Steadicam - History and Use Trivia Quiz

Answer: Garrett Brown

Though these are all highly regarded Steadicam operators, Garrett is the guy who thought the thing up.

Answer: The Steadicam is harnessed to a vest worn by the operator.

The idea of the Steadicam is that the operator can wear it and hold it, without the operator's movements being caught in the film. The design of the Steadicam puts the camera's center of gravity in the control of the operator, allowing the shots to be smooth and floating regardless of the operator's movements. Operators can use a hard-mount, wherein the camera is attached to something other than their bodies (like a dolly, car, etc.).

Answer: It has the camera pointing the opposite direction to the operator's facing.

Missionary, on the other hand, has the camera pointing roughly forward. These positions were named in 1980 with the invention of the Steadicam, and have retained the names since. I wonder what made the positions merit these somewhat unbelievable handles.

Answer: Rocky

The scene where Rocky charges up the Philadelphia Art Museum steps in 'Rocky' is filmed using Steadicam. This camera made the shot possible because the camera operator was able to run up the steps to follow Rocky's movement without it jolting the camera around. Though not listed as a choice, 'Bound for Glory' was the first film to use a long steadicam tracking shot. 'Jaws' was made pre-Steadicam. 'The Abyss' and 'The Insider' both came later.

Answer: Neo on the roof dodging the bullets of one of the agents before Trinity learns to fly the helicopter in 'The Matrix'.

'The Shining' was one of the first films to use Steadicam, and is widely considered to be the first to use it extensively (almost the entire film is shot using Steadicam). 'The Silence of the Lambs' also made dynamic use of the Steadicam, and this particular scene, early in the film, allowed the viewer to feel as though he was just going along with Clarice.

The wandering camera was something that couldn't have been achieved without the Steadicam. The scene in 'Goodfellas' is a classic, partly because it's also a very long single take. You can notice, however, that the operator's movements (going down the stairs, stopping and starting) are nearly imperceptible in the film, though the shot still feels very free and mobile. I believe the scene in 'The Matrix' was filmed using cameras set up around all 360 degrees of the action and some sort of green screen technology to compile the shots digitally. 360 degree shots like this are often filmed using a Steadicam, though, because the operator is free to walk around the subject in a way no other camera would allow.