because the script I have requires two hands in front of the camera..(kind of like an expose piece on the street thats supposed to appear as a hidden video) and it would be hard to do that while one hand is holding the camera.

Have someone stand behind the actor reaching over the shoulder to hold the camera. With a little practice this can be done well.

I appreciate the advice but that just isnt feasible and I dont think there is any way I can shoot with someones hands around me.

Im open to other suggestions.

Rather than looking for a camera, look for a camera mount. I know they make Helmet mounts and chest mounts that hold the camera. You see these on skydivers and such.

Dave T2

mounts are not totally out of the question however, when i submitted my proposed budget it included a body worn camera and I dont want them to think I was trying to get something over on them soif possible, Id like to stick with what I proposed to them because if this is a success, it could mean more jobs from them in the future.

Ya go to WalMart, buy a couple of cheap (but matching) belts, put the camera in position and cinch them babies up and just...oh sorry...

http://www.geocities.com/ferraflex/parrot.htm

You might want to just check this out.

Dave T2

What about wearing a stabilizer and view through a cam mount LCD?

I can check with them and see if they will let me change the euqipment listed on my budget but in case they dont, anyone know of the equipment I would need to up a camera to a pair of glasses?

Something doesn't sound quite right here. An ordinary video camera can be rigged dozens of ways to attach to the body without great expense.
Are you sure this isn't a surveillance job?

John

positive. I can give some information but not a lot because I am under NDA. Similar to reality based shows such as Taxi Cab Confessions, the subjects will interact without knowing they are being taped. Then after the capture is done, I am supposed to get them to sign a release so we can use the footage. So the goal is to be able to shoot the footage without having the subject know they are being shot so they wont go in to acting mode and we get a natural reaction.

Does that make sense?

http://www.money-mall.net/cgi-bin/category.cgi?nPage=2&merchant=ucanspy2&templateid=2&categoryid=2

Here are some glasses.

Dave T2

How about using a helmet camera?
http://www.helmetcamera.com/

Does that make sense?
=====================
Yes. With that, I am not sure you will get the highest quality form those types of cameras (surveillance types).
How about hidden minidisc recorders for the audio and zoomed images from someone further away with a better camera held at the body level you require? LCD screens can be turned upward so that the cameraman can look down and keep the subject where they want them. Or the camera can be upside down at an angle and VirtualDub can be used to rotate the image.
If the subject won't be moving during the interview the camera should be pretty easy to hide. Even a stack of books with an opening will work.

If it's a surveillance camera you want, a quick search on some forums turned up this outfit as a favorable place to deal with.

http://www.nvsystems.com/

John

How about using a helmet camera?
===========================
You might as well put a sign on those which reads:
"I am a helmet camera"

Not a cheap option but I use the Sony GV-D900 with a Sony CVV-V3 lip stick cam. Its got a great picture, full color, and is small enough to attach to a hat or whatever. Its come in handy a few times, so I don't doubt you'll find other uses for it. I used it extensively in the Trepanation video I did ( http://www.undergroundplanet.com/trepanation.htm ). All of the down the guitar and up from the guitar shots, when the singer is singing to the camera he's actualy holding it like a mic and singing into it, various other shots as well.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=161537&is=REG

The cable is quite a bit longer than it looks in the pic.

Good luck.

- Ray

www.undergroundplanet.com

Ahhh. Nothing in your original post indicated that you needed to accomplish this without the other people in the video knowing they were being taped. That makes a huge difference in our recommendations.

Generally the terms small, good, and cheap are pretty much mutually exclusive. You can usually get any two of those if you settle for the opposite of the third. So, expect either small, good, and expensive, or you'll have to settle for small, poor, and cheap.

Aside from the technical issues I see an important issue at stake here. People have the right not to have their image stolen. Getting them to sign a release after the event isn't the point. You've already potemtialy offended them, the whole aim is for them to not know that you are taking their image. Whether you use it or not isn't the point, the damages may well already be done.
I appreciate what you're trying to achieve, it's probably legal but that doesn't make it morally right.

I remember seeing something about an invisible camera rig, but it cost $31,000 ; )

There's some guy on the Jay Leno show (I think maybe his name is Howie Mandel??) who appears to do this very thing - he wears a hidden camera in a pair of glasses to get a 'natural' reaction to his antics while he confronts people on the street. However, his eyeglass shots always seem to be supplemented by remote camera(s), so who knows if these 'interviews' are truly covert.

Anyway, my understanding is that secretly recording video in public may be legal under certain circumstances, but I believe that recording someone's voice without his or her knowledge is illegal, at least in the USA.

I know it's too late this time, but this should be researched and costed before submitting a price - if you have to hire unexpectedly expensive equipment it could blow your budget.

All I know is that there are, and have been, scoress of shows based on this concept. From " Hidden Camera " to " Taxi Cab Confessions ", so I find it hard to believe that just the taping is illegal.

- Ray
www.undergroundplanet.com