The Matrix TV

[Tenaciousbt]

Well, after many, many, many years of looking, I finally found the AWA Radiola TV Deep Image, which is the same as the one in The Matrix. Now, one point was that the guy I bought it from said the tube was broken, so it was removed, but I like it. I will now use it to display props. It also is missing the back shroud and tube cover, but that's cool as I won't be looking at the back very much. This has got to be the only one in North America. I'm so excited.

 

[Tenaciousbt]

Next, I'm trying to ID the remote. Any ideas?

 

[DonCarlos]

Congratulations on the great find!

Here are some 4K screencaps of remote:

After some thorough searching, I believe the remote was custom-made to match the aesthetics of the movie and that particular scene. The controls on the remote resemble old Zenith remotes, but I wasn’t able to find anything exactly like this prop. Also, the tin bottom is pretty unusual for a household handheld device. Just take a look at this Pinterect collection of original vintage remotes.

The prop design resembles a mixture of these two Zenith remotes:

To me, it seems they might have used some found item, like an old junction box—possibly made from Bakelite—and then custom-made the buttons and the front opening.
This is what’s on my mind:

Anyway, I really like this prop, and inspired by this search, I’m thinking of making a 3D-printed replica

 

[3Dsf]

Fascinating, and nice find! The film was shot in Australia, so it makes total sense that the prop masters obtained an Australian TV set for the scene. But, like much of the Matrix, that helped with a sense of unfamiliarity and unreality for a North American audience!

 

[DonCarlos]

I browsed through more than 500 items on radiomuseum.org and, while I didn’t find this particular remote, it might still offer some hints for further searching.

Here are three pieces with similar colors or designs:

During my search, I realized there weren’t just wireless remotes but also wired ones—and not just for TVs, but for radios and other devices as well.

Those wired remotes weren’t exactly handheld devices; they were more like desktop units. They often had rubber feet on the bottom to stay firmly on the desk—very similar to the bottom of Morpheus’ remote.

 

[DonCarlos]

I made a rough sketch in Fusion but can’t decide whether the buttons go on top with the labels below, or vice versa.

What do you think? Any suggestions before I move forward?

 

[giftedkay]

Just saw an ad for a 3D template that featured a close up of the remote.
The text on the wood texture is part of the ad; that shouldn’t be a concern.
Props to the creator (Orpheus) don’t know where he took his original blueprint.

Seems like the remote has a toll of 8 buttons.
While you can’t make out the scribbles from the scene. From the other remote pics posted by forum members.
The following maybe close to what they’re suppose to be for :

• Volume +
• Volume -
• Channel +
• Channel -

• RGB Contrast
• Scaling/Zoom
• Mute
• On/Off

 

[DonCarlos]

Just saw an ad for a 3D template that featured a close up of the remote.
The text on the wood texture is part of the ad; that shouldn’t be a concern.
Props to the creator (Orpheus) don’t know where he took his original blueprint.

Seems like the remote has a toll of 8 buttons.
While you can’t make out the scribbles from the scene. From the other remote pics posted by forum members.
The following maybe close to what they’re suppose to be for :

• Volume +
• Volume -
• Channel +
• Channel -

• RGB Contrast
• Scaling/Zoom
• Mute
• On/Off

Great! Thank you. I was wondering whether these are labels or buttons.

 

[Tenaciousbt]

I made a rough sketch in Fusion but can’t decide whether the buttons go on top with the labels below, or vice versa.

What do you think? Any suggestions before I move forward?

View attachment 1887747
View attachment 1887748
View attachment 1887749

Are you sure that's just writing on the bottom and not more buttons? Also there appears to be a hole on the top, could be for the transmitter or if it were wired...where the wire came out.

 

[DonCarlos]

Are you sure that's just writing on the bottom and not more buttons? Also there appears to be a hole on the top, could be for the transmitter or if it were wired...where the wire came out.

You're right—the giftedkay's image above is much more accurate than mine. I'm aware of the front hole; I just haven't added it to my sketch yet. Hopefully, I'll have some free time soon to update my concept.

 

[Bloop]

Just saw an ad for a 3D template that featured a close up of the remote.
The text on the wood texture is part of the ad; that shouldn’t be a concern.
Props to the creator (Orpheus) don’t know where he took his original blueprint.

Seems like the remote has a toll of 8 buttons.
While you can’t make out the scribbles from the scene. From the other remote pics posted by forum members.
The following maybe close to what they’re suppose to be for :

• Volume +
• Volume -
• Channel +
• Channel -

• RGB Contrast
• Scaling/Zoom
• Mute
• On/Off

This isn't the real remote. It appears to be a 3D render by someone trying to recreate the Matrix scene to sell as an After Effects template:

Matrix Construct The Retro TV Series Videohive 35654653 Download Direct After Effects

Videohive Matrix Construct The Retro TV Series 35654653 is an unique after effects template manufactured by gorgeous author OrpheusFX who possess 179 ratings and 5,359 total sales as of yet.

hunterae.com

So I'd caution against trying to recreate the original prop based on this, since it's likely someone else's guess at what the real prop looked like.

Also, I don't believe a TV remote of that age (if it actually is a TV remote) wouldn't have scaling/zoom or rgb contrast available. CRT TVs didn't have zoom or scaling, and it's unlikely an older TV would have contrast buttons. You had to adjust brightness & contrast via dials or knobs on the actual TV.