holder or turning it around.
3) They use flash bulbs but are in no hurry to change them.

When group portraits were taken of the royal family after the wedding and coronation of the Queen Elizabeth II, there were a lot of tungsten lights in the room, but there was a distinct flash every time the exposure was made. When did electronic studio flashes became widely used?

The coronation in 1953 was televised, the first time ever for such an event. When BBC was setting up the cameras in the Westminster Abby a highly sceptical member of the royal staff asks "there will be no close-ups, no long zoom lenses?" I mean, even in sixtes/seventies tv-cameras still had those lens carousels for focal length change.

This just from one tv-series. Not to mention all the movies and shows where press photographers have amateurs cameras, hold them totally wrong way, use both Nikon and Canon bodies at the same time, camera sounds like it had motor drive when it does not, etc etc

How about setting up a photography consultancy for the movie/tv industry?
« Last Edit: February 16, 2017, 10:01:18 am by Petrus »
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JNB_Rare

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Re: Photographers in TV series and movies
« Reply #1 on: February 16, 2017, 08:54:48 am »

I am watching TV more than usual while recuperating from a hip operation, ...

Might be safer than looking out your Rear Window.  ;)

There is a local photographer here in our tiny community who does consulting as you describe. He is something of a photography historian. And he scored a bit part in a small budget film, partly because he was "ready to go" -- he had the period view camera, flash pan, clothes, etc.

I suspect that some productions rely on people who aren't really experts, and others alter reality because it isn't convenient, takes too much time, or it "doesn't look right" to the director.
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Rob C

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Re: Photographers in TV series and movies
« Reply #2 on: February 16, 2017, 09:11:12 am »

"This particular thing was press photographers in the British series "The Crown". They are happily shopping away with Speed Graphics and similar early fifties press cameras, but:

1) they shoot like it had a LCD display in the back, not using the wire frame viewfinder.
2) they keep shooting without changing the plate holder or turning it around.
3) They use flash bulbs but are in no hurry to change them."

Of course, they are all members of the old IBP, trained to do anything at all photographic.

Thing is, with the right processing, it was possible to separate the latent images later on, saving much time in the field. The technology was developed in Bletchley Park, a secret lab in England. That John Wayne had nothing to do with it may come as a shock to some. Waddya mean, who's John Wayne? Just think Errol Flynn without the looks and charm. Mr Flynn Jr was a photographer...

Rob C

Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Photographers in TV series and movies
« Reply #3 on: February 16, 2017, 09:41:47 am »

This is how TV writers imagine real estate photographers do their job: a guy walks into an apartment, walks toward the window view and takes a picture, with flash ;)
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