The Steadicam eliminates the need for expensive crane shots, or the time and labor of setting up dolly tracks. This kind of camera movement changed the way the world experiences cinema. A Steadicam is just one of the many types of film equipment and camera gear available. Before we look at the Steadicam more specifically, let's review the available options.
Here's a video breakdown of the various types of camera rigs , how they work, and how they add to the "feel" and look of a shot. The Steadicam shot is just one of many types of camera movements in film. Here's a complete breakdown of each type along with their storytelling values and how they have contributed to some iconic moments in cinema history. The list goes on and on. Before the 70s, the director's job and the cinematographer's job was to decide between the only three choices when considering the storytelling value of camera movement in a scene.
They could go with a dolly shot , which does provide a very smooth movement of the camera. Another option would be a handheld shot where the camera operator would literally just hold the camera. However, the sheer size and weight of the cameras back then limited this option. The French New Wave filmmakers embraced the handheld shot but documentaries and newsreels were more suited for this kind of movement. The final option would be a crane shot , which can guarantee a smooth shot with the added option to move the camera vertically.
The downside is that cranes are large and cumbersome and only really work for exterior shots or on a soundstage. Therefore, when the Steadicam camera stabilizer came onto the scene, it essentially combined the benefits of all these shots into one.
In other words, Steadicam camera movement truly revolutionized how movies were made. Let's take a look at a recent example and how the Steadicam can capture something as a chaotic as a fight scene with the ease and grace of a ballet.
The film is Hanna , directed by Joe Wright — whose iconic 5-minute long Steadicam shot in Atonement will go down as one of the greatest shots of all time. Pay attention to how elaborate this scene is — not only the fight itself but traveling through various locations and finding strong, individual frame compositions along the way. Meticulous planning and rehearsal are absolutely necessary if you're going to plan a Steadicam shot. Storyboarding a shot like this is the best way to start the process.
Here's a storyboard of the fight scene from Hanna to give you an idea of something Joe Wright and his team would have had to prepare. As you can see, what is possible with Steadicam camera movment is nearly limitless. A shot like this example from Hanna would never have been possible without the Steadicam camera stabilizer. But who invented the Steadicam and what were some of the first Steadicam shots? Let's go back to the Steadicam's humble beginnings and track its evolution through filmmakers like Stanley Kubrick and Martin Scorsese.
In the mid 70s, aspiring cinematographer Garrett Brown, single handedly changed the way the world experienced film. The soon-to-be famous inventor started his career by shooting Subaru commercials with some of his earlier camera stabilizer contraptions. Through a lot of trial and error, Brown finally landed on what would become the Steadicam rig. Brown discusses the excitement and process behind inventing the Steadicam below. He runs alongside her, shooting a tracking shot from the top to the bottom, and back again.
I run out of breath just watching it. This footage revealed what cameramen and women never had before. This new equipment could isolate them from the movement of the camera, while being in complete control the camera. No shake. No tracks. Just a mix of artistry and athleticism. Brown began sending out his footage A few filmmakers in particular, took a lot of notice. Up until that time, there was no way to move the camera without a dolly, crane or camera car without it shaking.
When you walk, you see what looks like a dolly shot. Brown then showed a video of an early prototype of a Steadicam made from some aluminum he bought from Canal Street in New York City. While it provided for a steady image, there was no way for the camera to tilt up without the lens rising.
However, he was successful in shooting commercials with this early model. Finally, after a one-week stay in a motel, he had it, the way Steadicam has worked ever since with the ability to tilt, pan, and evenly distributed weight to whom it was harnessed on. The reel demonstrated running around in a field, jumping over a three-foot ledge and running alongside a pool while following a swimmer.
He did, however, note 14 frames of the reel where one could see the shadow of the Steadicam operator which Brown would eventually cut out. The final shot of the reel showed what would eventually be the basis for one of the most iconic moments in film history.
In the next section, we'll see how Steadicam operators put all this technology to work to get remarkably smooth, hand-held shots. Operating a Steadicam is one of the most difficult jobs on a movie set , but perhaps one of the most rewarding. For a typical Steadicam shot, a camera operator must follow a predetermined path, while simultaneously adjusting the camera and avoiding any obstacles, all the while supporting more than 70 pounds 32 kilograms of camera equipment.
The Ultra 2 model's iso-elastic arm has a camera capacity of up to 70 pounds. The job requires a good deal of physical stamina, technical skill and a good sense of shot composition. The director plans the shot, but the Steadicam operator makes it happen.
The best technique for Steadicam operation depends on the nature of the shot. To film a simple conversation between two actors, an operator may try to replicate the even feel of a dolly shot, keeping the camera perfectly level and moving it slowly around the action. For a "flying sequence" over low ground, the operator might intentionally tilt the camera from side to side, creating a soaring effect. One of the most common uses of the Steadicam is to track actors as they move around obstacles or rough ground.
Typically, the operator will walk ahead of the actors, shooting them from the front as they walk and talk. For this sort of shot, the operator may walk backward through the scene, with the help of other crew members.
Or he or she may walk forward, with the camera pointing behind him or her. Or, heck, he or she may hop on a Segway traveling at a good clip, dismount, sprint up a ramp and then do a around the point of interest see the related YouTube video here.
For these shots, and most any other, the director , the crew and the operator will all work together to figure out the best approach. Many professional Steadicam operators work freelance, renting themselves as well as their equipment out as a complete package. When a scene in a film calls for a Steadicam shot, the filmmakers will select an experienced operator based on his or her past work.
In addition to representing hundreds of Steadicam operators, the SOA holds regular training workshops. Tiffen, the company that manufactures Steadicams, also organizes training sessions. Martin Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson and many other directors have used extremely complex Steadicam sequences to establish mood and setting. In "Goodfellas" , Scorsese employed a Steadicam to bring the viewer into the bustling Copacabana restaurant. In a single five-minute shot, the audience follows Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco in the back door, through the kitchen and up to the bar, stopping to meet patrons all the way.
It's one of the movie's most mesmerizing sequences. These stabilizer systems also are used in special effects sequences. For the speeder bike chase in "Return of the Jedi" , operator Garrett Brown walked the camera very slowly through parts of California's Redwood National Park.
The special effects crew sped up this footage and combined it with blue-screen footage of the actors on bikes for one of the most exhilarating chase sequences ever filmed. Without a Steadicam, the footage would have been way too shaky when it was sped up.
Steadicams have given filmmakers and moviegoers alike a new freedom of movement. With a Steadicam, a director can float the camera and, by extension, the audience into a forest, through a crowd of people, or down into a cave. In TV shows like "ER," Steadicam shots put the audience in the middle of the action, as if they were another character in the show.
Not only have these devices changed how movies are filmed, but Steadicams are now a mainstay in sports. One stabilized camera system, which goes by the name Skycam among others, is now a regular part of U. First used with regularity during telecasts of the short-lived XFL, the computer-controlled stabilized camera is suspended by cables above the field and allows viewers to see a game as if they were flying high over the field.
The Skycam's inventor was none other than Garrett Brown. You don't have to be a Hollywood director to enjoy footage produced by a Steadicam. Camera stabilizers have become mainstream and well within the budget of many amateur photographers. In fact, camera stabilizers have shrunk to keep up with increasingly small cameras in the hands of amateurs. Some, like the Steadicam Curve, created for the GoPro Hero camera, are small enough to carry in a back pocket. Snowboarders, skateboarders and outdoor enthusiasts in general love the Curve because it allows them to create short clips of their friends as they do their stunts on the half pipe or in the bowl.
Apple got into the video-stabilization game by incorporating the technology on its iPhone 4S and iPhone5. While the footage shot with the 4S is vastly superior to the iPhone 3GS or the iPhone 4, it's the Steadicam Smoothee that may thrill mobile cinematographers. The Smoothee is a plastic stabilizer that hooks up to the iPhone. The phone snaps onto a gyroscopic base attached to a pair of curved metallic tubes that extends downward for balance.
As one reviewer said, "the Smoothee is a dream come true for home moviemakers Speaking of iPhone 4s, iPad2 and iPad Touch for that matter, we've also seen apps like Luma that would take the wobble out of what would normally be a herky-jerky video shoot.
Instagram, however, snapped up the Luma app and incorporated the technology into its Cinema feature. The Steadicam Pro software irons out the bumps in hand-held video, correcting in real time as you shoot [source: Sorrel ]. If you're really into cinematography and don't mind shelling out a few bucks, the Steadicam Zephyr may be what you're looking for. Its arm can hold a pound kilogram camera that allows an operator to swivel the camera smoothly. The arm also can be broken down into two pieces, which makes transporting the device much easier.
For more information on Steadicams, including video footage of Steadicam operators at work, check out the links on the next page. Steadicams, of course, aren't the only camera stabilization systems out there. Glidecam Industries, for example, offers models for use with motion picture cameras, video cameras and video camcorders.
VariZoom and other companies operate in this space, too. For the DIY crew, people also have been known to hack their own stabilization systems together, too. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. How Steadicams Work. See more movie making pictures. Out of Balance " ".
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