Free Video Tutorial On MacVideo.TV: Master The Steadicam Merlin!

What's a video production without a good tracking shot done on a Steadicam?! Well, for me, as someone who loves a moving camera when the story calls for it (err... which is often...), buying or renting a full-blown Steadicam rig (complete with hiring a master operator) has oft been cause for consternation - as owning a big rig for film or even a video rig can run in the many tens of thousands of dollars. The Steadicam Merlin is just the answer for handheld video, and it's well under a grand.

Once again I want to draw your attention to the MacVideo.tv website for some more great content by site creator and MacVideo magazine publisher, Rick Young. The Steadicam Merlin is a <$1000 piece of amazingly portable hardware that you mount your DV or HDV camera onto, and with one hand, you can mimic the beautiful sweeping Steadicam shots pioneered by Garret Brown, cameraman and inventor of the original Steadicam. Check out Rick's video "walkthrough" of the Steadicam Merlin! The results are really amazing. He also has a great video interview on his site with Mr. Brown himself!

Young says: "In my wildest dreams I never thought I'd be out there using a Steadicam on location. Designed for DV and HDV cameras the Steadicam Merlin provides a true means for videographers to stabilise and fly their cameras without the bumps and shakes so commonly seen with hand-held camera work. This is a real Steadicam, designed by the guy who designed and built the original Steadicam - Garrett Brown. Used correctly the Steadicam Merlin will produce remarkable results."

Wikipedia:
Introduction of the Steadicam
The Steadicam was invented in the early 1970s by inventor and cameraman Garrett Brown, who originally named the invention the "Brown Stabilizer". After completing the first working prototype, Mr. Brown shot a 10-minute demo reel of the revolutionary moves this new device could produce.
The reel was seen by numerous directors, including Stanley Kubrick and John Avildsen. Avildsen directed Rocky in 1976, one of the first movies to feature steadicam shots. The Steadicam was first used in the biopic Bound for Glory, whilst Kubrick would use the Brown Stabilizer in his 1980 film The Shining.
The invention was exclusively licensed by Cinema Products Corporation and later brought to market as the Steadicam. As of October 2000, Steadicam® became a trademark of camera manufacturer Tiffen.