The Moving Camera - Text 5
Once more, the new devices that finally permitted camera operators to produce smooth camera movements combining tilts and pans came out of the field of actuality filmmaking and newsreel production. In fact the first tripod head enabling camera operators to efficiently move the camera to follow moving subjects was designed by the American naturalist Carl E. Akeley, who in 1913 set out to produce cinematography equipment he could use to record the unpredictable movements of wild animals during his expeditions. By the end of the decade, his efforts had led to the creation of a revolutionary new 35 mm camera designed to be used in conjunction with a no less innovative gyroscopic tripod head. The latter used flywheels to stabilize the movements transmitted to the tripod head by the operator by means of a handle.