Shooting through lexan?

[Matthew J]

Hey, I have a shoot next week for a gun maker that will have us firing the guns near camera and I was wondering about actually shooting through a piece of lexan for camera protection. Is the lexan going to be optically flat enough to not distort the image if I put the lens right up against it? Would it be better just to stick in my optical flat in the mattebox to protect the lens?

Thanks.

 

[Adrian Jebef]

If they will be firing blank rounds at camera you NEED to be behind a full 6x6 sheet of lexan. If you just need protection for the lens I would go with an optical flat over lexan. That being said, as long as the lens is right up against the lexan you'll never tell it was there. It won't warp or distort your image. Just make sure to keep it clean!

 

[Matthew J]

If they will be firing blank rounds at camera you NEED to be behind a full 6x6 sheet of lexan. If you just need protection for the lens I would go with an optical flat over lexan. That being said, as long as the lens is right up against the lexan you'll never tell it was there. It won't warp or distort your image. Just make sure to keep it clean!

We aren't going to be shooting at the camera, but past it.

I am afraid of the lexan lowering resolution though general softness since it's plastic, not glass. You don't think thats a concern? I am also concerned about putting the lens up against the lexan because of the shockwave coming off the barrel will slap the lexan against the lens. It may just be something I get a piece of lexan and we do some tests at the beginning of the day.

 

[Adrian Jebef]

Just remember to be concerned for your own safety. Weapons are no joke. Wrap yourself in a sound blanket and wear a face shield. As far as the image is concerned you won't notice any "softness" issues by shooting through lexan. Every Michael Bay and Michael Mann movie has shot through the stuff and those movies turned out looking pretty good (at least some of them did...)

 

[Brian F Kobylarz]

Use an optical flat for the lens.

Cut a rectangular hole in a sheet of lexan - slightly undersized from the dimensions on the front of your matte box.

Can be a thin sheet and doesn't need to be too large - it is there to protect the camera from all the shot residue.

Frame the shot, align the lexan with grip gear - leave a 1/4" space between the MB & the lexan.
Fill the gap with light duty foam or cotton & gaffer tape.


OR

Step 1 from above (optical flat)

Use a camera rain cover.

Inexpensive, commercially available and you can reuse it in inclement weather...

 

[Matthew J]

Just remember to be concerned for your own safety. Weapons are no joke. Wrap yourself in a sound blanket and wear a face shield. As far as the image is concerned you won't notice any "softness" issues by shooting through lexan. Every Michael Bay and Michael Mann movie has shot through the stuff and those movies turned out looking pretty good (at least some of them did...)

I am a big firearms guy, so this is where my extensive hobby experience pays off in my job! Plus, I get to be around my hobby for 3 days! None of us are going to be downrange of the firing, everything will be remote trigger. I got hit in the face a few years ago while AC'ing with power from a blank, so I know it's more than just the bullet that can be a projectile.

Wasn't sure if those big movies actually shot through lexan, or did camera slits with the lexan protecting the op/ac. Thanks.

 

[Robert Hart]

You might need to think about the shock or concussion if your camera drives are HDDs and not SSDs. I am advised that a few years back, over here, a firestore drive for a JVC GY-HD cam was affected by the concussion from a car explosion.

 

[Matthew J]

You might need to think about the shock or concussion if your camera drives are HDDs and not SSDs. I am advised that a few years back, over here, a firestore drive for a JVC GY-HD cam was affected by the concussion from a car explosion.

We are shooting Phantom Miro and a little of my Epic Dragon for the range stuff. But you did remind me that I should setup the download station and laptop for the Miro outside the range due to the shockwave that will bounce around the range.

 

[Adrian Jebef]

Wasn't sure if those big movies actually shot through lexan, or did camera slits with the lexan protecting the op/ac. Thanks.

It really depends on the shot. If a firearm is being fired directly into camera usually the entire camera crew (OP, AC, Grip) is protected by a large sheet of lexan. Holes for the lens can be cut out but it's usually up to the Key Grip to decide the best protection. If the OP is hand-held and following action/gunfire he'll usually use an optical flat and be dressed in a special fireproof coat w/ hood besides wearing a face shield and ear protection.

The big difference between an optical flat and lexan is that if projectiles actually hit the camera there is a possibility that the optical flat will shatter and scratch the lens. Lexan being plastic would not. There are, of course, always exceptions. On Miami Vice we did a shot early in the film where some bad guys get taken out by 50 cal sniper fire after getting into their car. Michael wanted the authenticity of real rounds tearing through the car so we did this shot with live ammo on a firing range. 2 Arri 435s were set in the back seat just shy of our marksmen's incoming angles. Our lenses were protected by lexan because of the amount of shrapnel that would be flying around after the 50 cal rounds hit the car. The shot turned out great but one of our lenses didn't make it. Some of that shrapnel was so hot and tiny and sharp that it melted right through the lexan and buried itself into the front element of our Zeiss VP1. That was an expensive replacement.

 

[Michael J Brennan]

The big difference between an optical flat and lexan is that if projectiles actually hit the camera there is a possibility that the optical flat will shatter and scratch the lens. Lexan being plastic would not.

Lexan or polycarbonate will shatter given enough energy.
Test different thicknesses.
For a "real" explosion hot shrapnel can imbed itself in the plastic or burn right through.
The edges of frame of very wide lenses are adversely affected by low quality filters.

During testing we quickly found a supplier had ripped us off and charged plastic out at polycarbonate prices.
Consider having one filter for each shot as they get scratched easily.



Mike Brennan