History Main / ScreensAreCameras

[[AC:{{ComicBooks}}]]

* The Telescreens in ''[[NineteenEightyFour 1984]]'' are this.

* ''{{Lexx}}'': 790's eyes and mouth are screens, cameras, and speakers.

* The members of the Think Tank in the ''{{Fallout New Vegas}}'' DLC ''Old World Blues'' each have three mounted screens displaying their eyes and mouth separately, and are capable of seeing through their "eye screens".

* ''StarTrek'''s viewscreens, in all the show's incarnations, seem to work this way.
* This was strangely played both straight and averted nearly every time video communication was used on ''{{Firefly}}''. Every other ship besides ''Serenity'' seems to have a dual camera/screen, but the heroes have to stare into a little camera lens when they speak. The effects department apparently thought the trope was being played straight because they had to be told, repeatedly, not to add a button beep/touch tone when Mal brushed dust off the camera lens with his thumb during one scene.

* This was strangely played both straight and averted nearly every time video communication was used on ''{{Firefly}}''. Every other ship besides ''Serenity'' seems to have a dual camera/screen, but the heroes have to stare into a little camera lens when they speak. The effects department apparently thought the trope was being played straight because they had to be told, repeatedly, not to add a button beep/touch tone when Mal brushed dust off the camera lens with his thumb.

* Many modern laptops have a built-in webcam and microphone just above the screen. The distance between screen and webcam is quite small, so it isn't always obvious that neither party in a video chat is actually looking at the camera.

Whenever a character talks to another over a video link, often a {{Comm Link|s}}, each is able to see the other party on his monitor but no camera of any sort is shown. Both parties will look directly at the screen showing the character on the other end, but neither character appears on the screen on the other end to be looking slightly off screen.

A variation also exists where one of the parties may see the other party actually holding the device he is using to chat. This would require a camera crew following the characters around to set up cameras for their conversations, but of course no such crew exists and the camera is never seen.

* ''{{Portal 2}}'': Wheatley appears to be able to see through several of the video screens dotting various parts of the facility. In fact, there are a couple of parts where he reacts in pain to any of them being damaged. He later becomes jumpy whenever a flying cube almost hits them.

* In ''{{SpiderMan}}'' comics, the earliest versions of the Spider-Slayer robots worked this way. The robots, piloted remotely by J. Jonah Jameson, would seem to have no technological ''need'' to project JJJ's face onto a TV screen mounted on the robot's "head," but that's exactly what they do.

* ''Portal'': [[spoiler: Wheatley]] appears to be able to see through several of the video screens dotting various parts of Portal 2. In fact, there are a couple of parts where [[spoiler: he reacts in pain to any of them being damaged. He later becomes jumpy whenever a flying cube almost hits them.]]

* Many modern laptops have a built-in webcam and microphone just above the screen. To those unfamiliar with them, it would look like someone was just talking to the screen.
** Subverted, since to the person on the other end it would still appear on the other end that the party with the laptop is looking slightly below the camera.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* ''1408'' averts the trope; the cam is visible when the main character starts a video chat.
* ''AustinPowers'': Dr. Evil tends to do this a lot. He has typical villain ultimatums with various world leaders through closed circuit televisions, yet there are no cameras that would allow him to see anything.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* The Telescreens in ''[[NineteenEightyFour 1984]]'' are this.

* ''{{TheSave-Ums}}'': The Adventure Screen.

* Subverted, since to the person on the other end it would still appear on the other end that the party with the laptop is looking slightly below the camera.

Whenever a character talks to another over a video link, oftentimes a CommLinks, both are able to see the other party on their monitor but no camera of any sort is shown. Both parties will look directly at the screen showing the character on the other end, but neither character appears on the screen on the other end to be looking slightly off screen.

A variation also exists where one of the parties may see the other party actually holding the device they are using to chat. This would require a camera crew following the characters around to set up cameras for their conversations, but of course no such crew exists and the camera is never seen.

[[AC: {{Anime}}]]

[[AC: {{Western Animation}}]]

* The CommLinks in ''AtomicBetty''.
* The variation often occurs on ''TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles''. Krang in the Technodrome is talking to Shredder, who has a small hand held CommLinks. Krang has a huge wall sized screen in front of him, yet his face fills the entire screen on Shredder's CommLinks. Meanwhile, on Krang's screen, Shredder is shown '''holding the communicator in his hand!'''

[[AC: {{Films}}]]

[[AC: {{Literature}}]]
* The Telescreens in [[NineteenEightyFour 1984]] are this.

* SSTV (Slow Scanning Television) -- a method of image translation used in amateur radio practice before cheap cameras were available. It required only one light sensor instead of a proper camera and used a TV screen (CRT) for scanning. More or less a shadow puppet theater for a [[GeneralGamingGamepads light-gun controller]].
* Many modern laptops have a built-in webcam and microphone just above the screen. To those unfamiliar with them it would look like someone was just talking to the screen.

* Many modern laptops have a built-in webcam and microphone just above the screen. [[ClarkesThirdLaw To those unfamiliar]] with them it would look like someone was just talking to the screen.

* The Telescreens in [[NineteenEightyFour 1984]] are this.

* The Telescreens in {{NineteenEightyFour}} are this.

* ''1408'' averts the trope; the cam is visible when the main character starts a video chat.