Why Are Cameras Anonymous?

Question

It's not as annoying as the 555 phone numbers but it always takes me out of the story whenever a TV drama has a character using a camera whose name has been blacked out. Folks, it's either a Nikon or a Canon. What harm or damage is done by showing that? You drive Ford cars or Porsches. Thy may or may not have paid to be there, but so what? You gotta drive something! Does anyone know why cameras have their brand names obscured?

"If you can, tell me something happy."
- Marybones

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]It's not as annoying as the 555 phone numbers but it always takes me out of the story whenever a ... to be there, but so what? You gotta drive something! Does anyone know why cameras have their brand names obscured?[/nq]
Funny you should ask...The deal with cars is that they're kind of the exception, because there's little way to 'Greek' a car. When a product is shown on- screen, either you have permission from the manufacturer to show the brand, or you have to make a good-faith effort to disguise the brand. This is the downside of Product Placement, and while it's generally not necessary, the legal department likes to pretend it is. Little low-budget indies get away with showing brand names all the time; if you're not using the brand name as a murder weapon or a *** toy or saying something specifically bad about the brand, you're not likely to get into trouble.

Big-budget movies, and most especially TV shows, tend to Greek every-****-thing, because if you show the Nikon logo then it's going to potentially tweak the folks at Canon, from whom you might want some consideration on this - or the next - production.
You don't see the credit as often these days, but you used to typically see a line that read "vehicles courtesy of the Ford Motor Company" or which ever company it was, and while they didn't provide them for free, they did give their permission. It's not uncommon still to have all of the 'hero' vehicles on a given show from the same manufacturer, for just that reason - it's why everybody on CSI:Miami drives a Hummer, or an SUV or whatever from the same manufacturer. It's also why a lot of TV characters drive classic cars - a '65 Mustang isn't making any kind of statement about Ford's current product line (plus, it doesn't date the show) so you take less heat from the manufacturer.
But a camera? With a recognizable logo, right there on the face of it? Easier to Greek than a bottle of ketchup, so NOT Greeking it means you're deliberately making a statement about it, even if it's nothing more than 'we're a Nikon show rather than a Canon show,' and there's really no upside to that. So, out comes the tape.

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Steven

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]But a camera? With a recognizable logo, right there on the face of it? Easier to Greek than a bottle of ketchup, so NOT Greeking it means you're deliberately making a statement about it, even if it's nothing more than 'we're a Nikon show rather than a Canon show,' and there's really no upside to that. So, out comes the tape.[/nq]
Yeah all that Weller said. The question demands the image of an SLR or Rangefinder camera, particularly the top area of the camera where the viewfinder or prism is, but not so much with Point and Shoot Cameras. The whole thing is met with the same resistance as asking a question in sunday school. I always ask why they want to Greek the logo on a Nikon or Canon SLR. Nobody ever answers. Greeking a camera is just something everybody does because its always done and nobody really cares why (tv).
Camera ****
Salvador
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Why is it called Greeking?
Bert

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Why is it called Greeking?[/nq]
Don't know if this is where it comes from but it's a publishing/layout term - when they want to drop sample copy into a page to indicate placement they paste in a nonsense Latin text that starts "ipsum lorem" - which for some reason has acquire the name "Greeking" - presumably because "Latining" doesn't roll off the tongue.
There is an entry on Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greeking

"If you can, tell me something happy."
- Marybones

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Why is it called Greeking? From Wiki[/nq]
Greeking is a style of displaying or rendering text or symbols, not always from the Greek alphabet. The name is a reference to the phrase "Greek to me", meaning something that one cannot understand, so that it might as well be in a foreign language.

"If you can, tell me something happy."
- Marybones

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Thanks for that. I'm familiar with the use of Latin text in layouts, but I've never heard the term Greeking before. Actually, I can't say I've ever noticed camera names being obscured or changed in films either, which goes to show just how observant I'm not.
Bert

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Thanks for that. I'm familiar with the use of Latin text in layouts, but I've never heard the term Greeking ... ever noticed camera names being obscured or changed in films either, which goes to show just how observant I'm not.[/nq]
MC's right, that's where it comes from. I do a lot of layout work and I'm always pointing out to clients that a particular page is Greeked for presentation purposes. I can't remember the last time a client didn't know what I meant.
Oddly, most people do use that same ipsum lorem block of Latin I think they do it so the client doesn't get centered on the fake content, but stays focused on the overall level of text-heaviness, gray-ness, whatever design principles are being presented. Nobody uses actual Greek because the Greek character set isn't as widely available as the latin character set.

I always use a block of "Hamlet". I just think it's more entertaining if the text is readable, and it gives clients something to look at while I natter on and on about the design.
But this avoids the real topic of this thread, which is that Nikon is the pinnacle of camera excellence while Canon users are sub-human abusers of farm animals. MC knows this.
Alan Brooks

A with an Underwood
Ah..
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[nq:1]But this avoids the real topic of this thread, which is that Nikon is the pinnacle of camera excellence while Canon users are sub-human abusers of farm animals. MC knows this.[/nq]
I am in the market for a new camera and I'm not very happy with Canon these days. They just announced a new one that is way more expensive than the one it replaces, and lacks one feature that I was looking forward to... which the equivalent Nikon does have, so I'm actually wavering.
I used Nikon (and Pentax) long before I switched to Canon. But then I used a PC before I came to my senses and switched to Mac.

Oh, and Israel is right about Palestine.
Oh, and Israel is wrong about Palestine.
Hitler.
Talk amongst yourselves.

"If you can, tell me something happy."
- Marybones

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[nq:2]But this avoids the real topic of this thread, which ... users are sub-human abusers of farm animals. MC knows this.[/nq]
[nq:1]I am in the market for a new camera and I'm not very happy with Canon these days. They just ... to Mac. Oh, and Israel is right about Palestine. Oh, and Israel is wrong about Palestine. Hitler. Talk amongst yourselves.[/nq]
Not until we hear from you on Obama's birth certificate and the Second Gunman Theory.
Alan Brooks

A with an Underwood
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"Bert Coules"
[nq:1]Why is it called Greeking?[/nq]
Because Frenching you do to motor cars, Yanking to chains, Poling to punts, and Japanning to furniture. Gyppo-ing could be used but is no longer politically correct, and bastardizing... well, I'll leave the Australians to explain themselves.

Martin B

Why Are Cameras Anonymous?

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