Blimp (camera)
A blimp or sound blimp is the name given to the sound-absorbing casing of a film camera , which is used to suppress the camera's running noise, which is disturbing for sound recordings. "Blimp" is an American slang expression for "fat sack" (actually impact airship ) and is used here as an allusion to the - especially in the early days - quite voluminous housing.
With the increasing spread of the sound film from 1927, the cameras for sound recordings were initially relegated to unwieldy, soundproof boxes. From 1953 onwards, sheaths made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic were developed, the shape and size of which adapted to the cameras. These, too, were initially very unwieldy and hindered the cameramen at work. It was not until 1957 that a blimp was created for the Arriflex 35 Iib , in which the camera could be installed with a few modifications and which gave the cameramen unhindered access to all important functions.
While the first blimps were additional equipment that could be attached and detached from the cameras as required, modern film cameras are mostly self-blimps, that is, designed in such a way that they run quietly without additional attachments.
There are also blimps as accessories for still cameras (cameras), which are used when the shutter sound of the camera is annoying, e.g. B. when shooting animals or in the theater.
Web links
- The year 1954 on http://www.fernsehmuseum.info/fkt-fernsehhistory07.0.html