I have seen those contraptions they use to shoot movies where the guy wears this device that steadies the camera even though he walks, raises the camera etc. so the shots come out very smoothly. I was curios about the principles involved. I searched the Net and found the device is called a steadycam.
Here is the story of its invention at the site that now sells it but It does not explain the principles at work. I was imagining some gyroscopes and things of that nature but it seems it is just plain booms, counterweights and inertia at work.
Yes, I’ve been fortunate enough to work on a few movies that were shot locally in the Philly area.
Steady Cams are pretty low-tech. The harness is more-or-less anchored at the waist (better than the shoulders which move up and down and all around when walking).
It’s low tech because they use a shock absorber type mechanism that dampens out walking, etc. The dampening effect is accomplished by using a pretty slow repsonding shock system (soft spring rate). The spring rates are somewhat progressive because they stead cam can’t/shouldn’t bottom out, so the tension is tighter as the contraption compresses more.
Again, it’s low tech as far as the steady cam contraption goes, although they must gain additional steady cam ability digitally from the same technology that palm-corders use.
Combine the low-tech harness and high tech digital stabilization and it’s pretty effective.
At my last job, the infamous Biosphere 2, I got to assist in some video production and often used a Steadicam Jr. - a consumer level Steadicam for small camcorders. It does away with the body harness and spring loaded arm, replacing them with the operator’s arm. The camera mount and gimbal are designed differently than the full size model but work pretty much on the same principle and the restults are astonishing. IMO it’s better than digital stablilization which won’t eliminate the up and down bounce from walking. It’s a bitch to get setup and properly balanced but after a little practice you’ll be duplicating the “back way to the Copa” scene from Goodfellas. I was able to run up and down stairs and get results that looked like a dolly shot.
The downside (aside from the incredible agony your arm will be in after a few minutes shooting) is the genuine Steadicam Jr. is a bit expensive becasue of the built in LCD display, about $350 last time I checked. For about half the price you can get the Glidecam with no display as a lot of newer cameras have them built in. The Glidecam’s gimball is more like the full size Steadicam so it can also do the trick of rotating the camera 360°+ in the vertical axis, which the SC Jr. can’t.
I’d have to look in my Alan Gordon catalog (the last one I have is from 1996), but I’m sure there was a Steadycam system in there for about $22,000. Their web page doesn’t have that one, but they do have the Glidecam with a harness for $2,900. (“Does not include monitor. Ask for special price.”)
Sorry I neglected the how it works part of your first question, Good old Sir I. Newtons’s first law of motion, objects at rest or motion tend to stay that way unless a force is applied. The key to the steadicam is the gimball, the three axis bearing setup that holds the camera platform, is at or just a tiny bit above the center of mass of the assembly. Apply a force to the gimbale to move the camera around and it won’t tip or turn on its own accord. When you do want to turn the camera a tiny bit of fingertip effort near the pivot does it. Sometimes a little bit of tweaking is needed to keep the camera upright. If it was balanced to stay upright by itself any movement would cause it to swing like a pendulum. The intertia of the camera helps to make the movements fluid and smooth. Gyros and other devices would just add vibration.
The big steadicam does have some high tech features like a video display on the bottom of the platform coming from a CCD in a splitter built into the cine camera. They also add an artificail horizon so that it’s easier to know what level is.
Expensive is relative Johnny L.A. The $22k is probably the whole setup with a 35mm cine camera. Glidecams don’t come with the camera and IIRC is made for stuff like Betacam or 16mm cine. Get the little Glidecam for less then $200, slap on your Hi8 or digital camcorder and you’re ready to follow Mia Wallace and Vincent Vega through Jackrabbit Slim’s
Glidecam used to offer a free demo video but I don’t see it anymore. I’ll see if I can dig up my copy if anyone wants to see it.
Nope. No camera. I’ll have to wait until I get home to verify the price and model. I could be confusing it with another item on the page; but I know it was outrageously expensive.
FWIW, a 35mm Arri BL1 cine camera made in the mid 1970s costs about $15,000 plus the lens. BL2s start at around $19,000. A BL3 would be about $49,000. An Arri III (too noisy for shooting with sound) goes for about $23,000. All of these are without lenses.
Now ya know why I shoot on 16mm!
Oh, my Eclair NPR is a bit heavy for a Glidecam (which has a 10 lb. camera weight limit), but I’m sure it could handle a Bolex. Maybe I’ll ask Santa for a TCS crystal motor for the Bolex for Christmas…
This is very interesting that you can achieve such stabilization with such low-tech gear. Padeye, while i understand the basic principles at work, it is a bit difficult for me to picture it. I guess I would need to see a unit to really get a good understanding of how it works. I could not find any explanation or diagrams online.
Sailor, as an experiment get a barbell with a few weights you can lift with one hand. Hold it vertically with your hand in the dead center. Move it back and forth, up and down. The barbell maintains its orientation and if you want to turn it it goes slowly with much effort. Now hold the barbell toward the upper weight so it hangs vertical natually. Move it around and see how it swings. the harness and spring arm do what your body is doing. Your hand is the gimball and the barbell is the steadicam platform. It’s that simple.
No, Handy, we are talking about different things. What i am talking about is a mechanical contraption that steadies the camera. Check out the website I supplied. What you are talking about is a purely electronic system that (allegedly, supposedly) takes out the shaking.