Last Updated 3 months ago
Definition
In film and television production, a blimp is a cover or housing designed to reduce unwanted noise. The term has two common uses:
- Camera Blimp: A soundproof enclosure placed over a film camera to dampen its mechanical noise.
- Microphone Blimp: A windscreen housing for a shotgun microphone, used to block wind noise during location recording.
Both uses serve the same purpose—protecting clean sound recording on set.
Camera Blimp
- Purpose: Film cameras, especially in the pre-digital era, produced noticeable mechanical noise from gears and film movement. A blimp enclosed the camera to muffle that sound.
- Design: Large, padded housings often custom-fit to specific cameras. Some had viewing windows or access ports for controls.
- Usage: Common in the early sound era (1930s–1970s), when cameras were too loud for sync sound recording.
- Blimping Today: With modern digital cameras being quieter, full blimps are rare. On smaller productions, crews may improvise by “blimping” with sound blankets, jackets, or other materials.
Microphone Blimp
- Purpose: Reduces wind noise that can overwhelm a shotgun microphone during exterior shoots.
- Design: A rigid, perforated housing (often oval-shaped) that surrounds the mic, usually combined with a layer of acoustic foam and an optional furry windjammer (“dead cat”).
- Usage: Standard for location sound crews when working outdoors in windy environments.
- Effectiveness: Maintains audio clarity while minimizing wind rumble without overly coloring the sound.
The Act of “Blimping”
On set, “to blimp” something means to wrap or cover a noise source (such as a camera, light ballast, or piece of gear) to reduce sound interference. This can be as professional as a custom housing or as simple as draping a sound blanket.
Why It Matters
Clean audio is crucial in filmmaking. Whether protecting microphones from wind or cameras from generating mechanical noise, blimps safeguard production sound quality. Even though digital technology has reduced the need for camera blimps, microphone blimps remain indispensable for outdoor shooting.
Related Terms
- [Dead Cat] ? A furry windscreen placed over a microphone blimp to further reduce wind noise.
- [Room Tone] ? A recording of the ambient sound of a location, used to smooth out edits.
- [ADR] ? Automated Dialogue Replacement, used when location sound is unusable.