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GALLERY
OF DESIGNS — click
a thumbnail for a larger version
Broadcast Stuff
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As a variation on that idea, this design attempts to use a single fixed camera to cover a small interview set. The camera is at the top of the plan. It is presently looking at the small mirror marked in red, then at mirror A, and ultimately at the chair where the guest is sitting. Mirror A could be turned 15° counterclockwise to give the camera a view of the host instead.
(TEXT
CONTINUED BELOW) But if the red mirror is slid out of the way (towards mirror A), the camera sees instead the other small mirror behind it. In its green position, this mirror shows the camera the graphics stand (with a reversed title card, because of the single reflection). In its blue position, 15° counterclockwise, this mirror allows the camera to see mirror B and, in it, both interview participants. The host could run the whole show, selecting the desired shot with a set of unobtrusive toggle switches. However, the transitions from one shot to the next would be unusual: "swish pans" on the 15° rotations, or a quick soft-edged wipe when the red mirror is slid into or out of the optical path. Nowadays, of course, hardly any studio is limited to a single camera, and no one would consider a clunky and inflexible plan like this. Instead, four separate cameras would obtain the four shots. |
When
I got into television for real in 1970, every control room had a
"film chain" in another room nearby. This was used
for slides or 16mm movie film. The chain was laid out in the
shape of a plus sign. On the four arms were a TV camera and
three projectors, all facing inward. If the camera faced south,
normally it would be looking straight into the lens of a projector
(red) facing north. But in the center of the plus sign, between
the devices, were a pair of small optical-quality mirrors. A
solenoid flipped one mirror (gold) in front of the camera so it could
see another projector (blue) facing east. Or with the other
mirror in place, the camera could see yet another projector facing
west. Only one camera was needed, and it did not have to be
re-aimed or re-focused.