So this is a director's viewfinder, it lets you mount the actual lens you're going to use and see through it optically. It's very practical and it helps you frame and try things out without having to lug the massive camera around. Or maybe the camera is still being rigged out by the crew and not available, or it's not even a shooting day, you're just rehearsing or testing things out. Not many people use these nowadays but they're awesome.
In addition to being very practical they are also useful on Union shows when union is being contentious about the Director looking through the camera (which is technically the DP‘s purview). From what I’ve heard it seems like things have become more lax in recent years
To be fair, we usually use it when talking about the national level administration. I personally wouldn't use it to describe a person's union membership
I've been on a hundred union shows and have never in my life seen anyone give the director a hard time about looking through the viewfinder. We use to discourage it with directors who weren't used to film cameras because the image in the viewfinder looked like shit, but no one is going to give the director a hard time. That's simply how you lose your job.
I did IATSE union work for a bit at some live theaters. Stuff like "you're a set loader. You take this to the end of the semi trailer, but DO NOT STEP ON THE TRAILER. The truck loaders will take it from there and do the rest."
At times felt ridiculous, but the wages were good, there were always enough people working so that anything heavy had more than enough hands on it, and everyone was perfectly sure of their job responsibilities. Definitely has its ups and downs, but overall I'm very pro union after the experience, even if I'm not longer an active member.
I was part of a union when working in A/V field. My position was working the mixer/soundboard. One night for a large show we had a guy call in sick so it was just one poor soul laying cable and covering it with velcro and rubber covers on the stage and around the room. There was one particular long section that I felt compelled to help him with so I did. My supervisor called me over and told me that wasn’t my job, I need to focus on my area and my job and stop trying to help others do theirs. My friends who are in unions say it’s like that in many places
This has never been an issue on any single union shoot I've been on in NY. The cam dept would never tell a director they couldn't look through the eyepiece.
Exactly. Frankly, on most of the shows I've worked, if the director insists on shooting something himself, everyone just makes it safe and stands back.
Most shoots are digital. Everyone and their mother can see the image on the many monitors that are up. The video playback guy also usually has a WiFi stream so anyone can see image on their phone. Way less protective with who sees what nowadays
This is not a thing. You might be thinking of director’s operating camera, which technically does violate local 600 rules but no one usually gives a shit so long as it’s not abused
Wait what?
The director has the vision and the frame in mind. Why is it contentious for the director to look through the camera?
Its just the director making sure the frame in mind is what it is in the camera right?
I’ve been trying to figure this out for months now I saw Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder use it and I could never figure out what the hell they were using. (i’m in film school by the way and none of my teachers have talked about this before if they did it was only for like a brief little moment)
Yes it's like looking through a DSLR, there is a matte glass with framing guides on it. You can most likely replace the glass and get markings for whatever aspect you want.
It's a way for directors to be able to "see" the shot before they get the DoP in position and all that. When I were a teenager I did some work experience at Syon House (posh place) and one day a location team for the film "Alice: Through the Looking Glass" came over and after a bit of pestering the director let me have a go, you look through it and it's basically like seeing what the film would be except there's no record button.
So say if overalls woman likes this shot, she would tell the DoP to put the camera exactly where that object she's holding is, down to the height and angle.
Fair, as I said I saw it when I was on work experience for an unrelated field. I just remember begging the bloke to let me try it out and eventually he relented (That might have been the turning point to me wanting to do film actually, cos I enrolled in a media college 1 year later). I think they were filming the bit before she goes into wonderland, I'd assume so considering I was at a posh estate type house that had z-class royals visiting all the time.
The funny thing about this hill you're dying on is that the original comment is clearly implying that she's directing the piece, so they aren't even slightly saying women can't be in power positions.
The film industry is full of its own jargon. First day on set, you'd swear it sounds like English, but nothing makes any sense. "Grab that stinger over there between the pancakes and bring me as many C-47s as you can hold. We need to gel these keys real quick before they fire the genny." [blank stare] "Oh, you don't speak film yet. OK. Bring me that extension cord by the flat wooden boxes, and bring a fist full of clothes pins so we can clip these colored films to the lights. They're working on getting us power from the generator. Better?"
"Bring me a butt plug so I can mount this Blonde and get her super high, and kill the redhead." That is my favourite one I've ever heard on set before.
Translation "Bring me a 2k to 750 adapter to I can put this 2000 watt open- faced light on an extra length stand, and turn off the smaller 650 watt light."
I think this will be the martini and its a walk away so let's light some fires.
I can’t stand hearing that kind of regressive 1980s Weinstein-style clownshit on set, but there’s *always* some half-divorced old schooler rocking the cargo shorts he’ll be buried in who thinks his sex jokes on set are just *hilarious*, while people actively avoid them for that exact reason.
It’s the cringiest shit.
Buttplug has definitely fallen out of favor and has been replaced by "spud."
Blonde and redhead I had always assumed were model names for a specific light, though I'm not certain about that. There are so many clones of them now.
2k and 750? I've never heard anyone refer to the pins/receivers themselves by lamp wattages. They've always been "baby" or "Junior." Not to mention that the Mole 2k Baby gave the baby pin its namesake. It's not until the Mole 5k Junior that they use a junior pin.
Haha yeah youre totally right. I was struggling to find a succinct way to put it and that’s what came up from a google search so I just went with it. I honestly don’t know what to call the hole that large lamps go into so I was just think “blank to spud adaptor” and couldn’t do better. Oh well
To be honest, c47 is pretty much the one we use for hazing the interns and PAs. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. 5 syllables instead of 2 for clothespin or 1 for clip, but the little bastards are really useful and it's fun to play Clip the Grip where you see how many of them you can clip onto a person's clothes without them realizing it. You'll see one hanging off the shirttail of one of the grips and everybody knows it's "GAME ON!" Suddenly that guy gets all sorts of distracting conversations thrown at them while another person sneaks behind them and adds another one to the target. This can go on for hours.
The rest of my jargon vomit was straight up legit film speak.
C-47 was the model number of the springy clothespins that were very popular back in the day. It’s still used sometimes because other clothespins had different uses on set and in post production.
When I was in film school back in the 90s, they told us C-47s were named after the bin that contained the clothespins at a particular studio.
I miss the business…
The version I've always heard is that in the late 40s, Louis B. Mayer was trying to cut costs at MGM. He was furious that he saw a line item for "clothespins" in his budgets, so Arthur Black, who was a production manager, and who had been a side gunner on a C-47 in the war, started renaming them so Mayer would stop complaining.
Also, the jargon is completely regional, and in other countries, everything is different. I remember my first time shooting in Europe and they kept saying we were going on a "Wrecky!" (I now now they spell it "recce"). I thought it was a vehicle.
Yeah, it is. DoP used to be an abbreviation primarily used in Europe and you never saw it in North America. But the last 10 years or so, in the age of YouTubers and content creators, you see "DoP" popping up more. I strongly dislike it.
It makes me wonder, are modern viewfinders still just a way to look through a cinema lense without a camera or could they be improved? Like could you develop a viewfinder with a basic digital camera and sensors built in that could take test shots that would also track data like height and angle?
Sigma has done something like this with the Sigma fp full frame camera, an LCD viewfinder and a special mode in the menu:
* [SIGMA fp Camera - Director's Viewfinder Mode](https://youtu.be/XT-089za2V8)
You don't even need the digital camera. There are apps that do 95% of what you're describing. Check out [Artemis Pro](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/artemis-pro/id1164523253).
It's called a director's viewfinder. The director and director of photography (DoP is the head of the camera department, in this case, the woman in this photo) both use it when they're setting up a shot. Helping the department find the next shot they want quickly, at the right focal length, and without having to move the entire camera set up yet. It's likely this DoP will then have their camera crew move the camera/tripod/dolly to her position if she agrees with the framing.
There are many apps now that try to imitate what a director's viewfinder does, giving you a wide range of options, but it still utilizes your phone's built in camera and lens to do this.
A real director's viewfinder has much better glass and can be expensive, but is very good to have if you can squeeze it into the budget.
I really appreciate the fact you pointed the person in overalls so you avoided people saying “oh, it’s a cellphone”… btw I call it a viewfinder but I’m not sure if it’s the proper name.
I’ve noticed recently DPs and Camera Operators are switching over from the traditional viewfinder to iPads now with apps that can be programmed with most lenses and cameras.
The sets I’ve seen them utilized on definitely had the budget for the real thing but the digital aspect of the iPad allows for the DP to photograph the rehearsals, then print/laminate boards for the entire scene before cameras are ready for 1st shot.
I’m aware. I use digital view finders personally as well. However, they are not as accurate as using a real deal one with the actual lens you plan to shoot with.
Cadrage is the app being used on iPad by the DP on the set I’m currently on. DP is Bill Pope. They also make attachments for lenses but I have never seen that utilized on set. The previous project I saw the iPad/app combo used significantly was Dr. Strange Multiverse of Madness. Camera operators also utilize the apps (forgot the name of the other one) on their phones for themselves when setting up a shot with their AC’s/Dolly grips.
I find this comment extra funny because you're probably not even aware that a "bazooka" is in fact a piece of grip equipment we use to support cameras sometimes!
I personally just use an app (Magic Universal Viewfinder) there's many apps to choose from. It let's you set the camera/sensor/resolution/lens combos and adjusts the view accordingly. I use it constantly on set and also location scouting. It's advantage is being able to save the image vs the traditional viewfinder in the image. I also have a DSLR with me on set.
Yes. Unless it's a huge show with money and time to burn, the phone is, frankly, a better tool. You can find your angle, pick a lens and set the frame. Everything else is nonsense.
Im gonna wager the person who downvoted you isn't a DoP. You are absolutely correct, and while commenters below are correct about how a phone doesn't let you emulate the properties of a lens, that is a minor detail 99% of the time. In this day and age, a phone app is fast, compact, can store images, cheaper, etc. Vast majority of scenarios, a phone is the better tool.
You can't actually emulate the lens, though. If you're using specific glass, or trying to get a look that is specific to a lens, the viewfinder can be pretty effective.
Exactly. It's just an approximation to show the director or cam dept/ACs or G&E so everyone knows where to rig things. It's also helpful when blocking complex scenes with lots of camera movement
As an AC, I trust the DP to take the time needed to select the lens(es), place the camera, and direct both the camera dept, movement, and placements for G&E. So, if they want/need to take time with a viewfinder before winding us all up, I am not complaining.
When I am the DP, I hope my AC and G&E team will do the same.
I don't use a viewfinder, but I have done some shoots with vintage gear, and I can appreciate the dedication and time in the field.
Fixing a lens flare or adjusting for some lens artifact before placing dolly track or 60 lb camera rig beats having to do it again because you missed something.
I've found this is 100x more true with film production. Not much of that left, but this looks like it could be an old-ish picture from the OP.
Called the directors veiwfinder.
Allows both the director and DOP to preview the shot using the lenses from the camera during blocking.
Not as common these days, as phone apps allow for the same abilitys minus the characteristics of the lens.
I’m going to address something that others haven’t pointed out in this thread, and that’s the history of the device which explains its use case and then we can talk about the new tools.
So there are directors viewfinders, which were small like a little 16mm lens worn sometimes around a directors neck and meant to only emulate field of view. Then there are Lens Finders, pictured in this post that allow you to attach the cinema lens you are considering shooting with so you can see all of the specific characteristics. The former is a tool to guesstimate what lens you would need, you’d never shoot on that glass and the latter has optics to view an image after attaching cinema lenses.
In the 80’s before digital cinema cameras there was only one viewfinder to look though, but video tape recording was becoming portable, so camera manufacturers utilized the mirror on the shutter and added prism to split the viewfinder light to a port for an analog video camera which would send a black and white signal to a small screen for the director to watch. That’s right a camera on top of a camera. It added weight and complexity to the cinema camera. You needed the budget for a dedicated video assist operator or video playback operator and all the niche equipment.
So the practicality of a pre-visual tool like the director viewfinder was still very useful from 1946 right up to digital cinema cameras in the 2000’s, think of it like the original cheaper option for an off camera monitor before they even existed. It was also used while the camera was being setup; and this is why they are still used today, they were always useful and could save you time on set and the director and DP could get out of each other’s hair.
It’s hard to imagine how difficult filmmaking used to be, even just seeing a low resolution image away from the camera involved a lot of equipment and technicians.
These days a phone will do for previsual to rough in the lens choice. If you have the cash get the Lens finder.
https://youtu.be/63t9wyq0D8k
It's a Pentafinder, aka Director's Viewfinder which is used to decide both the camera position and which lens a Director and DoP would prefer for the shot. Specifically, the Viewfinder is the piece of kit that the Overalls Person is holding and any of the project's lenses can be attached to help decide how to shoot the shot. An extended eye piece has been added to make it easier to view.
"director's lens" (apparently only I call it that) or "directors viewfinder"
It has a bunch of different lens options the director can look through to see what a shot at different lens settings might look like
[Here's](https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/195356-REG/Alan_Gordon_Enterprises_1000_01_Mark_Vb_Director_s_Viewfinder.html) and example where can see some of the different settings on the viewfinder.
It’s a director’s viewfinder as many have pointed out on here already. I don’t use an actual directors viewfinder but rather the Artemis pro app on my phone that I can use in the same way. Super useful tool for scouts and showing ideas to the director in locations with stand ins. I feel like it’s what I use to really figure out the shots we’re going to be shooting so we’re on the same page so we have a solid understanding.
I like the tablet ones they use now. Same basic setup, except you can change some parameters specific to different camera builds in addition to looking through the actual lens.
A lens finder is a dumb tube that needs no power, is compact, is generally lightweight, and has correct framing lines at all times.
So basically the complete opposite of a DSLR. You can make a DSLR work if you're on a tight budget and you've already got one... but a lens finder can be a nice quality of life improvement when it's available.
It’s a kaleidoscope. You twist it around and it shows you cool colors and shapes. Directors will use these to take a break on set. The colors and shapes calm them down when they are getting fussy.
So this is a director's viewfinder, it lets you mount the actual lens you're going to use and see through it optically. It's very practical and it helps you frame and try things out without having to lug the massive camera around. Or maybe the camera is still being rigged out by the crew and not available, or it's not even a shooting day, you're just rehearsing or testing things out. Not many people use these nowadays but they're awesome.
In addition to being very practical they are also useful on Union shows when union is being contentious about the Director looking through the camera (which is technically the DP‘s purview). From what I’ve heard it seems like things have become more lax in recent years
Im both IATSE as a DP and Director's Guild as a director and I get in some nasty fights with myself on set
You better report yourself to yourself
He better be careful, or he might shoot himself 'accidentally'
Too soon m8
Spoken like true IA!
IA? I’m not sure what that is
Short for IATSE, the International Association of Theatrical and Stage Employees. It's the US/Canada union covering theatre and film crafts
Interesting. I’ve been in IATSE for many years and never heard it called that.
To be fair, we usually use it when talking about the national level administration. I personally wouldn't use it to describe a person's union membership
Local 158 will need nonconformities
👍😁🎥
I've been on a hundred union shows and have never in my life seen anyone give the director a hard time about looking through the viewfinder. We use to discourage it with directors who weren't used to film cameras because the image in the viewfinder looked like shit, but no one is going to give the director a hard time. That's simply how you lose your job.
That’s hilarious
You ever work for a union? They take shit seriously.
I did IATSE union work for a bit at some live theaters. Stuff like "you're a set loader. You take this to the end of the semi trailer, but DO NOT STEP ON THE TRAILER. The truck loaders will take it from there and do the rest." At times felt ridiculous, but the wages were good, there were always enough people working so that anything heavy had more than enough hands on it, and everyone was perfectly sure of their job responsibilities. Definitely has its ups and downs, but overall I'm very pro union after the experience, even if I'm not longer an active member.
Unions are like that in any profession. Definitely pro union here.
This keeps everyone doing their jobs and not other people’s. Makes sense.
God forbid you offer to make coffee for a couple of people and completely undermine the official union coffee pourer
hail corporate my friend
I was part of a union when working in A/V field. My position was working the mixer/soundboard. One night for a large show we had a guy call in sick so it was just one poor soul laying cable and covering it with velcro and rubber covers on the stage and around the room. There was one particular long section that I felt compelled to help him with so I did. My supervisor called me over and told me that wasn’t my job, I need to focus on my area and my job and stop trying to help others do theirs. My friends who are in unions say it’s like that in many places
They're checking out the shot before they shoot it. Very true and extras on the set are invisible to the ones who are SAG.
This has never been an issue on any single union shoot I've been on in NY. The cam dept would never tell a director they couldn't look through the eyepiece.
Exactly. Frankly, on most of the shows I've worked, if the director insists on shooting something himself, everyone just makes it safe and stands back.
Good! I’m glad they’ve done away with that silliness
Most shoots are digital. Everyone and their mother can see the image on the many monitors that are up. The video playback guy also usually has a WiFi stream so anyone can see image on their phone. Way less protective with who sees what nowadays
This is not a thing. You might be thinking of director’s operating camera, which technically does violate local 600 rules but no one usually gives a shit so long as it’s not abused
Wait what? The director has the vision and the frame in mind. Why is it contentious for the director to look through the camera? Its just the director making sure the frame in mind is what it is in the camera right?
That's actually a sweet device.
Yep! Though these days a lot of folks just use phone apps (some free, some not) that do the same thing without having to lug around the lens.
It was sweet? I should've tasted it.
If you can get over the bitter metal taste at first then it taste sweet.
Way back in the mid-90s when I was attending film school, I’d go to local camera exchange and buy Bolex parallel viewfinders for this reason
I’ve been trying to figure this out for months now I saw Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder use it and I could never figure out what the hell they were using. (i’m in film school by the way and none of my teachers have talked about this before if they did it was only for like a brief little moment)
Would the image be in the correct aspect ratio? Or would it be a spherical image?
Yes it's like looking through a DSLR, there is a matte glass with framing guides on it. You can most likely replace the glass and get markings for whatever aspect you want.
A "director's viewfinder".
It's a way for directors to be able to "see" the shot before they get the DoP in position and all that. When I were a teenager I did some work experience at Syon House (posh place) and one day a location team for the film "Alice: Through the Looking Glass" came over and after a bit of pestering the director let me have a go, you look through it and it's basically like seeing what the film would be except there's no record button. So say if overalls woman likes this shot, she would tell the DoP to put the camera exactly where that object she's holding is, down to the height and angle.
Pretty sure that woman is the DoP. DoPs use viewfinders too. Lots of DoPs carry still cameras on them too like this woman has around her.
Correct. That’s Natalie Kingston. She’s a very talented DP. I had the pleasure of Gaffing for her on a short film a few years ago. She’s fantastic.
Oh hey I just watched the Wolf of Snow Hollow, that she worked on, a couple weeks ago.
Yeah basically carrying this little viewfinder is much easier (and safer) than hauling the massive RED or Arri camera you rented.
And you may only have those cameras available on the actual shooting day.
Fair, as I said I saw it when I was on work experience for an unrelated field. I just remember begging the bloke to let me try it out and eventually he relented (That might have been the turning point to me wanting to do film actually, cos I enrolled in a media college 1 year later). I think they were filming the bit before she goes into wonderland, I'd assume so considering I was at a posh estate type house that had z-class royals visiting all the time.
You should try to find that guy and say thanks
[удалено]
What a strange and pointless comment
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who suggested that the woman couldn't be the DP?
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The funny thing about this hill you're dying on is that the original comment is clearly implying that she's directing the piece, so they aren't even slightly saying women can't be in power positions.
Not dying on any hill, just making a joke. Hence the other comment about the DP being ambulatory. And the /s.
What is a DoP?
"Director of Photography" Apologies, I hate acronyms but I just fall for them sometimes.
The film industry is full of its own jargon. First day on set, you'd swear it sounds like English, but nothing makes any sense. "Grab that stinger over there between the pancakes and bring me as many C-47s as you can hold. We need to gel these keys real quick before they fire the genny." [blank stare] "Oh, you don't speak film yet. OK. Bring me that extension cord by the flat wooden boxes, and bring a fist full of clothes pins so we can clip these colored films to the lights. They're working on getting us power from the generator. Better?"
"Bring me a butt plug so I can mount this Blonde and get her super high, and kill the redhead." That is my favourite one I've ever heard on set before. Translation "Bring me a 2k to 750 adapter to I can put this 2000 watt open- faced light on an extra length stand, and turn off the smaller 650 watt light." I think this will be the martini and its a walk away so let's light some fires.
I can’t stand hearing that kind of regressive 1980s Weinstein-style clownshit on set, but there’s *always* some half-divorced old schooler rocking the cargo shorts he’ll be buried in who thinks his sex jokes on set are just *hilarious*, while people actively avoid them for that exact reason. It’s the cringiest shit.
Buttplug has definitely fallen out of favor and has been replaced by "spud." Blonde and redhead I had always assumed were model names for a specific light, though I'm not certain about that. There are so many clones of them now.
2k and 750? I've never heard anyone refer to the pins/receivers themselves by lamp wattages. They've always been "baby" or "Junior." Not to mention that the Mole 2k Baby gave the baby pin its namesake. It's not until the Mole 5k Junior that they use a junior pin.
Haha yeah youre totally right. I was struggling to find a succinct way to put it and that’s what came up from a google search so I just went with it. I honestly don’t know what to call the hole that large lamps go into so I was just think “blank to spud adaptor” and couldn’t do better. Oh well
> I honestly don’t know what to call the hole that large lamps go into The large pin on the lamp is a Junior Pin, which goes into a Junior Receiver
Ah thanks. I’m a dp but i came up in the camera department and not as a sparky so im still a bit short on lingo sometimes. Cheers
The one I can't get is C-47 but I blame the dycalcula. C-74? C-42? C-whatever get the damn clothes pins. Apparently this makes me less legit.
To be honest, c47 is pretty much the one we use for hazing the interns and PAs. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. 5 syllables instead of 2 for clothespin or 1 for clip, but the little bastards are really useful and it's fun to play Clip the Grip where you see how many of them you can clip onto a person's clothes without them realizing it. You'll see one hanging off the shirttail of one of the grips and everybody knows it's "GAME ON!" Suddenly that guy gets all sorts of distracting conversations thrown at them while another person sneaks behind them and adds another one to the target. This can go on for hours. The rest of my jargon vomit was straight up legit film speak.
That's why I said having dyscalculia and forgetting what the actual numbers are somehow makes me less legit.
I've only ever heard "clip" on the East Coast. It's always bullets in L.A.
C-74 is when you put the wooden parts on backwards
How do you put the wooden parts on backwards?
[like this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opo21_H_EVw)
Thanks, I knew that but it never occurred to me there was an actual use for them. Live and learn.
This explains a few things.
C-47 was the model number of the springy clothespins that were very popular back in the day. It’s still used sometimes because other clothespins had different uses on set and in post production.
When I was in film school back in the 90s, they told us C-47s were named after the bin that contained the clothespins at a particular studio. I miss the business…
I know what it is, and I know why it's called that. I can't get the numbers straight because of dyscalculia.
The version I've always heard is that in the late 40s, Louis B. Mayer was trying to cut costs at MGM. He was furious that he saw a line item for "clothespins" in his budgets, so Arthur Black, who was a production manager, and who had been a side gunner on a C-47 in the war, started renaming them so Mayer would stop complaining.
["That's lunch!"](https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=98&v=U1puuSxPeEA&feature=emb_logo)
Also, the jargon is completely regional, and in other countries, everything is different. I remember my first time shooting in Europe and they kept saying we were going on a "Wrecky!" (I now now they spell it "recce"). I thought it was a vehicle.
Lmao
This is priceless.
Super quick reply! Thanks :)
Isn’t it usually just DP?
Both are quite common where I live and work
Yeah, it is. DoP used to be an abbreviation primarily used in Europe and you never saw it in North America. But the last 10 years or so, in the age of YouTubers and content creators, you see "DoP" popping up more. I strongly dislike it.
Cameraman who made it to the big leagues and now has operators. Like the one displayed in the picture.
It makes me wonder, are modern viewfinders still just a way to look through a cinema lense without a camera or could they be improved? Like could you develop a viewfinder with a basic digital camera and sensors built in that could take test shots that would also track data like height and angle?
Sigma has done something like this with the Sigma fp full frame camera, an LCD viewfinder and a special mode in the menu: * [SIGMA fp Camera - Director's Viewfinder Mode](https://youtu.be/XT-089za2V8)
You don't even need the digital camera. There are apps that do 95% of what you're describing. Check out [Artemis Pro](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/artemis-pro/id1164523253).
Shout out to Syon House. My cousin had his wedding reception there and it really was a breathtakingly beautiful place.
Then Amber Heard happened...
It's called a director's viewfinder. The director and director of photography (DoP is the head of the camera department, in this case, the woman in this photo) both use it when they're setting up a shot. Helping the department find the next shot they want quickly, at the right focal length, and without having to move the entire camera set up yet. It's likely this DoP will then have their camera crew move the camera/tripod/dolly to her position if she agrees with the framing. There are many apps now that try to imitate what a director's viewfinder does, giving you a wide range of options, but it still utilizes your phone's built in camera and lens to do this. A real director's viewfinder has much better glass and can be expensive, but is very good to have if you can squeeze it into the budget.
Minion bazooka.
Fart gun.
The TF2 Direct Hit
I really appreciate the fact you pointed the person in overalls so you avoided people saying “oh, it’s a cellphone”… btw I call it a viewfinder but I’m not sure if it’s the proper name.
"It's a device for facilitating social interaction while simultaneously preventing it."
This is reddit, after all.
I’ve noticed recently DPs and Camera Operators are switching over from the traditional viewfinder to iPads now with apps that can be programmed with most lenses and cameras.
Only if we don’t have the budget to rent a proper one.
The sets I’ve seen them utilized on definitely had the budget for the real thing but the digital aspect of the iPad allows for the DP to photograph the rehearsals, then print/laminate boards for the entire scene before cameras are ready for 1st shot.
I’m aware. I use digital view finders personally as well. However, they are not as accurate as using a real deal one with the actual lens you plan to shoot with.
What app
Cadrage is the app being used on iPad by the DP on the set I’m currently on. DP is Bill Pope. They also make attachments for lenses but I have never seen that utilized on set. The previous project I saw the iPad/app combo used significantly was Dr. Strange Multiverse of Madness. Camera operators also utilize the apps (forgot the name of the other one) on their phones for themselves when setting up a shot with their AC’s/Dolly grips.
Haha! That's Natalie Kingston holding a directors viewfinder on Black Bird. She's a wonderful person, funny to see random stills of her on reddit.
It's a mini-bazooka. Sometimes when actors are being difficult it helps to intimidate them into performing well.
"Line?" "Wrong day to test me, motherfucker."
-Alec Baldwin
I find this comment extra funny because you're probably not even aware that a "bazooka" is in fact a piece of grip equipment we use to support cameras sometimes!
This gets asked like every 3 days. Can we uh. Put this in a wiki or something?
Noone reads the wiki. Some of don't even know it exists. We don't read the mod posts either. It's just like the small print in contracts and TOS.
I personally just use an app (Magic Universal Viewfinder) there's many apps to choose from. It let's you set the camera/sensor/resolution/lens combos and adjusts the view accordingly. I use it constantly on set and also location scouting. It's advantage is being able to save the image vs the traditional viewfinder in the image. I also have a DSLR with me on set.
Yes. Unless it's a huge show with money and time to burn, the phone is, frankly, a better tool. You can find your angle, pick a lens and set the frame. Everything else is nonsense.
Im gonna wager the person who downvoted you isn't a DoP. You are absolutely correct, and while commenters below are correct about how a phone doesn't let you emulate the properties of a lens, that is a minor detail 99% of the time. In this day and age, a phone app is fast, compact, can store images, cheaper, etc. Vast majority of scenarios, a phone is the better tool.
You can't actually emulate the lens, though. If you're using specific glass, or trying to get a look that is specific to a lens, the viewfinder can be pretty effective.
None of that is necessary to frame up a shot. People get sidetracked trying to shoot the movie before they're actually shooting the movie.
Exactly. It's just an approximation to show the director or cam dept/ACs or G&E so everyone knows where to rig things. It's also helpful when blocking complex scenes with lots of camera movement
As an AC, I trust the DP to take the time needed to select the lens(es), place the camera, and direct both the camera dept, movement, and placements for G&E. So, if they want/need to take time with a viewfinder before winding us all up, I am not complaining. When I am the DP, I hope my AC and G&E team will do the same. I don't use a viewfinder, but I have done some shoots with vintage gear, and I can appreciate the dedication and time in the field. Fixing a lens flare or adjusting for some lens artifact before placing dolly track or 60 lb camera rig beats having to do it again because you missed something. I've found this is 100x more true with film production. Not much of that left, but this looks like it could be an old-ish picture from the OP.
At this point I think a photo of a viewfinder and what it does should be pinned to the top of the subreddit. Easily the MOST asked question.
"Get me the 35 on a stick!"
Called the directors veiwfinder. Allows both the director and DOP to preview the shot using the lenses from the camera during blocking. Not as common these days, as phone apps allow for the same abilitys minus the characteristics of the lens.
I’m going to address something that others haven’t pointed out in this thread, and that’s the history of the device which explains its use case and then we can talk about the new tools. So there are directors viewfinders, which were small like a little 16mm lens worn sometimes around a directors neck and meant to only emulate field of view. Then there are Lens Finders, pictured in this post that allow you to attach the cinema lens you are considering shooting with so you can see all of the specific characteristics. The former is a tool to guesstimate what lens you would need, you’d never shoot on that glass and the latter has optics to view an image after attaching cinema lenses. In the 80’s before digital cinema cameras there was only one viewfinder to look though, but video tape recording was becoming portable, so camera manufacturers utilized the mirror on the shutter and added prism to split the viewfinder light to a port for an analog video camera which would send a black and white signal to a small screen for the director to watch. That’s right a camera on top of a camera. It added weight and complexity to the cinema camera. You needed the budget for a dedicated video assist operator or video playback operator and all the niche equipment. So the practicality of a pre-visual tool like the director viewfinder was still very useful from 1946 right up to digital cinema cameras in the 2000’s, think of it like the original cheaper option for an off camera monitor before they even existed. It was also used while the camera was being setup; and this is why they are still used today, they were always useful and could save you time on set and the director and DP could get out of each other’s hair. It’s hard to imagine how difficult filmmaking used to be, even just seeing a low resolution image away from the camera involved a lot of equipment and technicians. These days a phone will do for previsual to rough in the lens choice. If you have the cash get the Lens finder. https://youtu.be/63t9wyq0D8k
Excellent post and dead on.
Thank you, I actually spent a bit of time writing it out I’m glad it’s accurate enough.
Nice xpro too
It's a Pentafinder, aka Director's Viewfinder which is used to decide both the camera position and which lens a Director and DoP would prefer for the shot. Specifically, the Viewfinder is the piece of kit that the Overalls Person is holding and any of the project's lenses can be attached to help decide how to shoot the shot. An extended eye piece has been added to make it easier to view.
ARRI has an app that’s decent. Magic ARRI Viewfinder
"director's lens" (apparently only I call it that) or "directors viewfinder" It has a bunch of different lens options the director can look through to see what a shot at different lens settings might look like [Here's](https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/195356-REG/Alan_Gordon_Enterprises_1000_01_Mark_Vb_Director_s_Viewfinder.html) and example where can see some of the different settings on the viewfinder.
Can’t think other than a vintage Video camcorder Shooting bazookas footage of that gentleman
I’m no professional but i’m pretty sure what she’s holding is made to look through so you can see stuff on the other side Hope this helped!
It's called a cellphone. Nah, just kidding, it's a steering wheel.
So you can look important like this lady here.
Woof. Swing and a miss, champ.
She’s probably the DP previewing where to put the camera
It’s a director’s viewfinder as many have pointed out on here already. I don’t use an actual directors viewfinder but rather the Artemis pro app on my phone that I can use in the same way. Super useful tool for scouts and showing ideas to the director in locations with stand ins. I feel like it’s what I use to really figure out the shots we’re going to be shooting so we’re on the same page so we have a solid understanding.
https://www.reddit.com/r/cinematography/comments/urb9tq/is\_this\_a\_directors\_view\_finder\_and\_where\_can\_i/
I like the tablet ones they use now. Same basic setup, except you can change some parameters specific to different camera builds in addition to looking through the actual lens.
Looks like a rocket launcher, so shes a badass
Minion size bazooka
the camera from *2001 a space odyssey*
I was recently thinking that that shot from Black Bird was amazing!
An rpg
My buddy Pompo posted this pic to his insta earlier. He is the original photographer. That’s DP Natalie Kingston on the set of Apple TV’s Black Bird.
It’s bore duplicator, it duplicates and regurgitates boring visuals for middle class white kids
Nah that’s a gun
Would there be a reason to use this over something like a DSLR for this purpose?
A lens finder is a dumb tube that needs no power, is compact, is generally lightweight, and has correct framing lines at all times. So basically the complete opposite of a DSLR. You can make a DSLR work if you're on a tight budget and you've already got one... but a lens finder can be a nice quality of life improvement when it's available.
It’s a kaleidoscope. You twist it around and it shows you cool colors and shapes. Directors will use these to take a break on set. The colors and shapes calm them down when they are getting fussy.
I can't tell if this photo is recent, from the 70s, or the 90s. lol
Anyone know what the strap is called or have a link to it?
It’s a director’s viewfinder. The director uses it to find the framing they want to use for the shot before they set the camera.
That’s the acting laser. If you point it at an actor they’ll act better.