Garrett Brown (born April 6, 1942) is an American

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an i ...

, best known as the creator of the

Steadicam Steadicam is a brand of camera stabilizer mounts for motion picture cameras invented by Garrett Brown and introduced in 1975 by Cinema Products Corporation. It was designed to isolate the camera from the camera operator's movement, keeping t ...

. Brown's invention allows camera operators to film while walking without the normal shaking and jostles of a handheld camera. The Steadicam was first used in the

Hal Ashby William Hal Ashby (September 2, 1929 – December 27, 1988) was an American film director and editor associated with the New Hollywood wave of filmmaking. Before his career as a director Ashby edited films for Norman Jewison, notably '' The Ru ...

film '' Bound for Glory'' (1976), receiving an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

( Best Cinematography), and since used on such films as ''

Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burges ...

'', filming Rocky's running and training sequences, and ''

Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American Epic film, epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Luc ...

'', where Brown walked through a Redwood forest with the Steadicam shooting film at 1

frame per second Frame rate (expressed in or FPS) is the frequency (rate) at which consecutive images ( frames) are captured or displayed. The term applies equally to film and video cameras, computer graphics, and motion capture systems. Frame rate may also be c ...

to achieve the illusion of high speed motion during the speeder-bike chase. The sequence in ''Rocky'' that took the audience up what would later be known as the

Rocky Steps The 72 stone steps leading up to the entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have become known as the "Rocky Steps" as a result of a scene from the 1976 film ''Rocky''. Tourists often mimic Rocky's famous climb ...

of the

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMoA) is an art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at the northwest end of the Benjamin ...

for the triumphant moment at the top was first filmed during tests for the original Steadicam system. The system was used extensively on

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...

's 1980 classic horror film '' The Shining'', starring

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. In many of his films, he played rebels against the social structure. He received numerous ...

. Brown's Steadicam work can be seen in over seventy motion pictures. Brown has also invented the SkyCam (for football games), DiveCam (following olympic divers) and MobyCam (underwater camera following olympic swimmers). Garrett Brown is the father of Jonathan Brown, also a professional cinematographer. Both worked together as Steadicam operators on the film ''

Bulworth ''Bulworth'' is a 1998 American political satire black comedy film co-written, co-produced, directed by, and starring Warren Beatty. It co-stars Halle Berry, Oliver Platt, Don Cheadle, Paul Sorvino, Jack Warden, and Isaiah Washington. The film ...

'', directed by and starring

Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty ( né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director ...

. A member of the

American Society of Cinematographers The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), founded in Hollywood in 1919, is a cultural, educational, and professional organization that is neither a labor union nor a guild. The society was organized to advance the science and art of cinem ...

and the

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film director, film and television director, television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Dire ...

, Garrett Brown was recipient of an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

for Scientific or Technical Achievement from the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...

and an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

from the

National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) is an American professional service organization founded in 1955 for "the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, edu ...

for his invention of the Steadicam.

Early years

After his graduation from

Haverford High School Haverford Senior High School is the public high school of Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, United States, operated by the School District of Haverford Township. It is at 200 Mill Road in Havertown. The school serves the entirety of Haverford ...

, he matriculated at

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learnin ...

, where he met Al Dana. Together, they formed the folk duo Brown & Dana, and recorded the classic "It Was a Very Good Year", among others. Brown also attained a cult following for his radio advertisements with Anne Winn, especially for Molson Golden beer. Their witty repartee became a template for others.

Inventions

Garrett Brown has invented multiple camera supports focusing mostly on camera stabilization. * Equipois: A mechanical arm for heavy equipment. * FlyCam: A closed loop, stabilized tracking camera system. * DiveCam: The first dropping vertical camera system. * GoCam: The ultra-light high speed camera tracking system. * MobyCam: The first submarine tracking camera system. * SkyCam: The first suspended flying camera system. *

: The original handheld stabilizing system. *

Merlin: Next generation hand held Steadicam system. *

Tango: A new Steadicam accessory for floor-to-ceiling boom range. * SuperFlyCam: An ultralight stabilized 35mm wire-borne flying camera. * Zeen: Elevating walker.

Awards and recognitions

* 2013 – Joined the

National Inventors Hall of Fame The National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) is an American not-for-profit organization, founded in 1973, which recognizes individual engineers and inventors who hold a U.S. patent of significant technology. Besides the Hall of Fame, it also ope ...

for his "Equipment for Use with Hand Held Motion Picture Cameras" Patent No. 4,017,168 the

® Camera Stabilizer. * 2012 – Steadicam Guild Life Achievement Award.

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

* 2006 – Scientific and Engineering Award – For the original concept of the Skycam flying camera system - the first use of 3D volumetric cable technology for motion picture cinematography. * 2001 –

– President's Award * 1999 – Technical Achievement Award – Shared with: Jerry Holway For the creation of the Skyman flying platform for Steadicam operators. * 1978 – Academy Award of Merit – (The Cinema Products Corporation. Engineering Staff under the supervision of John Jurgens). For the invention and development of

Society of Camera Operators

* 2008 – Technical Achievement Award Shared with: Jerry Holway (inventor) ( The Tiffen Company s(developer) ). For the Ultra2 Steadicam camera support system. * 1998 – Historical Shot for: '' Bound for Glory'' (1976). * 1992 – Technical achievement award Shared with: Ed Di Giulio (ceo Cinema Products) ( Cinema Products (developer) ). For the

camera stabilizing system.

Nikola Tesla Satellite Award

* 2014 – For visionary achievement in filmmaking technology

References

External links

*
Homepage of Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown

Steadicam Operators Association

Interview in Knowledge@Wharton published February 2006

Interview of Garett Brown on NPR: "Steadicam Creator Joins Inventors Hall of Fame"

Meet the 2013 National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees

Folk singing duo with Garrett Brown

e.g Conference
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Garrett American cinematographers Living people 20th-century American inventors Academy Award for Technical Achievement winners 1942 births Recipients of the Scientific and Technical Academy Award of Merit Primetime Emmy Engineering Award winners