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 ...

, 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. The Steadicam brand was acquired by Tiffen in 2000. It was designed to isolate the ...

. 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 Cinema of the United States, American film Film director, director and Film editing, editor. His work exemplified the countercultural attitude of the era. He directed wide-rangi ...

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

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

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

Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American independent film, independent sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the Rocky (film series), ''Rocky'' franchise and also star ...

'', 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 space opera film directed by Richard Marquand from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas. The sequel to '' The Empire ...

'', where Brown walked through a Redwood forest with the Steadicam shooting film at 1 frame per second 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 Rocky Steps are 72 stone steps leading up to the East entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia that gained global fame after being featured in a notable scene from the 1976 film ''Rocky''. In the scene, Rocky Balboa, an u ...

of the

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) is an List of art museums#North America, 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 ...

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 filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kubrick filmography, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or sho ...

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

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure. Over his five-de ...

. Brown's Steadicam work can be seen in over seventy motion pictures. Brown has also invented the DiveCam (following olympic divers), MobyCam (underwater camera following olympic swimmers) and the SkyCam (for football games) with the latter perfected with help from a team including Anastas Michos, Larry McConkey, John Jurgens and others. Garrett Brown is the father of TV Director Jonathan Brown. 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 ...

'', directed by and starring

Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career has spanned over six decades, and he has received an Academy Award and three Golden Globe Awards. He also received the Irving G. Thalberg Memor ...

. 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 Dir ...

, Garrett Brown was recipient of an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

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 in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

and an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

from the

National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), also known as the National Television Academy until 2007, is an American professional service organization founded in 1955 for "the advancement of the arts and sciences of televisio ...

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, Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, United States, operated by the School District of Haverford Township. It is at 200 Mill Road in Havertown, Pennsylvania ...

, he matriculated at

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...

, 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 chair. http://gozeen.com/

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 US patent of significant technology. Besides the Hall of Fame, it also operate ...

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, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

* 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 Cinema Products Corporation was an American manufacturer of motion picture camera equipment. History The company was formed in 1968 by Edmund DiGiulio, Ed DiGiulio, a former director and vice-president of the Mitchell Camera Corporation. Their f ...

. 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 The Nikola Tesla Award is an honorary Satellite Award bestowed by the International Press Academy to recognize the "pioneers of filmmaking technology industry". It was first presented on January 12, 2003, at the Golden Satellite Awards 2002, 7th Ann ...

* 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