Question about cameras in movies

[StevenYoo]

How do they shoot those scenes where the actor is facing a mirror, and the shot is directly behind him, yet you see no camera in the mirror's reflection?

what devilry is that!??

 

[JHutch]

Pretty easy.

The camera *isn't* directly behind the actor. If it was, you'd have the actor's head in the middle of the shot (which would make for a boring shot). The camera is usually offset just enough to the side. The actor, in such a shot, is not seeing him/herself in the mirror, but the camera.

The only straight on shots I can think of off the top of my head has the camera looking out of the mirror, not from behind the actor (ie, you see the front of the actor's face only).

JHutch

 

[TheChort]

http://www.cineman.co.uk/special.html

Apart from the obvious ie choosing angles where no-one is in frame, here are some other ideas in order of increasing cost
- Take a mirror of matching size on to the set so that you can shoot from the edge of it, and use it to disguise yourself and others.
- Cut a hole in the mirror in the center the exact size of the lens which will then get ?lost? in the action.
- Use a half silvered mirror which you can shoot through ? you will loose a lot of light this way but it will completely disguise the camera.
- Take out the reflection afterwards via CGI.

 

[Pacemaker]

I know for a deleted scene in Terminator 2 there was no mirror only Linda Hamilton?s twin, but that wasn't because of the mirror it was to create a different special effect. I'm not really sure how they do it but I would guess they just angle the shot just right.