eeh good answer about steadicam

huahue 21 points · 8h

1. It's a Steadicam
2. It's been around for ages (since the 70's?)
3. 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.
4. It's still heavy, the weight is just shifted to the shoulders and hips.
5. 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.
6. Good Steadicam operators are rare and well paid. It's not easy, and it's an expensive trade tot get into.
7. 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.
8. You never let it float freely like this because if it drifts forward, it shifts your balance and you go down.