1. Bound for Glory (1976) / The Shining (1980)
Stanley Kubricks The Shining is rightly regarded as having pioneered the use of the Steadicam. But it wasnt actually the first movie to use the new (at the time) camera mounting. That accolade belongs to Hal Ashbys fictionalized Woody Guthrie biopic Bound for Glory, released four years prior to Kubricks horror classic. Ashbys movie arguably wasnt as inventive with the possibilities offered by creator Garrett Browns steadying device, yet it did have the honour of officially being the first movie ever to use it, so therefore it must be given special mention here. Even Rocky and Marathon Man got in on the action before Kubrick did, but it is undoubtedly the Jack Nicolson starrer which has come to define what the Steadicam is all about. Indeed, the low angle effects achieved by Garrett Brown on the film are coincidentally very similar to another horror movie which was shot at around the same time, albeit with a substantially lower budget: which brings us back to Sam Ramis 'Evil Dead' and his budget tracking shot
Keith Tomlinson
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Since studying Film and Art History at University, I’ve been an actor, movie stand-in and journalist. I have contributed to a number of media websites, worked on national daily newspapers, written fiction of all kinds and worked as a gravedigger.
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Keith