Is the Camera Destroyed?

[Ash]

Many of you might have seen the TV ad that's been on recently.

It's a braking test between the Mitsubishi Galant & the Honda Accord (I think that's it)
The Honda doesn't make it and goes over the edge of the bridge they were racing on.

The next shot shows the car going over the edge and it appears to crash into the camera.
Many movies also do this.  
A large object, usually a vehicle crashes into the camera and then it cuts to another shot.

I was wondering...when they film those types of shots do they actually have the vehicle/large object crash into and destroy the very expensive camera?

If so, how is the film recovered?
Wouldn't it be destroyed along with the camera?
Do they use ultra-tough film casing on the camera to protect the film?



Post Edited (06-12-04 04:58)

[Fearless Freep]

I doubt they crash the vehicle into the camer itself.

On the other hand, watch some of the 'in the car' cameras in a NASCAR race during a crash...those cameras can take a lot of abuse...

[Flangepart]

I think they use a mirror. The car falls on the morror, but the camera is filming from a box outside the car's expected fall. It focuses on the place in mirror that catches the image of the car. Think of an L, with the camera at the end of the short leg of the L, the mirror at the bend, looking up, and the top of the long leg as the path of the car.

[The Burgomaster]

I tried this on my recent vacation to Hawaii.  I stretched out on my back at the bottom of the Diamond Head crater and pointed my camera toward the sky.  Then I had my wife toss a boulder down on top of me.  The camera broke and I ended up with a fractured skull, but it was worth it because:

* We got a great picture;
* I proved that the "falling car" probably breaks the camera.

[Dunners]

Liar, LIAR! burgon is lying! I know I was there...he really just got drunk and wanted to see how soft rocks are!....so in short I'm just rambling for fun about stuff I dont know about in someway to get a little humor here.

[Jamtoy]

I bet the answer can be found in three little letters:

C G I