What is a Steadicam?
A Steadicam is a compact camera stabilizer – a scaled down version of a device used by Hollywood film makers. It allows us to produce amazingly smooth footage of all the action scenes in your wedding. The greatest benefit is that it frees us from the confines of a tripod giving us more mobility to get to where the action is and to film it unobtrusively.
The steadicam is a device that functions as a stabilizing mount for a motion-picture camera. By utilizing a steadicam, it is possible to capture action without causing unintentional jerky movement or lack of focus in the shot. The steadicam can take on a couple of different forms, depending on the type of camera in use and the environment in which the camera is utilized. When many people think of the steadicam, the first thought that comes to mind are the support systems that are used for cameras shooting on movie lots or locations. These larger and more powerful cameras are often loaded onto a hydraulically controlled stand that help to relieve the camera operator of exerting physical energy to hold the camera steady. These larger examples of a stabilizing mount may include seating for the camera person or allow space for the operator to stand behind the unit and focus the angle and lens. The value of these types of larger steadicam supports is that the camera can be easily moved to a
It’s actually the brand name for a generic camera support. It has sort of become the generic term for a device that helps move the camera. The Steadicam is something you put on and then you can walk up stairs or through doorways or run with somebody while filming. Running with a camera? It seems like that would be really bumpy. How does the Steadicam stay, well, steady? You can kind of think of it like if you are walking from the kitchen to the living room with a really full cup of water. You hold the cup out with your hand and try to keep your hand very steady while your body moves. Your arm would act like Steadicam arm, absorbing your body’s movements. The full cup is the camera essentially. You do everything you can do to keep it from moving. Wow, that’s a good analogy. Did they teach you that in Steadicam school? Oh, I don’t know. I probably heard it somewhere. There wasn’t really a school. I’m still learning the Steadicam. I got my first one in 1994 and started playing around with
It is a mount that stabilises the camera for shots that require irregular yet smooth handheld movement. The Steadicam consists of a camera and a mount and is operated only by Steadicam trained technicians who carry out the cinematographer’s instructions in following the object needed in the frame. A Steadicam is largely employed in chase scenes in areas the crane, track or trolley cannot access… winding alleys, stairs, roads with traffic, and hills.
