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The Steadicam stabilizing system has now been used in the film business for several decades. We all like to talk about those memorable continuous shots that made some film scenes memorable like more recently the "Kill Bill" restaurant shot, “The Protector” staircase fight scene, the “Children of Men” uprising scene and many more. The use of steadicam, however, is not limited to films but is extensively used in television shows as well, so extensively sometimes, that we tend not to take notice anymore. There are several reasons that the steadicam is actually more used on television sets rather than films, the main one being that on tv shows the schedule is sometimes tighter than in films and a well executed “oner” can speed up the day a lot. Some tv shows just call for extensive use of the steadicam, such as ER, some are the results of interesting artistic choices by the director and cinematographer. Here we look at 5 of the most interesting and impressive steadicam shots in television from the tv shows “The X-Files”, “Scrubs”, “Ugly Betty”, “ER” and “The West Wing” “The X-Files”, Episode “The Triangle” from Season 6 (Season 6, ep. 3, Nov 22 1998) This episode, from the 6th season of the series “The X-Files”, was shot very creatively with 4 long continuous shots, being inspired in style by Hitchcock's “The Rope”. To make the story short, Fox Mulder disappears when he goes to check out a luxury liner that has mysteriously appeared at the Bermuda Triangle. He goes back in time to 1939 at the offset of WWII. In the meanwhile agent Dana Scully, Mulder's partner, tries to get information about Mulder's whereabouts at the FBI headquarters, which is what happens in this 6 minutes steadicam shot. The whole directing style of this episode was very challenging on the crew, and this shot is a very good example of how difficult the shots could be, being very long continuous shots. Scully goes in and out of an elevator, supposedly going to different floors, but in reality there was one floor and the set had to be redressed every time she came out of the elevator. We start right away with Scully going towards the elevator, which is packed, and coming out on a different floor where she presses the FBI director Kersh for information on Mulder, without any success. She hurries back to the elevator again, which is now empty, and comes out on a different floor, this one very dark, and meets FBI agent Spender to ask him to get as much information on the liner “Queen Anne”. Spender, however, goes straight to the director and, when they try to call Scully to the director's office, she runs away, to the elevator again. She then meets Assistant Director Walter Skinner that gives her the information she was looking for. She gets out of the elevator again, runs out and gets on a van as Spender runs out chasing the van. Very ambitious and challenging shot that required many takes as the crew couldn't redress the set on time various times. Very well shot and dramatic as we are on Scully all the time as she tries to press people for information. The very last part of the shot, when she gets on the van is also interesting as the operator, David Luckenbach, literally had to be pushed in by his assistant in a very tiny space and sit on a wooden bench to get the final shot of Scully and Spender running after them. ER “Of Past Regret and Future Fear” from Season 4 (Season 4, Ep. 20, April 30 1998) Some TV shows' setting and theme seem to be well suited for steadicam shots. ER is certainly one of them. In every ER's episode, we follow the drama of the many characters working in the hospital as well as their patients so several times the directors of the series used the so called “Oners”, that is long continuous steadicam shots, without coverage, that would follow the action in real time. This one in particular, which is probably one of the longest oners, is a very good example of the series shooting style. Obviously very well executed by operator David Chameides, the shot follows one doctor to the other, staying a relatively short time with each of them, showing them dealing with the patients and other doctors. We change characters several times and then go back to the same ones. The interesting artistic choice of this shot is the change of pace and level of drama throughout its 8 minutes. We go from a comic relief sort of situation with a patient injuring himself in a stupid manner to an elderly couple, then a cerebral palsy patient up to a little boy in critical condition. The director at some point goes back and forth from the fast paced situation of the little boy to a much slower scene of a patient asking the doctor to give the money in his savings account to his girlfriend. This shot sums up the concept and the style of the series very well. UGLY BETTY “Zero Worship” from Season 2, Ep. 11, January 10, 2008 Sometimes the story calls for a steadicam shot and sometimes the setting also influences the choice of how to cover a scene. This scene is an example of how the production design can play very well with a steadicam shot to give a dynamic coverage of a scene. We are in the office of the Mode Magazine and Betty walks out of the elevator and then frenetically around the office meeting several colleagues. The office space is enormous, with big round openings on all sides and people moving in all directions at all times. The reception desk is a big round table and doors to offices are wide. Is a production design that definitely calls for steadicam shots as there is plenty of space for the operator to move around. Also, with the characters moving around the corridors, desks and reception area and the steadicam movie around them, the result is a very dynamic and creative coverage. To be noted in particular are the shots around the desk of the office and then reception when the action changes pace and direction. Betty meets a colleague who pushes her back to tell her she got tickets to several events. She pushes Betty all the way to the reception area as the camera goes all the way around the table, then back to the characters. At the reception Betty meets another colleague and they walk around the round reception area as the steadicam goes on the opposite direction and then meets them half way. Another character appears and the scene ends as they walk along a corridor. Very well executed as the operator is very good at anticipating the frenetic action and change of pace. Also, very dynamic and creative coverage that suits the production design very well. SCRUBS, “My Student” from Season 1, Ep. 17, March 5, 2002 It's unusual to see steadicam shots of this type in television where most sets are constructed in big studio lots. This shot opens the episode where we see three of the main characters walk in the hospital feeling elated because a group of interns are arriving at the hospital which will report to them and for the first time “they won't be the lowest people on the totem pole”. The shot starts right outside the hospital where the three characters cross the street. They walk in the building in a continuous shot, the iris pull well executed, walk down the hallway to the elevator and up to the room where they meet the interns, greeting their colleagues on the way. The choice of using a steadicam was a brilliant move by director Matthew Diamond. It fits well with the location where they shot the episode and also with what is going on in the story, giving the characters a “cool” type of coverage as they walk to work. THE WEST WING “Five Votes Down” Season 1, Ep. 4, October 13, 1999 Talking about technically complicated shots, well, this might be a nightmare type of shot for any steadicam operator and an impressive accomplishment for operator David Chameides. After the president gives a speech at the Biltmore Hotel, we basically follow him and his staff across the hallways of the hotel, down to the kitchen, the basement and then the parking lot, all the way to his limo. It's a great continuous shot that covers various characters and conversations, first the president's assistants back and forth as they discuss the speech and it's repercussions, from the front then from the back, then the president himself as he chats with his chief of staff and greets and jokes with various hotel employees on his way down. A certain homage to the Copacabana shot in Goodfellas, for the kitchen setting and tone, this shot is remarkable mostly for its two stairs shots, which seem incredibly well executed. One is from behind the actors and the other one, of the president, from the front, and if it's not enough, with two secret service guys walking in front of him. Very steep stairs with many people walking in front and behind. It's a 3 minute shot that feels like 10 minutes. USEFUL RESOURCES Interesting Steadicam Shots in Film History Camera Rental Los Angeles Los Angeles Steadicam Rental
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