All The Tropes

Video Phone: Difference between revisions

Page Discussion

Video Phone (view source)

Revision as of 03:42, 8 April 2014

183 bytes removed ,  10 years ago
m
Mass update links
VisualWikitext
m (Mass update links)
Line 3:
 
 
An ''extremely'' common trope found in any stories told in [[The Future|future]] or [[Science Fiction|high-tech]] settings (and, to a lesser extent, spy and espionage stories), a [[Video Phone]] (Sometimes also referred to as a [[We Will Use Wiki Words in Thethe Future|VidPhone]]) is a telecommunications device that functions exactly like a telephone but distinctly comes with a video screen which allows for the individuals on both ends of the call (and the audience) to see each other.
 
In some depictions, such a device may make use of an ordinary telephone receiver in order to speak to and hear the person on the other end, but most often characters usually just [[Screens Are Cameras|talk to the screen]].
Line 19:
 
== [[Anime and Manga]] ==
* These show up almost everywhere a regular phone would in ''[[Pokémon (Animeanime)|Pokémon]]''.
* Commonly used in the original ''[[Bubblegum Crisis]]''. Most notably, they had video payphones.
* ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]'''s in-universe equivalent to the cell phone uses video feeds on both ends of a call.
* Some were seen in ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]''.
* ''[[Ghost in Thethe Shell: Stand Alone Complex]]''. Aramaki is talking via wallscreen to a contact. Although the screen shows the man in military uniform, he's actually in a bathrobe cutting his toenails.
 
== [[Comics]] ==
* Commonplace in ''[[Judge Dredd]]'' and its [[Spin-Off]] stories where they're frequently called [[We Will Use Wiki Words in Thethe Future|VidPhones]]. Models vary, sometimes having mic stands, ordinary phone receivers, or no visible microphones or speakers at all.
* [[Archie Comics|Veronica]] of the future once got one installed, only to switch back to normal phones because her friends called while she was doing face masks or when she'd just gotten up.
* The ''[[Blake and Mortimer]]'' adventure "The Time Trap" depicts a dystopian far future in which communication takes place via camera-equipped wrist phones, for those who can afford them anyway.
Line 36:
* ''[[Back to The Future Part II]]'', [[The Future]] McFly household's video phone is connected to the television set. Personal information about the individual on the other end of the line is scrolled through on screen, including name, age, occupation, home address, spouse, children, and assorted hobbies and preferences. Video calling is also [[Product Placement|sponsored by AT&T]].
* ''[[Johnny Mnemonic]]'' opens with the main character making a call on a video phone that also doubles as a television and an alarm clock, all of which can be operated by remote control. Another such phone shows up in the back of a future taxi cab, and the Street Preacher has one hidden in his [[The Bible|Bible]] (or whatever Holy Book equivalent he has). Video phone screens are also branded with [[Product Placement|AT&T's company logo]], AT&T having tried to develop such technology since the 1960's.
* In ''[[Blade Runner (Film)|Blade Runner]]'', Deckard has a vidphone in his car, which he uses to call Sebastian's residence, only for his call to be answered by Pris.
* Featured in ''[[Until the End of Thethe World]]''. Video payphones also take credit cards.
* ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (Film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' featured a videophone in a phone booth, in a rotating space station.
* In ''[[Starship Troopers (Filmfilm)|Starship Troopers]]'', Johnny Rico is talking to his parents in Buenos Aires via [[Video Phone]] {{spoiler|when the Bug asteroid hits the city.}}
* A video phone appears in the 1929 silent movie ''High Treason''.
* [[Austin Powers]] has one in his car. Very helpful for [[Mister Exposition|Basil Exposition]] to talk to him.
Line 46:
* Used in ''[[Aliens]]'', for instance right after Ripley's nightmare at the beginning.
* They appear in ''[[Demolition Man]]''. John Spartan gets a wrong number from a [[Fan Service|topless chick]].
* The [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] vehicle ''[[The 6th Day (Film)|The 6th Day]]'' interestingly showcased a video phone call with an automated machine... for 911 Emergencies.
* Seen in ''[[Metropolis]]'' which, made in 1927, is a likely candidate for being the [[Ur Example]].
* ''[[Spaceballs (Film)|Spaceballs]]'':
{{quote| '''Barf:''' I'll just put it on audio. That way they won't see ya. ''(activates a switch)'' 'Yello.<br />
'''Vinnie:''' ''(appearing on video screen)'' Hello, Lone Starr.<br />
Line 56:
{{quote| "Hey! Get back to work!"}}
* The interocitor in ''[[This Island Earth]]'' counts.
* Spoofed in the second ''[[Airplane! (Film)|Airplane!]]'' movie. Someone on the moonbase turns on a screen and after some static and wavy lines appear is able to get through to William Shatner. There's a brief conversation, then Shatner opens the door in front of him to reveal he was talking to the man through a window.
* In ''[[Casino Royale 1967]]'' movie [[David Niven]] gets Vesper on the video [[Shoe Phone]] while she's getting dressed. She indignantly covers the camera until she hears Niven signing off, only to remove her hand to see Niven looking downwards expectantly.
* ''[[Seven Days in May]]''. The White House and Pentagon use video teleconferencing in their [[Twenty Minutes Into the Future]] world.
* ''[[Project Moonbase]]''. The female President of the United States speaks to the brave astronauts who've just landed on the moon via a [[Special Effects Failure|hole in the wall]].
* ''[[The Crazies (Film)|The Crazies]]'' (original). A video link is set up with the President of the United States so he can, if required, authorize the use of nuclear weapons to contain the virus. As the President spends the entire conversation [[Invisible President|sitting with his back to the camera]], one wonders why George Romero didn't just have him talking over a telephone speaker.
 
== [[Literature]] ==
* These are [[Author Appeal|a standard part of future technology]] in [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s novels.
* Mocked in a passage in ''[[Infinite Jest]]'' which describes how widespread videophone use made people increasingly concerned about their physical appearance, leading to most people wearing elaborate masks whenever they used the phone (and, later, just switching back to normal phones).
* The ''[[Alice, Girl Fromfrom the Future|Alice: Girl From The Future]]'' series sees all characters use these--and '''only''' these--phones.
* [[The Ear, the Eye Andand Thethe Arm]] has "holo-phones", owned by all but the most destitute characters.
 
== [[Live Action TV]] ==
Line 73:
* ''[[Max Headroom]]'' featured many video phone conversations.
* In ''[[Knight Rider]]'', KITT was equipped with one.
* Made sporadic appearances in the second season of ''[[War of the Worlds (TV series)|War of the Worlds]]''.
* ''[[The Outer Limits]]'' episode "The Duplicate Man" had video phones with rotary dials.
* ''[[Warehouse 13]]'' has a very [[Steampunk]] version apparently, made by the guy who invented TV.
* Seemed commonplace in ''[[Robo CopRoboCop]]: [[Recycled: Thethe Series|The Series]]''.
* General Beckman's interchanges with the ''[[Chuck]]'' team mostly happen through one of these, as do liaisons between the 'Castle' and various field operatives.
* Everyone in ''[[Earth: Final Conflict]]'' has a Global, a cellphone-sized device with an ejectable touchscreen that allows face-to-face video chats. It is also a GPS and has several other functions. Pretty much a modern smartphone.
* In the various ''[[Star Trek]]'' series, the characters communicate with visual communication links as often as they use audio only. The main difference is that in like the [[Star Trek: theThe Original Series|Original Series]], the crew itself typically communicates with each other with a visual element only when there is something that one of the respondents should see, ie. the mysterious probe in "The Corbonmite Maneuver."
* These were one of the few indications that most of the Jon Pertwee ''[[Doctor Who]]'' stories were meant to be [[Twenty Minutes Into the Future]].
 
Line 90:
 
== [[Video Games]] ==
* ''[[Half-Life 2 (Video Game)|Half-Life 2]]'' features several [[Video Phone]] calls, notably between Alyx and her father. Extra points for touching the screen to emphasize the separation.
* In ''[[Dead Space (Franchiseseries)|Dead Space]]'', Isaac has an ultra hi-tech video phone with a projected [[Holographic Interface|holographic screen]] as part of the RIG suit's [[Comm Links|Comm Link]]. While the transmission is monochrome blue in ''[[Dead Space (Videovideo Gamegame)|Dead Space]]'', the more advanced systems is ''[[Dead Space 2 (Video Game)|Dead Space 2]]'' are in full-color.
** Fun fact: the videophone's camera location is ''not'' [[Hand Wave|Hand Waved]] like one would expect with a holographic [[Video Phone]]. In all communications, it's either on the wrist of the characters, or, more frequently, embedded into one of the nearby walls. Which means that [[Everything Is Online|the RIG is constantly on-line]] with the station/ship that Isaac is on.
 
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* One episode of ''[[The Simpsons (Animationanimation)|The Simpsons]]'' taking place in the future, "Lisa's Wedding," showcased a conversation between Lisa and Marge using a "picture phone." Marge kept forgetting that Lisa could see her over the phone, and her body language made it more obvious to tell when she was lying.
* Frequently seen in ''[[The Jetsons]]'', fitting the show's [[Raygun Gothic]] aesthetic. The drawbacks are sometimes used for laughs such as the women have morning masks which are supposed to be quickly put on in case of calls coming in before they have made themselves up.
* In ''[[COPS (Animation)|COPS]]'', videophones are the norm to the point that even public phone booths have screens; they are, after all, fighting crime in a future time. And yes, cell phones pretty much don't exist.
 
== [[Real Life]] ==
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Special:MobileDiff/881285"