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Camera moves & transitions, part 2 · #05
Steadicam
Smooth, floating movement with no shake. The camera glides forward after a walking person with only a slow, gentle sway and no jitter, unlike handheld.
Camera Movementsteadicamgimbalstabilizersmoothglidefloatingcamera move
Full motion specification
How the movement works
To make a walking move look smooth and cinematic.
- 01Camera: moves forward at a constant 1.7 m/s (8 m per 4.7 s); height 1.45 m, pitch -0.02 rad; no easing
- 02Sway: height ±3.5 cm (2 cycles per 4.7 s), sideways ±5 cm (1 cycle), yaw ±0.012 rad, roll ±0.006 rad, all sine waves with integer periods, slow and wide (#034 Handheld is fast and irregular)
- 03Subject: a person walks 5 m ahead of the camera at the same speed; legs and arms take 5 strides per 4.7 s
- 04Trees: 3.6 m tall at x = -5 m and 3.2 m tall at x = +5 m, every 8 m (the two rows offset by 4 m); the mountains and sun move with the camera
- 058 m is a multiple of the grid (2 m) and tree (8 m) spacing, so it loops seamlessly every 4.7 s; top-right readout shows "STEADICAM"
Prompt
Follow the person down the corridor with a Steadicam: smooth, no shake.