The Steadicam® Operator's Handbook

Vertical control

and the arm type

Operators control the action of the arm in three ways. We lift up or push down to raise or lower the sled, changing the lens height, and we move the arm horizontally to fine tune the sled's horizontal position. To keep the lens at a given height or along a given path in spite of the motions of our bodies, we also must dampen the reaction of the arm to vertical and horizontal motions. Exactly how the operator accomplishes these tasks depends on the particular type of arm he is using, but it is possible to become quite proficient with any well-made arm. Once again we beat the old drum: it takes practice to control ...