Here’s the real reason why the camera adds 10 pounds.
Have you ever heard the saying that the camera adds 10 pounds? If you’re an actor, then you know that standing in front of the camera can make you look like you are a lot heavier than you actually are. Or, if you are a dedicated die-hard fan you may think your favorite actor is actually a huge person, but in actuality they are a lot smaller than you thought. This may explain why a lot of actors and celebrities avoid the press and refuse to watch their own movies. A short TED talk by Duncan Davidson called “Why do we hate seeing photos of ourselves” explained why many people hate to look at themselves on camera.
So why does the camera add 10 pounds? This is caused by something called distortion – exaggerated features, mainly nose and forehead, mainly due to barrel distortion. This is caused by the type of lenses photographers and filmmakers use in a movie, TV show or photo shoot.
Here’s an example.
As the camera lens focal length (mm) increases so does the appearance of an actor’s weight increase.
Basically, the closer you are to the camera, the more narrow their face will appear. When you are just inches away from your subject their nose is relatively much closer to you than their eyes and ears. The ears seem farther away, making them smaller and making the face seem narrower.
But, if an actor stands in the right position, a wide angle lens (a small mm) will make an actor look a lot thinner. However, if an actor stands in the wrong position, that same lens can make an actor look a lot heavier.
Now you know.
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