Steadicam is a brand of

camera stabilizer A camera stabilizer, or camera–stabilizing mount, is a device designed to hold a camera in a manner that prevents or compensates for unwanted camera movement, such as "camera shake". For small hand-held cameras, a harness or contoured fram ...

mounts for motion picture cameras invented by

Garrett Brown Garrett Brown (born April 6, 1942) is an American inventor, best known as the creator of the Steadicam. Brown's invention allows camera operators to film while walking without the normal shaking and jostles of a handheld camera. The Steadicam wa ...

and introduced in 1975 by

Cinema Products Corporation Cinema Products Corporation was an American manufacturer of motion picture camera equipment. History The company was formed in 1968 by Ed DiGiulio, a former director and vice-president of the Mitchell Camera Corporation. Their first product was ...

. It was designed to isolate the camera from the camera operator's movement, keeping the camera motion separate and controllable by a skilled operator.

History

Before the camera stabilizing system, a director had a number of choices for moving (or "

tracking Tracking may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Tracking, in computer graphics, in match moving (insertion of graphics into footage) * Tracking, composing music with music tracker software * Eye tracking, measuring the position of t ...

") shots: # The camera could be mounted on a dolly, a wheeled mount that rolls on specialized tracks or a smooth surface. # The camera could be mounted on a crane, a counterweighted arm that could move the camera vertically and horizontally. # The

camera operator A camera operator, or depending on the context cameraman or camerawoman, is a professional operator of a film camera or video camera as part of a film crew. The term "cameraman" does not imply that a male is performing the task. In filmmaking ...

shoot

hand-held A mobile device (or handheld computer) is a computer small enough to hold and operate in the hand. Mobile devices typically have a flat LCD or OLED screen, a touchscreen interface, and digital or physical buttons. They may also have a physical ...

which would produce footage suitable mostly for

documentaries A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in term ...

news News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the tes ...

, reportage, live action, unrehearsed footage, or the evocation of authentic immediacy or ''

cinéma vérité Cinéma vérité (, , ; "truthful cinema") is a style of documentary filmmaking developed by Edgar Morin and Jean Rouch, inspired by Dziga Vertov's theory about Kino-Pravda. It combines improvisation with use of the camera to unveil truth or high ...

'' during dramatic sequences. While these

cinematic techniques This article contains a list of cinematic techniques that are divided into categories and briefly described. Basic definitions of terms ;180-degree rule :A continuity editorial technique in which sequential shots of two or more actors within ...

are still common, smooth and steady tracking shots with lighter weight camera systems was enabled with the creation of the Steadicam in 1975 by inventor and cameraman

. After completing the first working prototype, which was called the "Brown Stabilizer", Brown created a ten-minute demo reel of the new

cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...

techniques enabled by the Steadicam and was shown to numerous directors, including

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...

and

John G. Avildsen John Guilbert Avildsen (December 21, 1935 – June 16, 2017) was an American film director. He is perhaps best known for directing ''Rocky'' (1976), which earned him the Academy Award for Best Director, and the first three ''The Karate Kid'' fil ...

. The Steadicam was subsequently licensed to and manufactured by Cinema Products Corporation, which later diversified the brand into a consumer line of Steadiams for light weight DV cameras. The Steadicam was first used in the

Best Picture This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

–nominated

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...

biopic '' Bound for Glory'' (1976).

Cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

Haskell Wexler Haskell Wexler, ASC (February 6, 1922 – December 27, 2015) was an American cinematographer, film producer, and director. Wexler was judged to be one of film history's ten most influential cinematographers in a survey of the members of the Int ...

had Brown begin a shot on a fully elevated platform crane which jibbed down, and when it reached the ground, Brown stepped off and walked the camera through the set. Steadicams were then used extensively for chase scenes on the streets of New York City in '' Marathon Man'' (1976), which was released two months before ''Bound for Glory''. The Steadicam's third picture was Avildsen's Best Picture–winning ''

Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess M ...

'' in 1976, where it was an integral part of the film's Philadelphia street jogging/training sequences and the run up the

Art Museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own Collection (artwork), collection. It might be in public or private ownership and may be accessible to all or have restrictions in place. A ...

's flight of stairs. In many fight scenes a Steadicam was visible ringside, as well as during some wide shots of the final fight. ''Rocky'' was also released before ''Bound for Glory''. Garrett Brown was the Steadicam operator on all three films. '' The Shining'' (1980) prompted further Steadicam innovation when director

requested that the camera shoot from barely above the floor. This necessitated the invention of "low mode", in which the top of the camera is mounted to the bottom of an inverted post, which substantially increased the creative angles of the system which previously could not go much lower than the operator's waist height. A Steadicam rig was also employed during the filming of ''

Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who ...

'' (1983), in conjunction with two gyroscopes for extra stabilization, to film the background plates for the

speeder bike Speeder bikes (also known as "jumpspeeders" or "hover bikes") and swoop bikes (or just "swoops") are small, fast transports that use repulsorlift engines in the fictional ''Star Wars'' universe. ''Return of the Jedi'' includes a prominent speeder bi ...

chase. Brown walked through a redwood forest, with the camera running at a speed of less than one frame per second. The end result, when projected at 24 frames per second, gave the impression of flying through the air at perilous speeds.''Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy'' Star Wars Trilogy Box Set DVD documentary, 004/ref> In the

Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavily feature tech ...

film '' Runaway'' (1984), a Steadicam rig was used to simulate the point of view of a futuristic smart bullet in flight while targeting specific individuals by their heat signature.

Description

The operator wears a harness, the Steadicam ''vest'', which is attached to an

iso-elastic In engineering, iso-elastic refers to a system of Elasticity (physics), elastic and tension (mechanics), tensile parts (springs and pulleys) which are arranged in a configuration which isolates physical motion at one end in order to minimize or pr ...

arm. This is connected by a multi-axis and ultra-low friction

gimbal A gimbal is a pivoted support that permits rotation of an object about an axis. A set of three gimbals, one mounted on the other with orthogonal pivot axes, may be used to allow an object mounted on the innermost gimbal to remain independent of ...

to the Steadicam "sled" which has the camera mounted at one end and counterbalancing weight (the monitor and batteries) at the other. The monitor substitutes for the camera's viewfinder, since the range of motion of the camera relative to the operator makes the camera's own viewfinder unusable. This is how the Steadicam stays upright, by simply making the bottom slightly heavier than the top, pivoting at the gimbal. This leaves the

center of gravity In physics, the center of mass of a distribution of mass in space (sometimes referred to as the balance point) is the unique point where the weight function, weighted relative position (vector), position of the distributed mass sums to zero. Thi ...

of the whole rig, however heavy it may be, within control of the operator through the gimbal. The skill of the operator is to keep the desired framing and composition by feathering the touch on the gimbal, while the rig and operator is in motion or still. The combined weight of the counterbalance and camera means that the armature bears a relatively high

inertia Inertia is the idea that an object will continue its current motion until some force causes its speed or direction to change. The term is properly understood as shorthand for "the principle of inertia" as described by Newton in his first law ...

l mass which is not easily moved by small body movements from the operator. The freely pivoting armature adds additional stabilization to the photographed image, and makes the weight of the camera-sled assembly acceptable by allowing the body harness to support it. When the armature is correctly balanced, operators can remove their hands from the Steadicam entirely and the camera stays in place. During operation, the Steadicam operator usually rests a hand on the camera gimbal and applies force at that point to move the camera. To avoid shaking the camera when lens adjustments are made, a wireless remote operated by the camera assistant is used to control focus and iris. For low-angle shots, the Steadicam sled can be inverted vertically, putting the camera on the bottom, and the monitor and batteries on the top. This is referred to as ''low mode'' operation. The newest generation is the Tango. A body-supported camera-stabilization-system, its horizontal mechanism makes it possible to move the camera freely while staying horizontal. A Steadicam operator can change from low mode to high mode without any alteration. Dimensions are not limited to ups and downs, but also in depth and over or through obstacles. The smallest, lightest Steadicam that can be used with a support arm and vest is the Merlin. It is light enough to be hand held with cameras weighing up to about 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg), and may carry cameras up to about 7 pounds (3.2 kg) when used with the arm. The Merlin may be folded and carried in comparatively small spaces such as medium-size camera bags. In its lightest configuration, the Merlin weighs just 12.5 ounces (0.35 kg). Photographers who shoot with HDSLR cameras that combine still and motion photography most often work with the Merlin. Since the Merlin has no facility to carry a separate monitor, cameras suitable for it must have built-in monitors. Steadicam introduced a camera mount for smartphones, called the Smoothee, in 2012. Marketed to consumers instead of video professionals, its tubular frame supports iPhone and Android phones that are 4.53" to 6.26" long by 2.32" to 3.27" wide (115 to 159 mm long by 59 to 83 mm wide). An adapter can be used to fit a GoPro camera to it. An even smaller, camera-specific Steadicam Curve (a single, curved aluminum slash) is available for GoPro cameras.

Current status

During coverage of the

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World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

in 2022, the Steadicam camera system is often seen at the end of matches following the players and coaches.

Awards and recognition

*Academy Award ** 1978 –

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

of Merit – Awarded to Garrett Brown (the Cinema Products Corporation; engineering staff under the supervision of John Jurgens) for the invention and development of Steadicam. *

American Society of Cinematographers The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), founded in Hollywood in 1919, is a cultural, educational, and professional organization that is neither a labor union nor a guild. The society was organized to advance the science and art of cinem ...

** 2001 – President's Award, awarded to Garrett Brown * Society of Camera Operators ** 1992 – Technical Achievement Award, awarded to Garrett Brown (and Cinema Products Corporation) for the Steadicam camera stabilizing system. ** 2008 – Technical Achievement Award, awarded to Garrett Brown and

Jerry Holway Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Jerry'' (film), a 2006 Indian fil ...

(inventor) and Tiffen (developer) for the Ultra2 Steadicam camera support system. *Steadicam Guild Life Achievement Award ** 2012 – The Steadicam Guild's Life Achievement Award, awarded to Garrett Brown (inventor and Steadicam operator) for his invention of the Steadicam and his Steadicam work on nearly 100 major motion pictures. *

Nikola Tesla Satellite Award The Nikola Tesla Award is an honorary Satellite Award bestowed by the International Press Academy to recognize the "pioneers of filmmaking technology industry". It was first presented on January 12, 2003, at the 7th Annual Golden Satellite Awards c ...

** 2014 – Awarded to Garrett Brown for visionary achievement in filmmaking technology

References

Bibliography

* Jerry Holway et Laurie Hayball, ''The Steadicam© Operator's Handbook'', éditions Focal Press * Serena Ferrara, ''Steadicam, Techniques and Aesthetics'', éditions Focal Press * Ballerini David, ''Una rivoluzione nel modo di fare di cinema'', Falsopiano, 2012 * « Le Steadicam a-t-il une âme ? » ossier ''Vertigo'', n°24, 2003, p.46-84 * Monassa Tatiana, « Le Tyler Mount et le Steadicam : inventer la stabilisation de la caméra pour libérer le cadre cinématographique », ''Création Collective au Cinéma'', n°02/2019. p. 125-148. * Andrzej Dambski, « Le steadicam : d’un usage classique à une recherche de déséquilibre et de vitesse », mémoire de master, dir. Tony Gauthier, ENS Louis Lumière, 2015 * Théo Michel, « Le mouvement-steadicam et la performance du corps : usages, expressions, perceptions », mémoire de master, dir. Antoine Gaudin, Paris 3 Sorbonne-Nouvelle, 2021