Scully Box: Difference between revisions

A less extreme but often more visible method is to have the smaller person in high heeled or platform shoes (or boots with a very deep heavy tread for guys), and the taller people in sneakers or flats.

See also [[Hitler Cam]].

== Films ==

** ''[[Daredevil]]'' used this in conjunction with [[Hitler Cam]].

* Inverted in the ''[[Scary Movie]]'' series when actor Kevin Hart had to stand in a trench in order to be slightly shorter than the other actors, since his character is short. Since Kevin Hart stands 5 feet 4 1/2 inches tall, it seems that he frequently employs this device, rather than subverting it as he did in this movie.

* The Disney Channel movie ''Double Teamed'', which portrayed WNBA twin sisters Heather and Heidi Burge, had the actresses portraying them (who weren't twins, and in fact weren't even related) using several methods to tower over their teammates, from Scully Boxes to specialized sneakers.

* This has been done digitally and with camera angles as of recently, most notably with Robbie "Hagrid" Coltrane in the ''[[Harry Potter (film)|Harry Potter]]'' film series to make him seem like a half giant.

* In ''[[Julie and Julia]]'' in order to have [[Meryl Streep]] reflect the height of Julia Child.

* In ''[[Back to The Future]]'', because Christopher Lloyd is much taller than Michael J. Fox, the director used camera tricks to avoid using one. For example, the two are rarely in the same shot together and, when they are, one is usually sitting down or much closer to the camera than the other. When Doc Brown is talking, he's often moving around so much that the viewer can't really tell how tall he is. Lloyd also improvised a hunch in his posture that helped give the character more of a [[Mad Scientist]] look.

== Live-Action TV ==

** In "Scott of the Sahara," an actress stands on an apple box placed in a trench, making her the exact same height as she really is.

* The raised platform holding the desk on ''[[The Daily Show]]'' serves a similar purpose: observant viewers will note that Jon Stewart, who is 5' 6", always shakes the guest's hand ''before'' they step up onto the platform. Despite this fact, Stewart constantly jokes about his height. He used the raised platform on ''[[The Colbert Report]]'' to briefly make himself look taller than 6' 4" Conan O'Brien during the [[Melee a Trois]] [[Crossover]] between the three shows.

{{quote|'''Stephen Colbert''': That's the magic of television, Jon.

'''Jon Stewart''': Can I have a screengrab of that? }}

* Allison Mack from ''[[Smallville]]'' admits to using either a crate, or a lifted "alley board" so she doesn't look short against "ostentatiously tall" Tom Welling.

* ''[[Eight Out Of Ten Cats]]'' host Jimmy Carr has to have a cushion placed on his seat so he can see over his desk. This led to a fairly hilarious scene when guest David Walliams "outed" him by insisting that he stand up, and then removing the cushion, leaving Jimmy about four inches shorter all of a sudden.

** During [[John Barrowman]]'s first five episodes, [[Billie Piper]] had to stand on a box whenever she was in a scene with him since he is seven inches taller than her. This is an unusual example given that that [[John Barrowman]] and [[Christopher Eccleston]] are the exact same height, and she never did so with the latter. It probably has to do with the mystique of the Doctor.

** Used [[In-Universe]] in the Christmas special "Voyage of the Damned," where [[Kylie Minogue]]'s character stands on a box to kiss [[David Tennant]]. It's [[Played for Laughs]].

* While ''[[Angel]]'' was in ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', Sarah Michelle Geller had to stand on a box just so she can be seen in the same frame as the much taller David Boreanaz.

* Staging scenes in ''[[Glee]]'' is often difficult because [[Cory Monteith]] is so much taller than anyone else in the cast (even the cast members playing teachers) and he spends a lot of time not only sitting, but also leaning forward with his forearms resting on his thighs (otherwise seated cast members behind him ''still'' wouldn't be visible). Other times they actually use his height to their advantage, for example: When sharing a scene with Rachel the camera will sometimes switch to a shot closer to her perspective which only serves to make him look even ''taller.''

* [[Top Gear|The Hamster]] was once seen to be standing on a box so he could see over the bonnet of a Cadillac Escalade.

* Nodded towards in ''[[The Big Bang Theory]]''. Bernadette is played by the under 5' Melissa Rauch, but Howard, her boyfriend, isn't that much taller and thus it isn't that big of an issue. In one episode at her apartment she got a ring at the doorbell and in order to look through the peephole she had to use a step stool. Rauch mentioned that most of her family is pretty short and her husband is around 6', so whenever they get together it feels like he is visiting [[The Lord of the Rings|the Shire]].

== Western Animation ==

* A similar trick was done in ''[[Total Drama World Tour]]''. Since Sierra is just shy of [[One Head Taller]] than her crush Cody, the animators had to cheat whenever she employed a [[Marshmallow Hell]], and kept Cody's feet a few inches above the ground.

* [[Tom Cruise]] uses these (apparently it's not just couches he stands on). In his wedding photos, where they couldn't be used, he had Katie Holmes squat down a bit so that she wouldn't be taller than him.

** After divorcing him, [[Nicole Kidman]] declared "Now I can wear heels again."

* During a debate when Robert Reich was running for governor of Massachusetts in 2002, a camera pan showed he was standing on one of these behind the podium. Understandable, since he's 4'10" due to a bone condition. [[Self-Deprecation|He's made fun of this]] on shows like Conan O'Brien.

* During an event where speeches were given by Obama and [[The Napoleon|Nicolas Sarkozy]], several pictures were taken from the side, revealing the... vertically challenged French president had stood on a box, presumably because he wouldn't have reached the microphone (set up for Obama) otherwise. Sarkozy even needs one of these when pictured with his own wife, [[Ugly Guy, Hot Wife|an ex-supermodel]].

* In non-fiction, CNN reporter Frederik Pleitgen typically ends up with a cameraman on a box. Fred is very tall, and when doing interviews stands with his legs apart to bring himself down to the level of most of his interviewees - this way, they aren't looking up and we don't get a lovely shot of the subject's nostrils. However, when doing a [[One Shot]], to avoid the opposite effect of Fred looking down, the cameraman needs a boost to operate the camera at a suitable height.