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SnorriCam
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A SnorriCam is a camera device used in filmmaking that is rigged to the body of the actor facing the actor directly, so when they walk, they don't appear to move, but everything around them does. A SnorriCam provides a dynamic point of view from the actor's perspective.
SnorriCam is named after two Icelandic photographers who invented it, Einar Snorri and Eiður Snorri, who worked together under the name Snorri Brothers (although they are not related).
The first notable use of the SnorriCam was in the Mark Romanek-directed video to the Mick Jagger song God Gave Me Everything I Want[citation needed]. Use of the SnorriCam is considered to be one of director Darren Aronofsky's trademarks, as he has used the device in his first two films, π and Requiem For a Dream.
The concept of the SnorriCam has been around for decades. Various ad hoc versions of the device were implemented in films going as far back as Seconds, in 1966. However, the practicality of such a point-of-view device was limited by the weight of the camera. Since most 35mm motion picture cameras were simply too heavy to easily carry, there was no real point in developing such a device. However, with the emergence of the Steadicam and the manufacture of small, lightweight, soundproof cameras that could fit on the Steadicam platform, an added bonus of these newer, lighter cameras was the possibility of a point-of-view device such as the SnorriCam.
A problem with shots filmed with a SnorriCam is audience vertigo. Since the foreground element (the actor to whom the camera is attached) is by definition fixed, and the background is in motion, it is very common for audience members to suffer motion sickness and vertigo, to the point of becoming violently ill. A similar problem occurrs when filming on a boat with a fixed camera, which is precisely why classic Hollywood films that take place in the sea were shot in studios, the cameras placed outside of the boat so as to provide a fixed horizon line for the audience. Because of the audience vertigo problem, SnorriCam sequences can only be used sparingly.