Steadicam is the major work of my career. It has been a passion for the past 13 years. While interning at the shop that would become my first (and only) full-time job out of college, I met the Steadicam as an extra piece of equipment in their gear room. I spent quite a bit of time learning about it and took a small workshop offered in Grand Rapids, MI. It was addictive and I was hooked. Steadicam is a great way to move a camera if you need the maximum in flexiblity. I learned that quickly. Now all I had to do was figure out how to do it smoothly.

After graduating from college in 1996, I attended a Cinema Products sponsored Steadicam workshop. The lead instructor was Larry McConkey. I learned a lot that would be a foundation to my career as a Steadicam operator and made a number of friendships that remain close today. Yet, in all of the practice and Larry's teaching, one truth sticks close to me. In the first 45 minutes of the class he said, "The ultimate camera operator would be a Jedi Knight. What we are really all about as operators is moving a lens through space with the correct character for the shot we are executing and being sure the recording medium, be it film or tape, records it. The Jedi would be the ultimate operator becuase he wouldn't have to concern himself with a Steadicam, crane or dolly. He'd use the force." It's an insightful lesson in employing the correct tool for the job and since I don't yet control the force, a Steadicam is a close second in many situations!

Steadicam is a very versitile tool that I've used in all sorts of situations. It increases the production value of your program by moving the camera through places it can't otherwise go. This allows a director to "connect the dots" between two camera positions that he or she may have been forced to cut between before.

In a situation where budgets are tight, the Steadicam can help move the day along by allowing the grips to do work other than set dolly track. This has been especially helpful on several of the documentaries and movies I've been on with a combat theme.

Below are links to samples of the my work on feature, music video and commerical projects. To discuss any of these shots or how my Steadicam work can advance your project, look me up through any number on my Contacts Page.

Samples of Will's Steadicam Work