Cinematography technique · used in 9 films
Mounting the camera on a stabilizing rig worn by the operator so it can glide smoothly through a space. It moves as freely as handheld but without the shake.
Examples
John G. Avildsen · 1976
Rocky was one of the first films to use the Steadicam, a camera rig the operator wears. Its inventor, Garrett Brown, followed Rocky on his runs through Philadelphia and up the museum steps. The camera glides with Rocky, so you feel like you're running beside him.
Where to see it: Rocky's first dawn run. He jogs through the empty streets and staggers up the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps, out of breath when he reaches the top.
John Schlesinger · 1976
Conrad Hall shot the film, and its running and chase scenes on New York streets used the then-new Steadicam. The rig lets the camera follow Babe smoothly as he runs, so you run with him.
Where to see it: Babe's runs: Babe, a distance runner, is shown running through New York.
Stanley Kubrick · 1980
Kubrick used the Steadicam, a stabilized camera rig that glides smoothly, to follow Danny through the Overlook's corridors at child height. At that height and that close behind him, the camera feels like a predator chasing him.
Where to see it: Danny's tricycle rides through the hotel corridors. The camera glides right behind him.
Alfonso Cuarón · 2004
Cuarón's camera floats through Hogwarts in long, moving shots, and the time travel effect was shot the same way. The actors were filmed on a Steadicam against a blue screen, and sped-up background footage was added behind them. You stay still while the world rushes past.
Where to see it: The first turn of the Time-Turner. Harry and Hermione stand still in the hospital wing while the day races backward around them.
Richard Linklater · 2004
The film is known for Steadicam tracking shots, and the longest runs about 11 minutes. The operator glides alongside the two leads through Paris streets without a shake. You feel like a third person walking with them.
Where to see it: The walk through Paris: Jesse and Céline wander the city together while the camera moves with them and the talk gets more personal.
Joe Wright · 2005
At the ball, the camera glides through the crowd, so you feel the heat and noise of a dance. It stays close to Elizabeth as she is pushed together with Darcy.
Where to see it: The ball at Netherfield: Elizabeth and Darcy dance stiffly while the camera moves among the dancers.
Joe Wright · 2007
A 5 and a half minute unbroken Steadicam take crosses the Dunkirk beach. It follows Robbie past about 1,000 extras, a pier and soldiers singing. I feel like it is one of cinema's great long shots. All the chaos of the war is taken in by one continuous movement.
Where to see it: The Dunkirk beach sequence. A single take moves through the whole panorama of the retreat. You meet each new horror with no cut to soften it.
Alfonso Cuarón · 2013
The film opens with a 13-minute unbroken shot. It shows you all of orbital space as one continuous place. The camera drifts between characters and through the shuttle, and it floats with the same weightlessness it is showing you.
Where to see it: The opening shot. It begins with Earth seen from a distance, drifts to the shuttle, passes through the crew and then watches the debris strike. The whole premise of the film is in that single take.
Steven Spielberg · 2021
The gym dance starts with the camera following the actors down a hallway on a Steadicam, then it lifts and travels across the gym. Kaminski has described the opening as 3 shots stitched together, yet it plays as 1 smooth move. You glide into the party at the same speed as the dancers, so the meeting of the 2 gangs feels like something you walk into.
Where to see it: The gym dance: The Jets and the Sharks arrive at the dance and the camera glides in with them. Tony and Maria meet and fall in love here.
Questions