Film Stills Photographer Parisa Taghizadeh Reveals Her Vintage Camera Blimp on Podcast

On the podcast Out of Frame, film stills photographer Parisa Taghizadeh showcased an old camera blimp she used to muffle the sound of her SLR or film camera on set. The blimp, a large casing that housed her camera, allowed her to take photos silently during productions. Taghizadeh, known as 'Tag', explained that the blimp was necessary because the shutter noise of film cameras and DSLRs would disrupt filming. She used the system while working on the TV show Top of the Lake. The blimp connected to the camera, providing two buttons for focusing and releasing the shutter. Taghizadeh described the blimp as 'cumbersome' and 'heavy', but noted that using such a massive camera made her feel important. The conversation comes amid renewed interest in camera blimps after director Christopher Nolan used one to muffle the IMAX cameras for his upcoming film The Odyssey. Nolan's blimp system made the already large IMAX camera even bigger, requiring actors Tom Holland and Jon Bernthal to use mirrors to see around it. Taghizadeh's appearance on the podcast, shared by Warner Bros. CrewHQ UK on Instagram, highlights the evolution of camera technology, as modern mirrorless cameras can shoot silently with electronic shutters.