Camera Movements

Published by Emil Abraham,

Camera movements generally fall into two types: the kind that feel like machine movement (Pedestal, Dolly and Truck) and the kind that feel like human movement (Tilt, Pan and Roll).



1. DOLLY: Motion towards or motion from. The name comes from the tracks – very much like railroad tracks – that used to be laid down for the heavy camera to move along in the days before steadicams got so popular. The phrase dolly-in means step towards the subject with the camera, while dolly-out means to step backwards with the camera, keeping the zoom the same.
2. PEDESTAL: Moving the camera up or down without changing its vertical or horizontal axis. A camera operator can do two types of pedestals: pedestal up means "move the camera up;" pedestal down means "move the camera down." You are not tilting the lens up, rather you are moving the entire camera up, just like an elevator.
3. TRUCK: Trucking is like dollying, but it involves motion left or right. Truck left means "move the camera physically to the left while maintaining its perpendicular relationship." This is not to be confused with a pan, where the camera remains firmly on its axis while the lens turns to one direction or the other. You might truck left to stay with a pedestrian as she walks down a street.
4. PAN: Pan means turn the camera horizontally, from left to right or from right to left. Look to your left, then look to your right – that’s panning. When the director tells you to "pan right," which means point the lens and the camera to the right (clockwise), you must push the panning handles to the left. To "pan left," which means swivel the lens and the camera to the left (counterclockwise), you push the panning handles to the right.
5. TILT: Moving the cameras lens up or down while keeping its horizontal axis constant. Nod your head up and down – this is tilting.
6. ROLL: Moving the camera onto its side is a roll, the way a dog does when he doesn't understand. This is a very rare movement, and one you should only use for very specific purposes.
Other camera movements
Zoom: Zooming is one camera move that most people are probably familiar with. It involves changing the focal length of the lens to make the subject appear closer or further away in the frame. Most video cameras today have built-in zoom features. Some have manual zooms as well, and many have several zoom speeds. Zooming is one of the most frequently-used camera moves and one of the most overused. Zooming the camera changes the focal length of the lens, which can introduce wide-angle distortion or changes in the apparent depth of field. It's a very unnatural movement. For this reason, it’s sometimes preferable to dolly than zoom.If you absolutely must use a zoom, use a very slow one.
Crane or boom means move the whole camera up or down on a camera crane or jib arm. The effect is somewhat similar to an up or down pedestal except that the camera swoops over a much greater vertical distance. You either "crane [or boom] up" or "crane [or boom] down.
Arc means move the camera in a slightly curved dolly or truck movement with a mobile camera mount. To "arc left" means to dolly in or out in a camera-left curve or to truck left in a curve around the object; to "arc right" means to dolly in or out in a camera-right curve or to truck right in a curve around the object.
Cant means tilting the shoulder-mounted or hand­ held camera sideways. The result, called a canting effect, is a slanted horizon line, which puts the scene on a tilt. Through the skewed horizon line, you can achieve a highly dynamic scene.
Rack Focus: Rack focus is not as much of a camera move as it is a technique, but many beginners overlook this essential skill. You adjust the lens to start an image blurry and then shift the focus to make it crisper, or vice versa. It is an extremely effective way for you to change your audience’s focus from one subject to another.
Handheld Shooting: Sometimes the action is moving too quickly or too unpredictably for the camera to be on a tripod. This calls for making the camera more mobile and able to follow the action of a scene. Most times the camera will simply be held by the operator, who will then employ a number of basic camera moves by moving the feet, dollying in and out, trucking in one direction or another, tilting, panning, zooming, and performing combinations of all of these.
Crab means any sideways motion of the crane dolly. A crab is similar to a truck except that the camera mount does not have to stay lateral to the action the whole time; it can move toward or away from the action as well. Crab­ bing is used more in film than in television. The term is sometimes used to mean trucking.
Random motion: Random motion is used to create energy and intensity, particularly in an action scene. Think of The Bourne Identity, in which the camera bounces around so quickly that the subject of the scene isn’t even always framed in the shot. While random motion can be effective in creating a sense of disorientation, sometimes it can be too effective, leaving viewers dizzy and confused.
Floating Cam or Stabilized Shot: The Steadicam was invented in 1971 by Philadelphia native Garrett Brown. Famously used in the jogging sequence in "Rocky" and extensively with exceptional effect in the Kubrick masterpiece, "The Shining." It uses a series of counterweights — and gyroscopes on more-expensive models — to keep a handheld camera’s motion very smooth. Although the term "Steadicam" is used often, this is a trademark name belonging to the Merlin company. Similar to Kleenex for tissues, we call the devices that are non-Steadicam stabilizers.

360-degree motion: The last type of motion that we’ll look at is 360-degree motion, in which the camera moves entirely around the subject of the shot. These shots can be challenging to do on large film sets, because they require hiding the crew and equipment from view, but they’re more common in the days of Steadicams and CGI. The Matrix used a special camera setup for its 360-degree fight scenes, but you can also use a handheld camera or a drone.
Compound Motion
The great thing about camera motion is that you don’t have to restrict it to one axis at a time. You can combine movements to move in multiple dimensions at once and create more complex shots. Let’s look at two popular compound shots:
Dolly zoom
The dolly zoom is used to create a sense of vertigo or unease. It was famously used in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo and Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. In this shot, the camera moves forward or backwards while the lens zooms in the opposite direction.
A single long take: This combines multiple movements, shot sizes, and angles into one extended shot. Rather that cutting from a long shot to a close-up, for example, the camera might track, zoom, pan, and tilt between a variety of different shots.
This can be the hardest to get right, but it’s an effective way to orient viewers to a new environment, such as with the opening shot in Goodfellas. It can also lend a theatrical feel to a movie, as in Birdman, which is made to appear like one very long shot.


Summary:
Camera movements
  • Dolly
  • Pedestal
  • Truck
  • Pan
  • Tilt
  • Roll
  • Zoom
  • Crane/Boom
  • Arc
  • Cant
  • Rack focus
  • Handheld shooting
  • Crab
  • Random motion
  • Floating cam/stabilised shot
  • 360-degree motion
Compound motion
  • Dolly zoom
  • Single long take

References:
Herbert Zettl, Television Production Handbook, New York, Wadsworth
Millerson, Gerald, Video Production Handbook
www.wolfcrow.com
www.studiobinder.com