Shooting Film Stills

[jzq]

<p>Hi everybody,<br>

For the past two days, I've been shooting stills for a short film. I'd never done this kind of work before, so I had no idea that I would need some kind of silencing box for my camera. So far, I've been shooting everything I can between takes, before "action," and right after "cut."<br>

That being said, the cast & crew appear to like my work and I have reason to believe that I may be doing this type of thing again in the future. So... I want to know what the silencing box is <em>called</em> . I've heard it referred to as a photo blimp, a sound reducer, a camera silencer, and a soundbox. Yet, when I try to search for these items on B&H, I come up blank.<br>

If anyone could help me locate what I need, I would be most grateful. FYI, I need one that works with a Canon 40D (and 20D, if possible).<br>

Thanks!</p>

[luis_g]

<p>They're called blimps.</p>

<p>http://www.soundblimp.com/canon.htm</p>

<p> http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-3408-3436</p>

<p> </p>

[MichaelChang]

<p>Judith, a few resourceful photographers have shared their low cost do-it-yourself solutions to the problem:</p>

<ul>

<li><a href="http://www.picturedujour.com/?p=67">For a Canon 5D with long lens</a> </li>

<li><a href="http://www.whistlerweddingphotos.com/blimp.html">Similar but with shorter lens, used on film set</a> </li>

<li><a href="http://nppa.org/news_and_events/news/2009/01/inauguration.html">5D-II, probably more for protection but similar idea</a> </li>

</ul>

<p>These are all built around an inexpensive <a href="http://www.pelican-case.com/1150.html">Pelican 1150 case</a> with PVC plumbing pipes as a lens tube. Although I always wanted to make one but haven't, thinking about the problem brings to mind a couple of issues:</p>

<p>1. In extremely quiet enivorenments where absolute silence is needed such as classical concerts and film sets, the box must contain the noise <em>sufficiently</em> to be useful. This can be a real challenge because what is important becomes not what the degree of noise reduction is, rather that <em>any</em> noise emitted becomes unacceptable. Acoustically, this can be dealt with by lining the case with lead sheets then encased with high density foam.</p>

<p>2. Ergonomics: The box becomes difficult to handle even with presets through a remote shutter release cord. One way around this is tripod mounting. Not ideal to say the least but this will be true of commercial products as well. </p>

<p>There's really no mystery to building a box to contain sound and might be worth looking into given the high cost of commercially available products.</p>

<p> </p>

[brad_smith8]

<p>Don't forget that your camera has a 'quiet mode' available that heavily attenuates the shutter's sound. And with the mirror up, the slapping sound is eliminated.</p>

<p>Edit: I know the 40D has it...not sure about the 20D...</p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p><em>Don't forget that your camera has a 'quiet mode' available that heavily attenuates the shutter's sound. And with the mirror up, the slapping sound is eliminated.</em></p>

<p>The shutter makes as much or more noise than the mirror. A blimp is the only solution - not cheap but better than unemployment.</p>

[jzq]

<p>How does one access controls on the camera whilst using one of those boxes?!?! I was on a set with a lot of "practical" lighting, and the actors were moving around. So, the light on them kept changing. I got to photograph a few rehearsals and I was constantly changing settings in manual mode. I can't see any way to access the controls on some of those boxes!</p>

[newberry]

<p>Judith:<br /> <br /> I made a blimp for the 5D, which was linked to above (http://www.picturedujour.com/?p=67). You are restricted with a blimp. I use a cable release with mine, and depressing it halfway allows me to set and lock focus. Usually on film sets, if you're shooting what the motion picture camera sees, the light should be consistent--it's pretty rare to change exposure during a take. If not, I would suggest one of the auto modes. And/or set the camera to auto bracket (if your body has that feature).</p>

[MichaelChang]

<p>Here's a YouTube video explaining the use of the SoundBlimp linked by Luis above:<br>

<a href="

<p>Jim, thank you for your blog post. Very inspiring for us tinkerers.</p>

[henkelphoto]

<p>If you want the genuine article, here's a link to Jacobson Blimps. This is the one many people in Hollywood use.</p>

<p>http://www.soundblimp.com/Default.htm</p>

<p>Jerry</p>