***DISCLAIMER TIME***I am going to do my absolute best to keep this post in the positive of Steadicam and not in the negative of other gimbal based tools or motion stabilization.  Mostly because although I prefer one to the other, neither is right for every project and most of the following claims should be taken with a grain of salt. Please reference my earlier blog post on Purity***DISCLAIMER TIME***

Now that’s over with…

A few years ago I worked on a three month feature film that used two MōVIs.  I got to know them pretty well.  A bitch to work with, but at the end of the day served the project. The main fallback was the weight issue, we were flying two RED EPIC cameras and had to last minute order Super Speeds because Ultra Primes were too heavy and causing problems.  That is one example (before people jump down my throat with “they’ve fixed that!” “which one did you use” “it shouldn’t be a problem”). A tool that restricts visual decisions such as lenses is not a good tool.

—-I will not talk about the Ronin, or do a comparison, or refer to the other gimbal competitors——I don’t want to————————————————————————————————————————Also, for the sake of making my point easier I will lump them all together as one———————

While I could also spend all day complaining about the technical aspects, that it bogs down the shoot day, all the drawbacks and negatives, what I want to say why I’m truly and to my core against using them for narrative filmmaking.  Why Steadicam is the better stabilization choice with no argument every time.

Motive.   Artistry.  And the human behind the two. 

I will always love Steadicam.  I try to understand that there is an evolution of tools and gadgetry that I have to get on board with, but there is dedication to the ART of Steadi that cannot be passed by new three-axis gimbal stabilizers.  A touch that talented operators have to tell a story that will always be blatantly distracting if attempted with a low-brow version.  Every DP I know has picked up a MōVI and operated and every DP I know has said one good thing about it.  BUT I have yet to see gimbal footage that has the presence of a Steadicam shot.

A true Steadicam operator knows their gear, the story, the intention of the shot and treats each with the same respect that a DP does their gear, the story, the intention of the shot. 

Fuck Gimbal.  Go Steadi. 

—EDIT— My best friend is a Steadicam operator and insulted that I didn’t mention him.  Head on over to Patrick Morgan’s site if you want to see some beautiful operating.