The so-called spidercam has changed the way we watch sports, allowing camera operators to shoot footage while moving vertically and horizontally above where the action happens. And now they’re being disguised as... airplanes?
This particular camera was spotted at the 2016 French Open in Paris, just yesterday. It’s clearly an advertising stunt, but I can’t help but wonder: Is it more distracting to see a miniature airplane moving around above you than a nondescript black box?
DISCUSSION
It’s not much of a ‘disguise’ since the entire body of the camera is outside of the body of the plane. It just makes the camera much more noticeable, since it’s about 5 times the size of the plain camera. It’s supposed to be noticed, and it works.