Camera movements
A camera move needs a reason: following someone, revealing something, bringing us closer to an emotion. If the camera moves for no reason, the viewer notices, even if they can't explain why.
Moves without moving the camera
The camera rotates on its axis, usually on a tripod:
- Pan: a horizontal turn, from left to right or the other way around. To follow someone walking or to sweep across a landscape.
- Tilt (a vertical pan): a turn from top to bottom. To show the height of a building or to travel up a person from their feet to their face.
Start and end with a few seconds of static shot, so in the edit you can cut before or after the move. Move slowly: a fast pan at 24, 25 or 30 fps produces stutter (judder). As a rule of thumb, an object shouldn't cross the frame in less than 5–7 seconds.
Moves that travel with the camera
| Move | What it is | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Tracking shot | The camera travels parallel to the subject | Walking alongside someone; describing a space |
| Dolly in / dolly out | The camera moves toward the subject or away from it | Moving in on an emotion, or pulling away to isolate the character |
| Crane (jib) | The camera rises or descends | Revealing a place, ending a scene by rising up |
| Arc (orbit) | The camera circles around the subject | Giving a moment importance or an epic feel |
| Follow shot | The camera goes behind or in front of someone who's moving | Immersion: we go along with the character |
Zoom vs dolly: not the same thing
With a zoom the camera doesn't move: the lens magnifies the image and the background flattens. With a dolly, the camera really moves closer and the perspective changes: the background stays far away and we feel we're entering the scene.
Don't
A slow zoom as a substitute for getting closer. It feels artificial, like a home vacation video.
Do
Physically move toward the subject, or do the zoom in the edit, with intention and in moderation.
Combining a dolly out with a zoom in (or the other way around) keeps the subject the same size while the background stretches or shrinks. It's known as the dolly zoom, and it was popularized by 1950s suspense films to convey vertigo.
Handheld and gimbal
- Handheld: the shake conveys urgency, realism, a documentary feel. It can be a style, but too much shake is tiring to watch.
- Gimbal: a motorized three-axis stabilizer that gives floating moves. It's the affordable version of the Steadicam.
You'll see this in detail in the lesson on stabilization and camera supports.
Moves without expensive gear
- DIY tracking shot: an office chair, a shopping cart, a skateboard or a towel on a smooth floor.
- Dolly in: walk with your knees bent in a “ninja walk”, with the camera held close to your body and stabilization turned on.
- Crane: raise the camera from the floor with your arms extended and the strap taut, or use an upside-down monopod.
- Arc: with a wide-angle lens, walk in a circle around the subject, always pointing at them.
Motivate the move
The camera moves best when something justifies it: someone standing up, a door opening, a glance toward an object. A motivated move feels natural; an unmotivated one is felt as the hand of the person filming.
- Pan and tilt rotate the camera; tracking shots, dollies and cranes move it through space.
- A zoom isn't a dolly: it changes size, not perspective.
- Start and end every move with a static shot.
- Every move needs a reason.
Your turn: a move with a reason
Film three moves, each one motivated by an action.
- A pan that follows someone crossing the room.
- A slow dolly in on a person receiving news (it can be pretend).
- A tilt that reveals something: from a pair of shoes to a face, or from a table to a window.