apparatus [ap-uh-rat-uhs]
ap·pa·rat·us [ap-uh-rat-uhs] noun
A combination of instruments, machinery, or tools built for a particular purpose. Early cinema: the trade's term for its cameras, projectors, and printers. "The director yelled 'Camera!' and the cameraman began cranking his apparatus."
Hand-cranked motion picture cameras of the silent era, and the stories behind them.
Akeley Tripod and Panoramic Gyro Head
For use with an Akeley Pancake Camera, this unique invention by Carl E. Akeley was advanced for the period. The entire unit was a radical departure from the standard heads of the day. Its gyroscopic movements for both the pan and tilt allowed for very smooth motion following fast action…