History Main / HollywoodWebCam

* Averted in ''Film/AustinPowersInternationalManOfMystery'', where (in 1996) Basil Exposition communicates via a realistically pixellated webcam view. FridgeLogic sets in when you consider that in 1969 at the start of the film, however, he was able to contact Austin via a crystal-clear portable television setup.

* Like Unfriended, ''Film/{{Host}}'' has a pretty accurate depiction of a Zoom session, with connectivity issues, people's faces angled oddly against the webcam, echoes and other mishaps that we have all become familiar with in [[UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic 2020]].
** Special mention goes to an animated Zoom background of one of the characters uses, which she says she made out of boredom and loneliness. Not only will many Zoom users relate to this, it also serves as a plot point. The background obscures the rest of her house, resulting with her friends not noticing she is in trouble. When she finally bursts back into the room and reaches for her laptop, the background animation glitches as it would in a real Zoom call.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

* Also averted in ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' when Kirito and Asuna are having a video chat. The camera angle changes a couple times and the image on the phone screen is tilted realistically for viewing a flat image. Somewhat impressive/jarring for a medium that's always flat, and constantly trying to convince you it isn't.

Webcams and {{Video Phone}}s are amazing communication tools. More than just hearing a familiar voice, you can see the face of the person you're talking to, see the sparkle in their eyes, view their reaction to your IncrediblyLamePun. It's almost like being in the same room with the person on the other end.

Again, though, [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools this is not necessarily a bad thing]]. The whole "three-dimensional face on a flat screen" thing is probably an attempt to avoid a trip into the UncannyValley. After all, when you walked that semi-circle around your TV (admit it, you did), didn't it look creepy to have that face always looking directly at you? The reason the face doesn't change with the angle is because, of course, it's a flat image; but, although we know intellectually that this is correct, emotionally it just rubs the wrong way. The Hollywood Web Cam solves this by giving us a [=3D=] face on the screen; it's an [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality Acceptable Break From Reality]]. And this doesn't even take into account any AppliedPhlebotinum which can inject a bit of FridgeBrilliance into the procedings.

[[folder:Video Games ]]

* Common in ''Videogame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' with the various sorts of hand-held holocommunicators. A common situation is to have the player walk up to an NPC and that person to call another on holo. The third party is projected from a device in the NPC's hand and usually starts talking to him/her -- but will inevitably ''turn around'' to talk to the player. This was inherited from the movies and animated shows, more or less; see those sections for examples.

[[folder: Film ]]

To be fair, most such depictions of the Hollywood Web Cam are easily justified. For example, webcams are commercially available which boast [=1080p=] (or higher) resolution, justifying the high-res webcam shots usually shown on film. Further, even though in real life many people still have to contend with some noticeable lag when using the Internet, this is removed from fiction because the gaps in conversation [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality would be distracting, even annoying.]] Generally, this trope tends to be averted in horror films, or shows with high-risk stakes, as magically, whenever the webcam is recording someone who has important information, the webcam's shoddiness starts to make itself known.

* Averted in ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'', of all places. When Joel/Mike and The Mads communicate, they are conveniently addressing the actual camera. It helps that Cambot, who's handling things on the [=SoL=], is mobile. The trope ''does'' pop up in [[Film/ThisIslandEarth The Movie]], though.

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* In the Creator/DisneyChannel original movie ''Get a Clue'', Lexi communicates with her best friend via one of these. This probably counts as UnbuiltTrope a little because when the movie came out in 2002, most people didn't own a web cam, so they could get away with whatever they wanted. Actually, though, the portrayal was accurate.

To be fair, most such depictions of the Hollywood Web Cam are easily justified. For example, webcams are commercially available which boast [=1080p=] resolution, justifying the high-res webcam shots usually shown on film. Further, even though in real life many people still have to contend with some noticable lag when using the Internet, this is removed from fiction because the gaps in conversation [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality would be distracting, even annoying.]] Generally, this trope tends to be averted in horror films, or shows with high-risk stakes, as magically, whenever the webcam is recording someone who has important information, the webcam's shoddiness starts to make itself known.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' and later series justifies this trope as [[AppliedPhlebotinum a characteristic of the video monitors]] -- namely, that they can display three-dimensional information.

* Averted in ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'', of all places. When Joel/Mike and The Mads communicate, they are conveniently addressing the actual camera. It helps that Cambot, who's handling things on the [=SoL=], is mobile.
** The trope ''does'' pop up in [[Film/ThisIslandEarth The Movie]], though.

* Common in ''Videogame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' with the various sorts of hand-held holocommunicators. A common situation is to have the player walk up to an NPC and that person to call another on holo. The third party is projected from a device in the NPC's hand and usually starts talking to him/her -- but will inevitably ''turn around'' to talk to the player.
** This was inherited from the movies, more or less, so counts as a film example as well.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'': Holograms look up at the people they're talking to, and even turn around if someone else starts speaking. This is especially notable as the films were pretty good at averting this.

Again, though, [[TropesAreNotBad this is not necessarily a bad thing]]. The whole "three-dimensional face on a flat screen" thing is probably an attempt to avoid a trip into the UncannyValley. After all, when you walked that semi-circle around your TV (admit it, you did), didn't it look creepy to have that face always looking directly at you? The reason the face doesn't change with the angle is because, of course, it's a flat image; but, although we know intellectually that this is correct, emotionally it just rubs the wrong way. The Hollywood Web Cam solves this by giving us a [=3D=] face on the screen; it's an [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality Acceptable Break From Reality]]. And this doesn't even take into account any AppliedPhlebotinum which can inject a bit of FridgeBrilliance into the procedings.

* Averted in the ''Series/AttackOfTheShow'' segment ''The Loop'' where all interviews are conducted via remote chat. The host and guest are both staring straight into the camera at all times, and there is a noticible but subtle delay between questions and answers.

* Justified in ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'', in which a VideoPhone interview between Earth and the astronauts is broadcast on television. The time lag (6 hours) is mentioned, but it has been edited out specifically for broadcast.

To be fair, most such depictions of the Hollywood Web Cam are easily justified. For example, webcams are commercially available which boast [=1080p=] resolution, justifying the high-res webcam shots usually shown on film. Further, even though in real life many people still have to contend with some noticable lag when using the Internet, this is removed from fiction because the gaps in conversation [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality would be distracting, even annoying.]]

* Parodied in ''Film/AirplaneIITheSequel'', where Moonbase Commander William Shatner talks to a junior officer through a viewscreen on a wall, looking straight at the camera. Then opens a door in the wall to reveal he was just standing the other side, and not looking at the person he was talking to.

* Averted in the first Franchise/{{Digimon}} movie: characters chatting via webcam are shown as low-resolution blurs moving at a couple frames per second.

* ''Webcomic/{{Parantural}}'': The "looking at the person they're talking to" part is parodied. On Suzy's screen, Collin appears to point a spoon at Dimitri's window and ask "are you okay with this?" When Dimitri answers, Collin clarifies that he was talking to his cat about the food on the spoon.

* In the DisneyChannel original movie ''Get a Clue'', Lexi communicates with her best friend via one of these. This probably counts as UnbuiltTrope a little because when the movie came out in 2002, most people didn't own a web cam, so they could get away with whatever they wanted. Actually, though, the portrayal was accurate.

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** This was inherited from the movies, more or less, so counts as a film example as well.

[[AC:Anime and Manga]]
* Averted in the first {{Digimon}} movie: characters chatting via webcam are shown as low-resolution blurs moving at a couple frames per second.

* In an episode of ''TheBigBangTheory'', Sheldon and Leonard are having a webcam conversation with Amy Farrah Fowler, during which her webcam self utilizes most of the points raised in the body of this page.

* Averted in the ''AttackOfTheShow'' segment ''The Loop'' where all interviews are conducted via remote chat. The host and guest are both staring straight into the camera at all times, and there is a noticible but subtle delay between questions and answers.

** This was inherited from the movies, more or less, so counts as a film example as well.