What Is A Steadicam?

Invented by Garrett Brown and introduced to the motion picture industry in 1975 by Tiffen, Steadicam is a brand of camera stabilizer mounts that help to eliminate shaky video footage and allow for a smooth shot.

Before Steadicams were invented, filmmakers would attach a camera to a dolly, which is a wheeled platform that rolls on a prelaid track or level floor, in order to get fluid moving shots. Although camera dollies are still commonly used today, they aren’t always practical or even possible to use for some scenes, and even the most skilled cameramen can’t guarantee a completely smooth shot with handheld camera shots.

In the 1970s, Brown worked on creating a new device that cameramen could use that would minimize the shakes and jolts from a handheld camera shot and mimic the even movement of a camera dolly. After creating the Steadicam, Brown put together a demo reel of 30 Impossible Shots to show how his device helped to stabilize various shots even while the cameraman was running up and down stairs or over other uneven terrain.

Watch Impossible Shots:

Impossible Shots by Garrett Brown (The Hollywood Reporter)

Impossible Shots quickly went viral and made its rounds throughout the film industry, impressing many who wanted Brown to work with them on their films. A few notable productions that Brown worked on with his Steadicam included Rocky, The Shining, and Bound for Glory.

To learn more about Steadicams, watch Garrett Brown explain more about how he came up with the idea of the Steadicam and demonstrate how it works below:

Steadicam – Science of the Movies by Daniel Sripuntanagoon (YouTube)

Bonus Videos

GARRETT BROWN Demo Reel (Tribute)

Garrett Brown – Walk of Life by Bobfilm (Vimeo)

If you are looking for Steadicam operators in Nevada, check out our online Nevada Production Directory for a list of companies, individuals and crew or drop by our office and pick up a free printed directory!

If you are a Steadicam operator in Nevada and are not yet listed in our Nevada Production Directory, you can learn more about how to sign up for the NPD here.

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