Камера на теле актера: история и применение в кино

Type of body mounted camera

A SnorriCam (also chestcam, body mount/bodymount, or bodycam) is a camera device used in filmmaking that is rigged to the body of the actor, with the camera facing the actor directly so that they appear in a fixed position in the center of the frame. A SnorriCam presents a dynamic, disorienting point of view from the actor's perspective, providing an unusual sense of vertigo for the viewer. 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 carry easily, there was no real point in developing such a device. However, with the emergence of the Steadicam and the manufacture of small, lightweight 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. The Bodymount, another brand of SnorriCam, was also developed in 1996 by cinematographer Gary Thieltges through his company, Doggicam Systems. In 2004, The Society of Camera Operators recognized The Bodymount's contribution to the film industry with their Technical Achievement Award.

The earliest use of a body mounted camera rig is considered to be the 1932 Nazi banned Kuhle Wampe, in which the camera tracks a woman walking through a crowd of children. In Truck Turner (1974), the character played by Yaphet Kotto can be seen in his final throes of death through the eyes of a SnorriCam. In White of the Eye (1987), a pre Snorricam bodycam is worn by Paul (played by David Keith during the climactic chase scene, as he wildly pursues Joan (played by Cathy Moriarty) through the quarry. The films π (1998) both directed by Darren Aronofsky, use the SnorriCam extensively and are considered to have popularized the technique. Armageddon (1998) uses a virtual SnorriCam to depict an astronaut being hit by a burst of gas and flying off into space. In 28 Weeks Later (2007), a zombie is filmed through a SnorriCam while chasing Robert Carlyle's character. In The Hangover (2009), the character Stuart (played by Ed Helms) has a SnorriCam attached as he wakes up disoriented and hungover. The Bollywood film Dev D (2009) uses SnorriCam sequence to depict point of view of the lead character in a drunken state where nothing makes sense in the background. The rig is also notably used in Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1999), Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Babel (2006), Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider Man (2012), Richard Shepard's The Perfection (2018) and Kenneth Branagh's A Haunting in Venice (2023).

The "Sir Digby Chicken Caesar" sketches in That Mitchell and Webb Look use a SnorriCam extensively. In Torchwood, the episode "Dead Man Walking" (Season 2 Episode 7) also has a sequence where the character Owen Harper is seen moving through a nightclub in a SnorriCam sequence with a slight speed up. The first episode of the second series of Skins features a SnorriCam being used in a party scene. The British television show Misfits also uses a SnorriCam during a party scene with several of the characters. The show Scrubs uses Bodymount shots in a few episodes to depict nervousness. In the Discovery Channel show Survivorman, Les Stroud will often employ this technique when walking, due to the limitations of not having a film crew. The Bodymount has also been used in episodes of the hit television series Lost. Season 1 of Dexter also features a Bodymount shot at the start of episode 11 used on the main character, Dexter Morgan. Episode 10 ("Imperfect Harmony") of Selfies sole season used a SnorriCam to highlight a major character's experience at a party. The technique is also featured in the seventh season of Supernatural. Last episode of first season of the British show Shameless features the Bodymount being used in the opening scene.