mderario
 | April 13, 2009 |
Steadicam Workshop – One of the best experience thanks to a great Independent Study!
The Steadicam has been used to create some of the most stunning scenes in films and television, including the famous scene from Rocky where he is climbs the stairs of the Philadelphia Art Museum. Also, the notorious Copacabana scene from Goodfellas where Ray Liotta’s character walks into the nightclub. Most recently the use of Steadicam was impressive in the Academy Award winning film, Slumdog Millionaire, which drew the crowd into fast paced chase scenes and highly dramatic moments. As part of the study I had the opportunity to receive instruction at the renowned Lake Arrowhead Steadicam Classic Workshop. I was off to California for a 7 day intensive course where instruction and demonstration was given by the top Steadicam operators in the world including Garrett Brown, the inventor of the Steadicam, and distinguished operator Jerry Holway. I received the Pforzheimer Honors College $1000 Research Grant which helped fund my trip. It ended up being one of the greatest experiences of my life! The course covered the ins-an-outs of being a Steadicam operator as we had the chance to use the best gear in the industry. We spent the first few days going over the basics of operation and doing various exercises with the rigs. Then we moved into more advanced operation techniques including going up stairs, whip pans, low mode, and super post. One of the most exciting parts of the workshop was doing the vehicle mounts where we were positioned at the back of a van with the rig, and drove through the mountainous roads of Lake Arrowhead. In addition, I was privileged to hear the best Steadicam operators in the world discuss the creative uses of the Steadicam in the art of the moving camera. The course culminated with our test shot which was a recreation of a scene Garrett Brown shot years ago in the film, The Shining. The infamous hotel lobby scenes was the inspiration for this shot, as all the operators got in the zone to put the skills that we had learned throughout the week to the test. I was proud of my final test shot which allowed me to receive my certificate and be welcomed into the Steadicam operators’ community. -Mike
Check out Mike's previous blogs: A Busy Semester So Far and Come Along for the Ride |
  
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