huahue 21 points · 8h
- It's a Steadicam
- It's been around for ages (since the 70's?)
- It's basically an arm with springs inside, and a rotational point at the end of the arm which can be freely moved around the x and y axis. It is held in the correct position by a counterweight. The springs are interchangeable for any camera weight. It can be operated upside down and even sideways.
- It's still heavy, the weight is just shifted to the shoulders and hips.
- It can not be used on cars, because your counterbalance would have to be underneath the surface. Also your wheels would hit the wheel well now and then.
- Good Steadicam operators are rare and well paid. It's not easy, and it's an expensive trade tot get into.
- You can see Steadicam in action in The Shining, a lot of action movies, Sports broadcasts, high budget live productions like Eurovision, America's got talent, etc.
- You never let it float freely like this because if it drifts forward, it shifts your balance and you go down.