Digital Video - February 2009 - (Page 28)

DV 101 BY JAY HOLBEN STEADY AS SHE GOES THOUGHTS ON THE USE OF CAMERA STABILIZERS. I clearly remember the first time I saw gravity for fluid operation, a gimbal head Tobias Heilman, who gave me my first Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining on TV (I at the center of gravity, an iso-elastic arm experience operating a Steadicam. was only 8 years old when it was to isolate the operator’s body movements released theatrically). I was 14 and had from the camera, a counterbalance, and been making my own “movies” for years. the weight-distribution body harness. The Watching the horrifying film, I was comharness is part of what separates the highpletely blown away by the camera operaend systems from the inexpensive ones. tion. How on earth did that camera follow As exemplified by Garrett Brown’s little Danny Torrance’s Big Wheel so original creation, the Steadicam harness smoothly throughout the haunted distributes the combined weight of the Overlook Hotel?! My own experience with camera, rig and monitor to the operator’s makeshift camera dollies of all kinds had shoulders and waist. There is nearly no taught me how difficult it was to move a strain on the operator’s arms, leaving his camera smoothly without track. Obviously, hands as mere tools to refine the compoKubrick and cinematographer John Alcott, sition and operation. Distributing the BSC were not using dolly track, as the weight of camera and rig to the body camera was following directly behind the allows for greater control, smoother camBig Wheel and you could see the floor all era shots and more operation stamina. the way down the halls. With the wide There are several manufacturers that lens choice, you could also see the ceilmake body-harness stabilization tools, ings, so no track was mounted above, which include Steadicam’s Ultra, Archer, either. And there was no way they were Clipper, Flyer and Pilot; Glidecam’s Gold, X using a free-wheeling dolly, as Danny’s Big Wheel rapidly travels and V series; VariZoom’s Black Hawk, FlowCam, Aviator and from hardwood to carpet flooring over and over again (creating an ProLite; Sachtler’s Artemis line; and Movcam’s Pro, Avant, and incredibly iconic hmmmm-thumpthump-wrrrrrrrrr-thumpthumpknight series, among others. Each successive model/series from an hmmmmm sound). individual manufacturer is designed for use with a different weight At that time, the Internet was a mere sci-fi dream, so finding class of camera systems. The top-of-the-line systems, such as the answers to my cinematographic questions in Scottsdale, Arizona, Steadicam Ultra, Glidecam Gold, VariZoom Black Hawk and was no small feat. If the solution couldn’t be found in my small Movcam Pro-Max, are for use with film cameras or large HD sysstockpile of American Cinematographer magazines, chances were tems, generally above 25 lb. The small end, Steadicam Pilot, that “The Curious Case of the Big Wheel Dolly Move” would Glidecam X-10, VariZoom ProLite and Movcam knight D201 are all remain a mystery. designed for small camcorder systems, generally less than 8 lb. Alas, it wasn’t until several years later that I read about cineAll of these systems include the four principal components: matographer, operator and inventor Garrett Brown, who created modified center of gravity, gimbal head, iso-elastic spring counteran incredible tool called the Steadicam. Aha! That’s how The weight system and a body harness. It is the combination of these Shining was shot! elements that makes for the best camera stabilizer. These are, of The primary attribute of any stabilization system or tool is to course, going to be the most expensive options, but — in qualified isolate any external movement from affecting the camera’s movehands — will always yield superior results. ment. In terms of body-mounted or handheld stabilizers, the priNext in line of both effectiveness and cost are non-body harness mary goal is to isolate the movement of the operator’s body as gimbal stabilizers, such as the Steadicam Merlin and Steadicam JR, they walk or run (most notably the vertical movement that is nearGlidecam 4000 and 2000, VariZoom FlowPod and Ultralight, and ly impossible to eliminate when one shifts weight from one foot to Movcam Handfinder 190 and 350. These systems forgo the body the other while walking). harness and iso-elastic arm and require the operator to handhold When considering a stabilization tool for your own camera, the the entire rig, taking all of the weight of the camera and stabilizer first choice should always be a body-harness system. A full-bodyon his arms. Not only does this become very fatiguing very quickly, harness system has four major components: a shifted center of but it also eliminates one of the principal benefits to a camera stadv February 2009 www.dv.com 28 http://www.dv.com

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Digital Video - February 2009 Contents Stasis Flex Black Diamond Essentials Instant Expert Close-Up: Larry Blamire They Like to Rock the Party Close-Up: Gregg Kita Click to Play DV101 Production Diary

Digital Video - February 2009

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