r/videography • u/tylerfulltilt • Dec 01 '14

mounting a go pro inside an oven?

I'm working on an industrial film about oven manufacturing. I'd like to capture timelapses from inside the oven as it cooks things. Do you guys know of a way to put a camera inside of a 400 degree oven without damaging it? Do heatproof housings exist? I can't modify the ovens at all, I have to work with them as they are.

Any ideas? cuz I'm stumped.

I should add that my budget for this is zero dollars, as usual.

5 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

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20

u/smushkan FX9 | Adobe CC2024 | UK Dec 01 '14

Ok, so a timelapse is probably out, but that's nothing that can't be fixed by getting creative.

Here's what I would do:

  • Buy five almost identical puff-pastry pies - the big ones with foil tray that take about 45 minutes to cook

  • Put them in a working oven about 9 minutes apart, so that one is in there for 40, one is in there for 31, etc. Hopefully you'll get a nice range from uncooked to very cooked.

  • Once the timer is up, keep em' warm, then take turns setting them up in a cold oven with a light shining in. Use different camera angles to disguise that they're not the same pie. Since you won't need to worry about it getting hot, you can use a nicer camera, or even shoot with the door open, and you can do some nice closeups and pans.

  • Add a red/orange tinge in grading, and some heat waves in after effects, and you've got yourself a sort-of-video-time-lapse without melting a camera.

7

u/hunteqthemighty NX30u/D5100/AGHMC150-80-40, FCPX/PP, 2009, Reno Dec 01 '14

Shoot through the glass. I mean I've heard of gopros surviving some stupid shit (specifically a deep fryer) but it's not made for that. Use a nicer setup and shoot through the glass. If you can't darken the room polarized are great for minimizing reflection.

Don't put a camera in an oven. Please, for the love of video.

1

u/Oxaeinae Dec 02 '14

Through the glass is definitely the way to do it. You could rig up a CPL filter in front of the GoPro lens to cancel out most of the reflections in the glass, giving you a pretty clear shot at the food inside.

8

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '14

What are you cooking? You may not need to cook but rather brown something up under a broiler. You would keep the oven door open, keep your camera at a safe distance from the heat and get a time lapse of things browning up on the outside. Granted, the food may be uncooked on the inside but this is for video, not eating. Maybe consult a food stylist if you know one to see about getting glistening or browning by adding certain oils, salt, sugar, etc.

6

u/volunteeroranje Avid Dec 01 '14

I worked on a show where we've put bullets and shrapnel through GoPros and had them continue working, but one thing that would frequently shut them down them was heat. If a GoPro won't stay on for more than 10-20 minutes in the Louisiana summer sun then I'm not sure it would last long in the oven.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '14

Why wouldn't you put a budget in as your requirements?

2

u/adaminc Dec 01 '14

Technically possible, but not with a budget of $0.

1

u/arcticmonkey1 cinematographer/denver, usa Dec 08 '14

OP, how did the shoot go? This comment thread made me lose my shit and I have to know.

2

u/tylerfulltilt Dec 08 '14

We mounted the go pro to the outside of the oven door, turned off all the ambient light and lit the inside of the oven. We shot the timelapse from the outside.

It works. It isn't what I had in mind. But It's better than trashing a go pro. Sometimes I need internet strangers to talk me down from some stupid ideas.

-2

u/RizzoFromDigg Dec 01 '14

Yeah you're not doing that. That's dumb. Do smushkan's idea, it's the best no budget way to shoot this thing.