Types of Camera Movement
Every camera movement speaks volumes. A burst through a doorway conveys urgency, a soaring drone shot establishes dominance, a smooth pan mimics a character's curiosity, and a mind-bending dolly zoom emphasizes a shocking discovery.
These choices are what separate auteur directors and define their visual signature. But how do you plan these movements to ensure your story unfolds seamlessly scene by scene?
A dolly shot is where the camera is affixed to a mechanism called a dolly, which is a specialized push-cart built to handle heavy cinema cameras. A dolly will often have areas to attach seats for the camera operator and assistant camera operators to pull focus and control the camera.
Zoom shots magnify the image without actually moving the camera. You can zoom in to focus on a detail, or zoom out to reveal a wider scene. Unlike a dolly shot where the camera itself moves closer or further away, a zoom shot adjusts the lens to change what's in focus and how big it appears.
A dolly/zoom shot is where the camera position and focal length of the lens are simultaneously altered to create a warping effect.
Camera pans rotates the camera side to side on a horizontal axis. This can reveal something to your viewer or allow them to follow an action.
A camera tilt is when you move your camera up and down on a vertical axis. So, it’s exactly like a pan, only vertical.
A whip pan happens when you pan the camera from one shot to another, creating a motion blur.
The swish tilt is the same idea as a swish pan, only vertical.
A tracking shot moves with your subject. Sometimes it follows behind or beside them on a dolly, Steadicam or a gimbal.
Arc shots are camera shots where the camera moves around the subject in an arc pattern so as to show more of the surroundings:
