Finally, the Perfect Use for the ALEXA Mini: Attaching It to a Selfie Stick

Sure, it may have been designed to bring ALEXA image quality to UAVs and tight spaces, but one brave pioneer of cinema has discovered the greatest use of the ALEXA Mini yet. The selfie stick.

I jest, of course. This test is pure silliness for silliness' sake. With that said, shots like this are nothing new. In fact, various incarnations of the Snorricam (made famous by Requiem for a Dream) have been achieving these warped first person perspectives for decades. Though Snorricam shots are not technically selfies because they lack the element of self-awareness, the effect is similar.

Here's a fantastic supercut from Jacob T. Swinney, which was commissioned for Slate, that compiles the greatest Snorricam shots in cinema history.

Also, it's important to remember that the selfie, as much as we may make fun of it, has become a legitimate piece of our visual language in the 21st century. For that reason, we should be aware that it's something that we can incorporate into our films if it makes sense in the context of the story we're trying to tell. For example, it could be used as a way to visually portray the self-absorbed nature of a particular character. The possibilities for how this can be used are both endless and fascinating.

What do you guys think? What role, if any, will selfies play in the future of cinema? Share your thoughts down in the comments!     

Your Comment

9 Comments

I wanna work there...

July 4, 2015 at 11:11PM

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Max Ciesynski
Gaffer
627

Well..........I have the Mini........let me see if I have enough dinero left over for a selfie stick.
Honey.....can I use your broom stick?

July 5, 2015 at 3:15AM

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Jerry Roe
Indie filmmaker
1512

Idk about everyone else, but I'm extremely tired of people filming in in the flat color palate of cinestyle, then not putting the time into color correcting before they upload a video... If you knew you were going too be to lazy to do the color, why not just film in standard?

July 5, 2015 at 10:22AM

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d
180

"filming in in the flat color palate of cinestyle"

I'm not sure how to respond to this...

July 5, 2015 at 3:19PM

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Alan Dembek
Camera Assistant
266

The same way you'd respond to, "I'm tired of people posting ungraded footage recorded in LOG."

July 5, 2015 at 9:43PM

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Matthew Emmanuel
Camera Operator
603

I'm not sure how to respond to the mediocre tip you gave me the last haircut.

July 9, 2015 at 4:25PM

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I like how, if it weren't for the article stating specifically that an Alexa mini was used, probably no one would have guessed it's an Alexa. It kinda looks like ungraded BMPCC footage.

July 5, 2015 at 3:52PM

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Harlan Rumjahn
Low-level government official
322

I concur with your comment. Everything I have seen so far from the Alexa Mini, footage wise, looks like it was captured with a cheaper competitor's camera. The Amira footage is closer to the big Alexa but does not have the same "mojo", either.

July 7, 2015 at 6:53PM

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I want to see the biggest selfie stick shot. I mean something like a technocrane with a huge rig on it turned back on the operator. A side shot showing the rig would be great. Get the crew on board and just shoot it.

July 6, 2015 at 5:17AM

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