Garret Brown

Today I’d like to take the time to go over the achievement that Garret Brown has made in the movie industry. If you don’t know who he is you may be able recognize his work in this clip.

Still don’t know? He was the man operating the fantastic camera work in these shots, the steady cam. Inventor and original operator, this device was made to allow great and smooth action shots that did not require the use of a rail system to operate the camera. His first big use of this technology he invented was in Star Wars Episode VI : Return of The Jedi where he filmed the footage that would be used as the blue screen footage for the speeder bike scene on Endor. He would then work on the set of Rocky where the fast paced action shots needed to be filmed in locations, during time periods, and on a budget that couldn’t afford to use rails.

Over the years he has created many patents in the related field, 50 to be exact. This includes things like Steadycam junior which is generally used in consumer cameras and cell phones as well as the Skycam used to record stadium events such as Football. He has now recently been accepted into The National Inventors Hall of Fame. In a recent interview, Brown recollected back to his time spent inventing the stabilizer for it and recalled his time he spent locking himself in a motel room to focus on his work. So I salute you Mr. Brown for all the achievements you’ve made and how much you and your technology has contributed to the industry.