Stability is over all

By Michael L’vov

Review contents:
Stability is over all 35 kg of pleasure Steadicam from fragments German steadicams from ABC Products Devices of Cinema Technologies Group DvRigPRO from DVTEC Glidecam stabilizers Sachtler Artemis camera stabilization systems: from DV up to HD The Tiffen Steadicam systems

Gosha: “What new is happening in the world?”
Kolya: “Stability is absent”.
From movie “Moscow does not trust to teardrops”

Note. The information is partially taken from the article of Brook Comer “Steadicam Hits Its Stride”, American Cinematographer, June, 1992

Everybody who has any relation to television knows that the main thing in the TV frame is the stability that is absence of jitter, jerks, involuntary moving etc. The picture may be black-and-white, with improper color rendering, bad configuration of the frame or other defects but if it is stable, the person may receive the certain information from the frame without any efforts. If the image has jitter, already after very short time the spectator begins to feel the tiredness, capable even to develop in headache. Let’s remember, for example, how long you are capable to read the book, being in shivering automobile. Probably, you hardly can read in general. If the picture is shaking, the human brain actively tries to stabilize it “from within”, that is includes all resources of sight and, so to say, the internal processing to fix that image which is created in brain. It results in excessive stress of eye muscles and substantial work of the brain. The consequence is weariness and full unwillingness to continue supervision over the image.

Till the era of image fixing by photosensitive materials did not begin yet, all was extremely simple: to consider the interesting object the person must to approach on acceptable distance to it and simply to stop. As soon as the photo was born, there was a question on stabilization of photographic cameras. Naturally, about any movement of the camera might not be any talking, because of low sensitivity of the photographic materials used at that time, that exposure in the earliest cameras might reach several tens minutes. But there was a question on the device, providing the stability and immovability of camera during shooting period, so nobody can’t be without moving and breathing in half an hour at all. So the first tripods have appeared. In general, though the history of development of auxiliary camera equipment also rather short, but rich, therefore is not sense to include it in this article, as it, as to say, is already absolutely another history.

But as the shooting equipment and materials for image fixing were improved, the opportunity to make a graphic row of motion-picture more expressive has appeared also, by means of addition of dynamism to frame. Directors have already tried to shoot during movement, to mount cameras on vehicles etc. And everywhere they have faced with some problems. It is possible to move the camera by mounting it on a dolly. But, in the first, the platform preparation for the dolly is labor-intensive and laborious work as any roughness under wheels or rollers of a platform will be inevitable reflected on the image. The second, the operative range of the dolly is not spread outside borders of the prepared site. And the third, dollies are bulky and heavy, and one more person is necessary for operation with them — so-called “dolly-man”. Dolly-man performs the job of draught horse, dragging the dolly with the operator and camera but-and-ben while the director will not tell: “Stop! It is shot!”.

Pages of the Garrett Brown’s patent

Application of camera crane does not solve the problem of the free movement also. Yes, in limits, which are determined by crane design, the frames will be effective. But… In general, all is practically the same, as in case with the dolly.

in the course of time the necessity for the certain device, capable to solve a problem of free movement of the operator without loss of image quality, have began more and more sharp. And such device has appeared. It was designed by American Garrett Brown which September, 16, 1974 has submitted the application, and April, 12, 1977 has received the USA patent under the name “Equipment for use with hand held motion picture cameras”.

It is thought, the history of appearance of this device, the same way as the information on its inventor, will seem to readers enough interesting.

Up to the invention of Steadicam Garrett Brown tried to receive the patent for other device of stabilization designed by him — a vacuum sphere for camera Arri 2C. It weighed all about 2.5 kg and operated almost silently. However at attempt to patent this device Mr. Brown has found that the similar design was already protected by the patent, which has get to inventor Lee De Forest a little bit earlier. The disappointment was so strong, that Brown on some time in general has left idea to invent something. But depression has been lasted not a long time.

Garrett Brown, “The father” of Steadicam

Having begun to work as the operator, Brown has very quickly felt, that in assortment of the equipment for movie shooting something is lacking. He very much would like to have any thing which would allow to hold the camera in hands and thus to get rid of image shaking. From this moment the long and laborious work have began over the device, which is getting more and more circulation not only in the world (there it already for a long time is usual attribute), but also in Russia. This work some years have been carried out. But Garrett Brown has come to cinema far from being at once. Earlier he has suffered from greenstone, why some time he was bedridden. While his coevals were played in football, he assembled radio receivers and thought about writer career, and at the same time “has in passing scribbled” the whole notebook as he subsequently spoke, “silly inventions”. An example was from whom to take — his father worked at DuPont and was the inventor also. Brown the older has invented Hot Milk — the plastic substance replacing glue at manufacturing of book covers. Due to this invention there was a revolution in DuPont production, but it is the truth, that the inventor has not received for his invention any money.

Brown the younger might enter his name in a history of music in style “folk” if his career at this area made hardly the greater success. In the beginning of 1960 when Garrett has left school, together with his group he has recorded a song at MGM studio. But business was not good, and the group has broken up. Then Garrett has tried to find the occupation in film production, but firstly all attempts were unsuccessful. In result he appeared as a script writer in advertising agency. Simultaneously Brown read all books on film production what were in library of Philadelphia that helped him in advertising too. Brown has written so many scripts for the trailers which were awarded by different prizes, that one of the largest American advertising agencies “Rumrill — Hoyt” to catch him has simply taken and bought the company, in which Brown have been worked. But for “Rumrill — Hoyt” music played not for long as Brown has decided, that has already enough made as script writer for advertising area, and has tried to open the film-production studio. He has tried and has failed. In 1969 he has made one more attempt: he has learned shooting, in any box has constructed the studio and has filled its by equipment bought for pennies at the bankrupt company. At the order of the newly made owner there was the lighting equipment, synchronizers and old Moviola, and also huge three-wheeled “hippopotamus” (something such as tripod) and the steel camera dolly by 360kg weight.

The designing of different devices have begun. At first the Coptercam device consisting of the camera, hanging down on a sphere suspended under helicopter has appeared. The device allowed to Brown to shoot the frame of the pilot and interior of high-speed car through its window, having balanced the speed of the helicopter and the car. The devices Shakycam and Pogocam, representing a bar with cross-hair and a pair of counterbalance have appeared. And these “gadgets” are stabilized the camera in reality. While Brown simply has been going with them, all was OK. But as soon as attempts of vertical panning were undertaken, again there was a problem of impossibility of shooting from the bottom point close to the floor level. Therefore Brown the very light 31-kg aluminum crane has designed, allowing the panning in any plane to carry out. The fiber-optic viewfinder allowed to the operator to construct the frame when the camera lens was close to the floor level. It has given the opportunity for the Brown company to create films with very effective frames, and all his customers have given a written undertaking not to divulge the method of these frames shooting.

The way to the real Steadicam was long and thorny. There were new and permanent variations of the topics. As a rule, the design reminded horse harness executed from a wire and passed through six blocks to remove the load from the operator shoulder. According to Brown, the design was unsuccessful as it did not allow to operate in close space. But Brown was persistent and did not resign any attempts to improve his “harness”.

Once he has retired in hotel and the whole week has experimented with balancing of long rods (usually he took a broom or mop), strolled about the tool and material shops and old drawings has studied. Retired sea technician Jack Hauser has helped with resignation to Brown to make parts of the new device. And in 1973 the first Steadicam equipped with fiber-optic viewfinder was appeared. And it was really in operation stage!

The trailer of Arnold Palmer agency should become as a testing area for Steadicam, but agency managers did not wish to give a written undertaking not to divulge the secret of the new device. Then Brown has declared, that he might take many very effective frames, but now he should not begin to use Steadicam and will make it by traditional procedure. But he was not kept from it, and when all people went away, he has applied the invention. “Anybody from those who then looked a trailer, has not guessed, that about 20 included frames, it was impossible to shoot by traditional equipment”, as Garrett Brown has remembered.

Garrett Brown with his Steadicam during shootings of the “Rocky” movie

And here all was begun! Trailer showing the new device opportunity, the director of film “Rocky” Mr. John Avildsen has seen. Shocked by opportunities of Steadicam, he being in shooting pavilion No 15 of Burbank Studios Company has immediately called up Brown. At his home the inventor was absent, because he was… in pavilion No 16 of the same company. There Brown was found by Avildsen and was invited to work jointly.

Brown’s trailer has made the same impression for Stanley Kubrick which just prepared for shootings of the movie “The Shining”. He has told, that Brown’s invention will result in revolution in movie shooting, and at the same time has advised for Garrett to remove from the trailer such frame where it is the Steadicam shadow on the ground. “From this shadow the skilled technician may solve the construction of the device mechanism and to steal the idea”, — he has told to Brown. Kubrick has finished by the same as Avildsen: the Steadicam was applied by him during shootings of the film.

If company Cinema Products has not bought the invention of Garrett Brown and has not given it the official name as Steadicam, the device might enter in history as “Brown’s Stabilizer”. But rights were bought, the name was given, and since then the product some updates has received among which there are the Steadicam JR light version for camcorders, Skyman for installation on the cars and a line of others in which the same principles and materials (plastic, steel and ceramics) are used. In due course the product together with the name has removed to the Tiffen company where safely lives and develops until now.

Naturally, today other companies except Tiffen are let out the camera stabilization devices, but the Tiffen Company has the rights to use Steadicam name only. There are many other companies manufacturing similar devices, among which are such, for example, as Glidecam, Cammate, DVTech, Sachtler and others.

It is pleasant to realize, that domestic manufacturers were not born yesterday. The devices for camera stabilization are produced by Byelorussian Cinema Technologies Group Company and Russian Pultex Company. And their products are executed at high technical and technological level.

On pages of “625” magazine were already printed the articles about design and operation principles of devices for camera stabilization (for example, “Systems of stabilization of TV cameras”, Vadim Kintinov, No 8/2003 and “The device for aces (pilotage of Steadicam)”, Paul Vein, Victor Maslachkov, № 9/2003). Therefore hardly there is a sense to retell again everything, that have been already written. It is only necessary to present some basic definitions, basically formulated by Garrett Brown.

Steadicam is the device for the camera stabilization which in hands of the skilled operator combines the image stability, which of the dolly features, with freedom of shooting from a hand.

Steadicam allows to solve three tasks: to isolate the camera from any moving of the operator, except for the widest; to distribute the camera weight such as to increase the system resistance to rotation; to transfer the centre of gravity of the camera to the point where the operator most comfortably may manipulate by that.

From myself I shall add, that besides the receiving of effective frames the device of stabilization due to uniform distribution of the weight allowed initially to make the operator’s work more comfortable. However, in due course this task in some conditions became irrelevant. Digital cameras became very light and compact, therefore there was only a problem of the image stabilization. It should be reflected in the design of the stabilization devices: in some models the waistcoat, arm and other parts of traditional Steadicam have disappeared. But about that the readers can read in the review which follows this article.

But inventor Garrett Brown has forever entered his name in the cinema and TV history. Not accidentally the name Steadicam became now as no proper name, but as common name, and as though manufacturers did not name their products, the operators will always call them as steadicams.