Video assist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A video assist is a piece of equipment mounted onto a movie camera that allows (with the addition of a monitor) the director to see exactly what the camera operator is seeing and thus ensure that the film is being shot and framed the way he/she wants. On digital video cameras, this device is not necessary as the chips relay video directly, but a video assist is required on a film camera in order to optically tap what the lens receives. This is done by using a small chip (similar to ones in consumer camcorders) inside the viewfinder to make a crude copy that is transferred to a monitor while the camera is running. The assist usually sends the signal to a monitor off the immediate vicinity of filming (to where the director is standing), but sometimes can be sent to a LCD monitor mounted directly on the camera.
The video assist is widely used in modern film productions. However, some directors prefer to trust their camera operator or DP and allow them to freely shoot without the pressure of being monitored, while other directors want to ensure that everything is exactly as intended.
Comedian and director Jerry Lewis holds the United States patent on this system, and is widely credited with its invention, although some similar systems existed before Lewis first used a video camera to simultaneously film scenes with the cinematic cameras during production of The Bellboy in 1960.
