Steadicam Posture

Donald Harvey

Donald Harvey

Active member
I know this is a hard thing to ask because it is more of a something that is need to be shown, but i thought I would give it a whorl.

So I am starting on a Steadicam SK2. Not doing to bad my teacher says, but he is not giving much of lesson on it. Kinda just says good job looks good, or your getting the hang of it.

My back is getting tired, as it should, but I don't know if because of improper posture on the steadicam or if well i need to work out even more. I have a strong back, played hockey all my life and work out a good amount, but I do know with bad posture that can all mean nothing...

So if someone can give me a bit of insight that would be great!! Thank you for the help!
 
I am re-vamping my question! Why because I found a very nice article on proper posture.

But!

Advice from experienced Steadicam Ops will be great! Maybe tricks of the trade or, well, just anything you want to dish out!

Thank you!
 
your back will get used to it. First time I used a big rig the muscles between the ribs on my lower back hurt Badly. Just take it slowly, take breaks and don't over do it.

Also make sure the main support on the vest is on your hips, not your stomach .
 
yeah, it's "mikkowilson"


:)

(Thanks Andrew)


All the advice given here is good. "That muscle" in your lower back will get tired initially. You'll get used to this with practice.
It gets tired because it's a muscle we very rarly use - and so the best way to condition it is simply to do more Steadicam!

If other parts of your back are sore - and if anything is actually "hurting" (more than just tired [there's a critical difference]) - then something needs to change.
You should be standing striaght and not fighting the rig. If you arn't, then either your posture and/or the vest need adjustment.

The exact adjustment needed is something that's hard to describe - it's something that does in deed need to be dealt with in person.
Taking a workshop is the BEST way to learn. www.thesteadicamworkshops.com - any steadicam workshop (including [cheaper] Flyer ones) will help you get operating correctly. The longer ones just go more into depth on the finess of operating.

One good tip I can give to as how you should be standing when operating your shots:
- Set up a practice shot where you have to talk a little way during the shot. A basic straight move works well.
- Do the practice shot, concentrating on your posture.
- Then walk back to the stand.
That's it! You should always be walking like you did going back to the stand!
Forget about the shot innitially, just walk around with the rig on, don't worry about which way the camera is pointing (leave the monitor off), just don't smack into stuff. When you can do walk around with the rig, only then start thinking if the camera is the right way up.

- Mikko
 
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