Put a Spell on Your Audience
Posted on Dec 7, 2024 by Pro Moviemaker
Straight-down-the-lens, talking-head interviews become easy thanks to the Magic Video Box
Few products available to filmmakers instantly transform and modernise the look of their work, but the Magic Video Box (MVB) is one of them. It’s a fast, easy hardware solution for shooting the latest style of talking-head interviews with the subject looking down the lens.
The MVB enables interviewees to look directly into the lens while seeing a reflection of the interviewer. This allows for more natural conversation, and the resulting interviews are honest, direct and intimate.
It’s a popular technique employed on so many shows; the MVB was used for the Beckham documentary and interviews on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
The portable kit fits on different kinds of devices – from mirrorless to broadcast units and cine cameras. Not to mention, set-up is easy and it comes in a fitted flight case. The MVB can be bought or rented from the British company that invented it.
As well as instructional videos to get you started, the team offers training and support to individuals, organisations and educational establishments.
Mount the MVB on any standard tripod using a plate that bolts to the camera base. A locator tray base fastens to the included 15mm rods that hold the box unit, which sits right on top. A black cloth then seals the lens-box gap from light.
The magic happens inside the box: a 45° beam-splitter mirror glass lets you shoot through it with no image-quality degradation. The interviewer sits 90° to the camera with the mirror set vertically, so when the talking head looks into the lens they see the interviewer, making it easier for both to relax and speak naturally.
It’s been awarded the Editor’s Choice of lens accessory in the Pro Moviemaker Gear of the Year Awards – further proof of the difference this ingenious idea has made.
This feature was first published in the November/December 2024 issue of Pro Moviemaker.
