sionnac Posted September 18, 2004 Share Posted September 18, 2004 In the new movie <i>Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow</i> (giant robots!), Gwyneth Paltrow's character is gripping her retro-styled camera throughout much of the action. I won't mention the ending, but ouch. Can anyone tell me if it's a prop amalgamation or identify the camera? You can see it briefly in the trailer. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0346156/trailers">Imdb trailer: Sky Captain</a> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charles_stobbs3 Posted September 18, 2004 Share Posted September 18, 2004 In a newspaper ad I saw it looked like an Argus C3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorn ake Posted September 18, 2004 Share Posted September 18, 2004 Here it is in Technicolor.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorn ake Posted September 18, 2004 Share Posted September 18, 2004 Acck. My wife the lawyer just reminded me that there is a thing called copyright which I just probably violated to the nth degree. May the moderators remove the above and thereby save my soul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfophotos Posted September 18, 2004 Share Posted September 18, 2004 We have been aware of this for some time in th Argus Collector's Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arguscg/).. the movie posters have the image reversed, and in the trailers they show it several times -- it is an Argus C-3 -- what better camera to use! Though it looks like she's going to get her finger whacked every time she releases the shutter... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooper8168 Posted September 18, 2004 Share Posted September 18, 2004 I worked on the movie. We recorded and mixed the score at my studio and had the director over on more than a few occasions. Being a photography nut, I asked him about the camera and was told that it is a prop that's based on an Argus. I don't know much about cameras made before 1975, but it is straight from the horses mouth if that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sionnac Posted September 18, 2004 Author Share Posted September 18, 2004 Chris, sounds like fun. My only problem is that at the end, how can she see throught the viewfinder if....? You know. :) Like the Invisible Man's invisible shoes. Terrific style, well done movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sionnac Posted September 18, 2004 Author Share Posted September 18, 2004 (I just realized. Of course she can. Duh.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
furcafe Posted September 18, 2004 Share Posted September 18, 2004 The Argus must be the Hollywood "retro" prop camera of choice, as I read it was also used in 1 of the Harry Potter movies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_kim2 Posted September 18, 2004 Share Posted September 18, 2004 I dont understand why they would use a camera made in the 50s for a movie set in the 30s and 40s. Personally I think a nice Leica M2 or 3 would look much more classy and 'retro' to fit the look of the film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_baird Posted September 18, 2004 Share Posted September 18, 2004 Hell, that's nothing - I'm still trying to figure out why they were referring to "World War I" in 1939... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted September 18, 2004 Share Posted September 18, 2004 Yeh, I noticed that distinctive Argus profile the first time I saw Paltrow's promo clip when she was a guest on "The Daily Show". One of the reasons prop masters use stuff like this is for economy. They can find lots of old Arguses easily and cheaply - and they do have a budget to stick to. If they can supply a prop camera of no particular significance for ten bucks they're gonna have a difficult time convincing the accountant why they needed a $300 Leica. It's the same reason why you'll hear that motor drive clacking away when the photographer is using a Spotmatic with no motor drive attached - why buy an unnecessary bit of gear when the sound editor can fix it in the mix? Besides, maybe the prop master and other folks in on the decision simply *liked* the look of the Argus. Who cares about anachronisms in a scifi flick - other than geeks like us? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooper8168 Posted September 18, 2004 Share Posted September 18, 2004 I'm sure in this particular case, it was actually the DP's choice, but he was no doubt limited to only a few "period" pieces to choose from. However, considering the amount of money they spent on the music, I can't imagine going the extra mile to get a Leica or whatever would have really raised any eyebrows. As Lex said, it was more a case of just liking how the pseudo-Argus prop looked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connealy Posted September 18, 2004 Share Posted September 18, 2004 <i>I dont understand why they would use a camera made in the 50s for a movie set in the 30s and 40s. Personally I think a nice Leica M2 or 3 would look much more classy and 'retro' to fit the look of the film.</i><br><br>'50s? <b>'50s?</b> The C3 dates from 1939 and the C line goes quite a bit further back. Geez... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_wintheiser Posted September 19, 2004 Share Posted September 19, 2004 I haven't seen the movie, but I understand that Gwyneth lays a big-shot reporter. Would a reporter in 1939 have used a 35mm of any sort, let alone an amateur camera like the C3? It seems to me she would have been using a medium format press camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_elek Posted September 19, 2004 Share Posted September 19, 2004 ... she does what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connealy Posted September 19, 2004 Share Posted September 19, 2004 The C3 showed up in quite a few old films. I think the film makers were not attempting authenticity, but rather were trying to connect with their every-man audience. Respected documentary photographers like the FSA group were already working frequently with the Contax and color to produce images that were more spontaneous and more faithful to reality. The public was aware of that from popular publications, but expensive, imported miniature cameras may not have been readily available to the experience of the average movie goer. What was available at a popular price but still carrying some of the glamorous aura of 35mm was the C3. Of course, press cameras showed up in the movies too, but I think the intention there was to surround an event with the trappings of celebrity rather than to portray the photographer as a central and glamorous character. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_elek Posted September 19, 2004 Share Posted September 19, 2004 In the Starsky & Hutch TV pilot, a guy in one of the opening scenes as an Argus C4 hanging from his neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_wintheiser Posted September 19, 2004 Share Posted September 19, 2004 Sorry folks, I meant Gwyneth PLAYS a reporter. I have no idea what she does in her spare time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_elek Posted September 19, 2004 Share Posted September 19, 2004 I figured -- I was just kidding with you. No offense intended. First time I read that, I had to read it again, just to make sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_halfhill Posted September 19, 2004 Share Posted September 19, 2004 During the scene in the uranium mine, Gwyneth Paltrow shoots a flash picture with her Argus C-3 -- without a flashgun! Most people today wouldn't notice anything wrong, because modern point-and-shoot cameras have built-in electronic flash. Also, several closeups of her Argus C-3 show an incredibly large film counter on the camera's top plate -- right next to the actual film-counter wheel. This was a necessary plot device, because several times in the movie she worries about having only two frames left on her roll of film, so the filmmakers needed to show a film counter large enough and obvious enough for the audience to recognize. But I'm only nitpicking...I really enjoyed the movie and its futuristic 1930s technology. Not often do you get to see a P-40 Warhawk battling giant robots in the streets of NYC! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gecko Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 i think it's an argus C2 with modifications: the shown framecounter with letters on top does not exist on the original C2 (it has kind of a dial as framecounter), as said before. and some chrome parts are painted black. and no argus label exists (like on the C2 - the C3 has a argus label) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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