Steadicam

Preface

The idea for this book developed from my curiosity about the Steadicam, the cinematographic tool that, more than any other, has revolutionized how films and television are made. Steadicam is a balancing system for the hand-held camera that allows the operator to move anywhere and film continuously while keeping the image steady. This device has brought a new point of view to filmmaking with regard to stories, characters and events, and has had a great influence on narrative and shooting techniques.

I first encountered the Steadicam while watching televised events in which an operator could be seen on stage ‘wearing’ a device with a camera on top and walking in a strange, sort of diagonal manner as he circled the performer, while the screen ...