Executive TL;DR:

• IBM’s AN-FSQ-7 panels from the 1950s are still used in movies.
• These panels are often mistaken for computers but are actually modems.
• Production companies rent out vintage computer equipment for film use.

The Buzz Score

The Internet’s Verdict: 70% Hyped, 30% Skeptical

Behind the Scenes

Computers used in movies are often not what they seem.

IBM’s AN-FSQ-7 panels from 1950s SAGE have shown up in a huge number of movies. They are still showing up in new movies. Woody’s Electrical Props in LA rents them out.

These panels are often mistaken for computers but are actually modems.

Those slanted panels aren’t the computer. Those are the modems.

Production companies also use other creative methods to portray computers on screen.

Fun Fact: in king of queens, most of the pcs (for example airport episode with doug’s parents) are just RCT tvs with paper printout of a screen taped over it.

Focus Keyword: Movie Computers