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Cinematography3 min read

LESSON 98

Camera movement

Pan, tilt, dolly, crane, handheld, gimbal.

IN THIS LESSON

  1. Pan and tilt
  2. Dolly and tracking
  3. Crane
  4. Handheld, Steadicam and gimbal
  5. Practice: motivate the move

Pan and tilt

Panning swivels the camera horizontally from a fixed point, like turning your head left and right. New things enter one side of the frame and leave the other, so a pan gradually reveals space that was off screen; the word comes from panorama. Tilting rotates the camera up or down from a fixed point, like raising or lowering your head. A tilt changes how much sky or ground is seen and can reveal a tall building or a person from feet to face. Both can happen at once, and neither moves the camera through space.

Dolly and tracking

When the camera itself travels, the shot changes character. A tracking shot follows a subject, often moving alongside it. A dolly shot moves toward or away from the subject, described as dollying in or out. Traditionally the camera sits on a wheeled dolly, often on rails, pushed by the dolly grip, though a Steadicam or gimbal can make similar moves on smaller shoots. Unlike a pan, a dolly changes perspective, so objects slide past one another, which gives a strong sense of depth and of being drawn into the scene.

Crane

A crane shot is taken from a camera on a moving crane or jib arm, which can lift the camera high above the action or swoop down into it. D. W. Griffith built the first camera crane for his 1916 film Intolerance, and in 1934 Eiji Tsuburaya built the first iron shooting crane, a design still adapted today. Crane moves are often used for emotional or suspenseful moments, or simply to move between set-ups quickly. Many crane shots are now done with drones, which cost less.

Handheld, Steadicam and gimbal

Handheld shooting means the operator holds the camera, which gives freedom and a lively, sometimes shaky image, associated with news and documentary immediacy. The Steadicam, invented by Garrett Brown and introduced in 1975, isolates the camera from the operator's steps with a sprung arm and a balanced sled, making smooth walking shots possible. Motorised three-axis gimbals use brushless motors and a motion sensor to keep the camera level, telling deliberate pans from unwanted shake. This gives a floating look that once needed a Steadicam and a trained operator, at a fraction of the weight and price.

Practice: motivate the move

This is working practice. Give each move a reason: follow a character, reveal something, change the power in a scene. Start and end every move on a good still frame, so the editor can cut in or out. Rehearse with the actors so the camera and the action hit their marks together. If a move adds nothing, a locked-off shot is often stronger. Note the speed you rehearsed, because a move that is too fast on set often feels rushed in the edit, and one that is too slow can always be trimmed but never sped up cleanly.

Try it today

  1. 01Film a slow pan across a room, then a slow tilt up a wall.
  2. 02Push a chair or skateboard toward a subject for a home-made dolly in.
  3. 03Shoot the same walk handheld and on a gimbal, if you have one.
  4. 04Make sure each clip starts and ends on a still frame.
  5. 05Cut them together and note which move felt motivated.