Quick Question

[Aidyn]

I wouldnt go so far as dubbing myself a Newbie in the filmmaking sense but I am new to this message board. So hello all. Now for my question.

I have written a short script for me and my friends to make when i go back home but it is a film that needs to use a sniper scope. I know you've all seen films where they show the shot of the actor through the scope of a sniper rifle with the crosshairs aimed on it's target. My question is, how do you make something like that? Is there a special lens to buy or is it something that can be pretty easy to create with a little creativity and patience?

Thanks.

 

[Digigenic]

This is something that can be created in post with a magnification/barrel light fall off effect and the crosshairs simply layed over frame. Any NLE and a little know how in photoshop will help you accomplish this.
With regard to creating the effect in camera, the basic solution that first comes to my mind would simply require you adapt a magnifier at the end of the lens, but I believe the crosshairs should still be added in post.

 

[Aidyn]

Interesting, i'll give it a whirl. If no one had any idea i was thinking about putting a small amount of vasoline or something around the circumfrance of the edge and make some crosshairs with some kind of fine thread or something and then make it out of focus. Sorta like Lucas did with the land speeder in episode IV

Does anyone have any other suggestions?

 

[Filmosity]

I believe the old way to do this was to use a matte in the mattebox. Of course, the edges will be very blurred because of its proximity to the lens, so you have to be careful.

The easiest way to do this is to cut a circle in some show card to put on your video monitor and use that as a frame when shooting, then add the "scope" circle and crosshairs in post.

Have fun.

 

[David Mullen ASC]

Panavision actually has a rifle scope that snaps in front of a lens for those types of shot. So it may be possible to shoot through a real rifle scope if you can figure out the right type of lens to put in front of the camera.

Since rifle scopes are telephoto, there really isn't a way that some thread in front of the telephoto lens is going to work -- it would be so out-of-focus as to be invisible. Maybe there's a way to project the image from a telephoto lens onto a groundglass screen with a cross-hair and rephotograph that.