Steadicam
The Steadicam , also known as a steady tripod or steadycam , is a complex mounting system for portable film and television cameras that enables a free-moving cameraman to take pictures with little blur .
Steadicam is a registered trademark of Tiffen Company , LLC, New York .
Structure and principle of operation
precursor
In 1926, the trade journal Filmtechnik recommended a “breast stand”, in a sense a forerunner of the Steadicam.
Simple stabilizing stands use the inertia , tilting and tilting stability ( moment of inertia ) of a large mass held at its center of gravity . From a physical point of view, they represent a vertically arranged, two-sided lever . The camera is attached to one side (load arm) and the balance weight to the other side (force arm). The handle is located in the middle of the connection between the load arm and the force arm, the center of rotation of the two-sided lever. The balance weight consists of batteries , control monitor and possibly additional weights and is dimensioned in such a way that the common center of gravity of the camera, steadicam and balance weight is in the handle of the steadicam.
In this way, a painful torque on the cameraman's wrist is avoided on the one hand, and the camera and stabilization system is largely isolated from some of the cameraman's movements on the other. Linear movements of the hand of the cameraman (in all three dimensions) hardly lead to rotary movements of the system and thus the camera. The “wobbling” of the recordings (mainly caused by small changes in the angle of the camera) is significantly reduced by the widely spaced masses and the associated high moment of inertia. Pivoting movements of the hand are hardly compensated, however, and the cameraman has to cope with the entire system weight with one hand.
Steadicam
With the Steadicam, in addition to inertia (static force of inertia and dynamic moment of inertia ), the decoupling of the direct connection between the cameraman and the system also provides stabilization. Here, the tripod segment is only connected to the cameraman just above the center of gravity via a cardanic suspension . In this way, unintentional rotational movements by the cameraman are largely kept away from the camera system. Intentional but too fast pans are compensated for by larger radii in the arrangement of the counterweights (instead of just a vertical mass distribution, part of the mass is shifted to the front and a matching part to the rear.)
The (usually considerable) additional weight of the system is connected by means of a special, movable arm to a carrying vest (rig) that encloses the entire fuselage and takes the weight. The support arm usually consists of two parallel static articulated arms ( parallelogram guide ), which hold the camera at half the height of the arm deflection by means of strong springs tailored to the weight of the camera. In addition to the simple design, the spring-loaded, isoelastic support arm also largely decouples the vertical components of the cameraman's running movement. For example, if the cameraman climbs up one step, the camera follows the movement with a smooth, smooth delay.
With the support arm, the Steadicam can also be swiveled out to the side, parallel to the torso axis of the cameraman, which also enables camera positions far from the body's center of gravity. The torque that occurs is transmitted through the vest to the cameraman's spine. The further the cameraman swings the steadicam away from his torso, the greater the torque. With the Steadicam, annoying rotations of the camera as such are avoided, and the height of the camera above the ground can be kept almost constant thanks to the convenient handling (which is effortless for the cameraman's arms and hands and therefore pain and fatigue-free). However, stress on the cameraman's spine is inevitable. A new type of vest, also called "Walter Klassen Harness", attaches the carrying point to the back of the body and thus avoids stress on the spine.
Due to the center of gravity suspension, the Steadicam Rig is extremely touch-sensitive and the camera can no longer be operated by hand. Therefore, the most important functions of the camera (focus, aperture, etc.) can be operated via a remote control . A very bright monitor mounted on the rig is used for image control. The image can also be transmitted live on a monitor (e.g. for the director or for live broadcasts).
Components of the steadicam
A steadicam consists of three components, the vest, the stabilizing arm and the rig with gimbal . The stabilizing arm is attached to the left or right of the vest. In most systems, the interface is compatible with the first available Steadicam models. There are vests with a front adapter for the stabilization arm (traditional steadicam vest) and vests with an adapter piece for the stabilization arm attached to the back (according to operator Daniel Sauvé). The Exovest by operator Chris Fawcett uses a rotatable rail system on the front and rear, which on the one hand allows the vest to be adapted to the hip movement and on the other hand allows the stabilization arm to be adapted on the front and back.
Springs are used to compensate for weight in the stabilizing arm . There are designs with two or three adjustable expansion springs connected in series (Steadicam Arm) or arrangements with exchangeable compression spring canisters (Paddock Pro Arm). By changing the angle of action of the expansion springs connected in series, the weight compensation of the arm can be set so that it remains the same regardless of the angular position of the arm segments. This arm type is described as ISO elastic. In practice, the gimbal with the rig remains in the position in which the operator has brought it over the entire stroke range of the stabilization arm. In addition to metal springs, other constructions use whole bundles of rubber bands, the number of which can be increased or decreased depending on the requirements (L'Aigle system). Attempts to design a stabilizing arm with gas pressure springs have failed in the field of professional system providers.
Today, modern rigs are largely built the same way and have a gimbal that can be moved on the post. The gimbal allows turning and swiveling in all three spatial axes. The post can be pulled out one or more times. Internally, all signal cables are routed between the sledge (lower part of the rig with batteries) and the stage (camera stage). The connections to the camera stage and to the sledge are partially interchangeable with internal plug contacts. The monitor is attached to the monitor arm below the gimbal and can be adjusted in many ways. A pipe system similar to the 15 mm lightweight camera support is often used. The camera stage can be moved in the XY-axis, sometimes also motor-driven. Tilting the camera stage is sometimes possible as a preset. The junction box below the camera stage has the connections for power supply (12/24 V), image signals and red light. An electronic spirit level can be displayed on the monitor image and calibrated at the push of a button. The transmitter for the scales is sensibly located under the camera stage, but is not absolutely necessary if the monitor has its own spirit level. The battery holder on the Sledge is adjustable in many ways and usually takes two to three exchangeable batteries with V-Mount or Anton Bauer connection. The batteries and the monitor are used as a counterweight to the camera and should correspond to the camera mass in terms of their mass distribution to the post.
As a monitor on the Steadicam, high-performance, super-bright LCD screens are mainly used today , which are protected against direct sunlight by means of reflection-reducing filter discs and also allow an image to be seen in the sun. In the past, the same effect could only be achieved with special oscilloscope tubes , which is why the device monitor was always green in the early days of the steadicam.
History and meaning
The Steadicam was developed in the 1970s by the cameraman Garrett Brown . Brown made a ten-minute demo film that he showed some directors (including Stanley Kubrick and John G. Avildsen ). The system was first used in a movie in This Land is My Land (1976) by Hal Ashby , but Avildsen's Rocky (1976) is more famous for one of the first uses . John Schlesinger's marathon man (1976) followed shortly thereafter .
In 1979 the Steadicam premiered in the German feature film. The movie The Willi-Busch-Report by Niklaus Schilling was almost completely realized. (Camera / Operator Wolfgang Dickmann)
Since then, the steadicam has been part of the standard equipment for larger productions . With it, shake-free recordings are also possible in a linear (not crane-connected) and swiveling direction of movement because no rail system ( dolly ) is visible. In the case of live broadcasts, the actors are given greater freedom of movement and spontaneous actions are possible. Garrett Brown received an Oscar in 1978 for developing the Steadicam .
Film samples
One of the first examples of the efficiency of the Steadicam can be seen in the film The Shining from 1980: Here the Steadicam follows the running actors forwards and backwards through a snowy hedge maze - a camera crane , for example, would not have found a place between the high hedges . Garrett Brown , who ran the steadicam himself, stepped into existing footprints when moving backwards and thus did not impair the cinematic illusion.
In Aliens (1986) the steadicam itself appears in the film scene; the “Smart Guns” shown in the film are machine guns that were mounted on a steadicam system instead of a camera. This enables the actors to wear the "weapon" like a piece of clothing.
A special feature is the film Russian Ark by Alexander Sokurov from 2002 with the cameraman Tilman Büttner ( Lola runs ): While most of the sequences shot in this way are only a few minutes long due to the effort required to handle the Steadicam, this one was shot in one shot a single 92-minute steadicam shot that ran through all of the exhibition rooms in the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg . Less known is the documentary Venice - as if we had dreamed of the year 2000, which tells different aspects of everyday life in Venice in a 118-minute tracking shot .
In the opening scene of Kill Bill (2003), steadicams were used throughout. The camera seems to “float” through the air. During the setting, the steadicam operator steps onto the platform of a camera crane installed in the studio several times, so that floating movements through the room can be realized following camera guidance through narrow corridors.
Further examples are the opening scene and the entering of the nightclub through the kitchen by Henry and Karen in Good Fellas - Three Decades in the Mafia (1990) and the chase sequence in the corridor system in Alien³ (1992). The music video "Together" (2020) Australian singer Sia was complete by Steadicam and without a single Editor turned off.
Steadicam manufacturer
The first manufacturer of steadicams under the Brown patent was Cinema Products Corporation , USA . When the company closed in 2000, the Steadicam license was sold to the Tiffen Company . With this, Tiffen also acquired the registered trademark for the name Steadicam. The company offers various devices in the Steadicam product line. The current top model is the Steadicam M1.
The price for the Steadicam system "UltraCine", complete with battery pack, monitor (with faded in artificial horizon ), various connection material, PDA for calculating the center of gravity adjustment and hard case was 66,000 USD in 2006 .
After the patents had expired, other manufacturers began producing similar stabilization systems. From 1992 the PRO system of the operator Georg Paddock was particularly successful, who with his company GPI Pro offers all three components, rig, vest and arm. For the first time, the rig of the PRO system had a modular structure, consisting of stage, post with gimbal and sledge. The patented stabilization arm from Paddock works with compression springs that are integrated in cylindrical canisters and can be quickly changed on site. By switching between two spring strengths and using two or four spring boxes, the paddock arm can be used extremely flexibly.
The British operator Howard J. Smith was the first manufacturer to deliver the AR Rig (Autoleveling Revolution) with his company MK-V, a Steadicam system, in which an automatic slewing ring in addition to the traditional possibilities of Steadicam made a lifting movement of the camera axis possible. from very low lens axis (low mode) to high lens axis (high mode). The automatic system keeps the camera horizon horizontal during the lifting movement.
The German steadicam specialist Christian Betz and his company Betz Tools have been delivering the RIG since 2001, a steadicam rig with an extendable post, the structure and construction of which goes back to many international workshops and the know-how of operator Ted Churchill.
Other important manufacturers of basically identical camera stabilization systems are the Munich company ABC Products, the American Glidecam Industries, Movcam from Hong Kong, Easy Steady from Italy and L'Aigle from France.
In 2001, Sachtler and Curt O. Schaller launched the artemis camera stabilization system. The system was the first modular camera stabilization system in the world, and at the time the artemis HD systems were the first full HD camera stabilization systems worldwide. The artemis Trinity system, developed in 2015 by Curt O. Schaller together with the PhD engineer Roman Foltyn, is the first camera stabilization system in the world that combines a mechanical stabilization system with an electronic one. In April 2016, ARRI acquired the artemis camera stabilization system from Sachtler / Vitec Videocom.
At the lower end of the spectrum, systems for light video cameras for entertainment electronics are now also available (from approx. 500 grams camera weight). The system then only weighs around 1 kilogram (plus the weight of the camera), so you usually don't need a carrying arm or vest. Depending on the manufacturer, prices range from 50 to 1500 euros.
Further developments
Garrett Brown later also developed rail ( GoCam ) and cable-guided ( Skycam ) camera systems, the images of which can often be seen during sports broadcasts. However, all of these systems essentially apply the stabilization principle of the steadicam to other, non-human carriers.
Further technical innovations were introduced by Steadydrive. On the one hand with the progression adjustment. With these systems, not only the preload, but also the suspension characteristics can be adjusted during operation. On the other hand with the air suspension. The preload of the support arm is adjusted via the air pressure in the cylinders of the articulated arms. The advantage of this system is that the height of the arm can be adjusted using the air pressure using a valve while working.
Systems such as Cineflex or SpaceCam can be seen as further developments to the Steadicam ; with them is not mechanically stabilized by inertia, but electronically supported by a gyroscope (gyro). The suspension is so big and heavy that it is mostly only used for aerial photographs (e.g. the overflight pictures from Tom Tykwer's Heaven ).
literature
- Ferrara, Serena: Steadicam: Techniques and aesthetics. Focal Press, Oxford [et al. a.] 2001, ISBN 978-0-240-51607-3 .
- Jerry Holway, Laurie Hayball: The Steadicam Operator's Handbook. Focal Press, Oxford 2009, ISBN 978-0-240-81165-9 .
- David Ballerini: Steadicam: Una rivoluzione nel mondo di fare cinema. Edizioni Falsopiano, Alessandria 1999, ISBN 88-87011-23-0 .
Web links
- Website of the manufacturer and current license holder
- Explanations of how it works
- PDF with mathematics and practical instructions for the dynamic balance of tripods (English) (938 kB)
- Instructions for building a simple steadycam yourself on cnet.de.
- Camera stabilization, Steadicam, Gimbal & Co, Film & TV Kameramann Spezial Nr.9, August 2016, free download
- Steadicam Operator Association
Individual evidence
- ↑ Harro Segeberg: Media and their technology: theories, models, history. Stoke 2004
- ↑ Patent USn 6,575,644 B2, Pro Arm, January 22, 2002,
- ↑ Camera stabilization, Steadicam Gimbal & Co, Film & TV Kameramann Spezial No. 9, August 2016, page 14ff.
- ↑ In: “Very small and very large” Film & TV Kameramann , 8/2001, page 142ff.
- ↑ Curt O. Schaller, artemis developer. In: schaller-media.de. schaller media, accessed on May 14, 2016 .
- ↑ ARRI buys Artemis. In: kameramann.de. Film & TV cameraman , accessed May 14, 2016 .
- ↑ ARRI presents the artemis Trinity camera stabilization system. In: film-tv-video.de. film-tv-video.de, accessed on May 14, 2016 .
- ↑ ARRI buys Artemis stabilization system. In: professional-production.de. Professional Production, accessed May 14, 2016 .
