The effects of Camera Movement – why they’re used

Camera movement has the potential to function in

many different ways, such as to direct the viewer's attention,
reveal off-screen space, provide narrative information, or create
expressive effects.

The camera most frequently moves when an object moves

within the frame, initiating reframing or a
following shot. Reframing involves slight pans or
tilts designed to maintain the balance of a
composition during figure movement. A camera
operator will reframe when a sitting person stands
up, for instance, so as to keep the person in the
frame and allow for appropriate headroom.
Reframing helps to fix the viewer's eye on the
most important figures within the frame and is so
common it is often unnoticed.

The camera itself accompanies the movement of an object during a

following shot. A track, crane, or hand-held shot can lead a
moving figure into space, pursue a figure from behind, or float
above, below, or alongside. Intricate following shots may be
motivated by the movements of more than one figure.

Not all camera movement responds to motion within the

frame; the filmmaker may direct the camera away from the
dominant action for other purposes. Such camera movement draws
attention to itself and is typically used sparingly to emphasize
significant narrative details. For example,
when Judy (Natalie Wood) stands up to exit the
police station in Rebel Without a Cause (1955),
the camera pans and tilts down to frame the
compact she left behind, highlighting an
important motif that will bring the protagonists
together.

Because of its ability to reveal or conceal space, camera

movement often participates in the creation of suspense and
surprise. In Strangers on a Train (1951), a point-of-view editing
pattern places the viewer in the optical perspective of Guy (Farley
Granger) as he approaches a dark staircase to warn a father of his
son's murderous intentions. The director Alfred Hitchcock (1899–

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1980) then varies the editing pattern by craning up from Guy to
disclose a menacing dog waiting on the landing above. The
independent camera movement informs the viewer of an obstacle
unknown to Guy, raising the question of whether he will be able to
reach the father—thus heightening suspense.

Later in the same scene,

Hitchcock alters his use of
camera movement to conceal
off-screen space and
suppress narrative
information. As Guy enters the
bedroom to wake the sleeping
father, the camera tracks to
Guy's side and keeps the father
off-screen. By delaying an
onscreen image of the father's
bed, Hitchcock surprises viewers
when a subsequent shot reveals the treacherous son in his father's
place.

Sometimes camera movement positions the viewer as an

objective witness to unfolding events.

Very slow camera movements within long takes focus the

viewer on the passage of time and build narrative
expectation. When this happens, the camera movement situates
the viewer as a curious inhabitant of the narrative world, linking
simultaneous events in adjacent spaces and integrating the
protagonist's preparations for death with a joyous celebration of life.

Camera movement can also be used to illustrate a

character's subjective experience. This is used very effectively
in ‘Friday 13th’ when Michael climbs down the stairs in his ‘fancy
dress’ having just murdered his sister. The framing is classically
framed by the outline of Michael’s face mask.

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Camera movements – what they’re called

Track (or Dolly)

Moving the camera itself towards or away from the subject,
or to follow a moving subject. The shot is called a ‘track’ or
‘tracking’ shot because the camera is often run along a
small track (very like a small railway track) to follow the
action.

The use of the word ‘Dolly’ comes from a tripod which is on wheels
called a ‘dolly’. Both these techniques are
used to stabilize the camera. This places all
the focus on the objects/action in the frame –
it allows for focus to remain still whilst
the background rushes past. This is often
used when we stay with the occupants of a
car, listening to their dialogue and watching
their actions when the background is
largely unimportant. It should not to be confused with a zoom,
where the camera’s lens is varied to give the impression of moving
closer to, or away from the subject.

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Pan

This is pivoting the camera from one side to the other, usually to
scan a scene or to follow a moving subject as it moves past, in
a kind of semi circular sweep. The camera
stays STILL and the action rushes past.
This highlights the SPEED of what is
happening in form of the camera OR it gives
clear evidence of scope of the scene – often
used to show the surroundings or to
establish the ‘background’.

Whip pan

A sudden, fast pan. This can easily be viewed in the opening of

'Snatch' and is common in that stylised brit style gangster movie
genre.

Tilt
Pivoting the camera vertically up or
down. This produces a low or high
angle shot. The LOW angle shot
emphasises the subject's power whereas
a HIGH angle shot makes the subject
seem much smaller.

Rolling Shot
This is when the camera moves diagonally, making the image
askew. It can also be a kind of rocking or swaying style. This is
usually used to show that the character is ill or drugged and is often
used in as point of view shot. When this is extended to the frame, it
is also called a ‘dutch angle’ or a 'canted angle'.

Dutch Angle

Arc

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Moving the camera in an arc around the subject. This can produce
a disorientating effect and is often used when a character is
dealing with a revelation or moment of 'discovery'.

Subject

Crane shot
This is used when the camera itself moves up
or down and is usually placed higher above
the ground/action. The crane shot is the
primary means of moving the camera above
ground. During crane shots, the camera rises
and lowers on a platform connected to a
mechanical arm, much like utility company
cherry-pickers. A crane enables the camera to travel great
distances up and down, as well as forward and backward and
from side to side.

Overhead
This is where the camera looks over the action
or scene directly from above – it’s like a kind of
shot from the ceiling.

Aerial shot
Aerial shots are taken from a plane or helicopter
and are a variation of crane shots. A camera
mounted on an aerial support can move into space
in all directions while achieving much greater
heights than can a crane.

Filmmakers began exploring ways to mount a camera on a plane

during the 1910s, and in the 1950s helicopter mounts created
additional shooting possibilities. An aerial shot may frame another
flying object or it may provide a "bird's eye view" of the
landscape, as in the swooping helicopter shot of Julie Andrews in
the Alps at the opening of The Sound of Music (1965).

Hand-held shot
This is used to convey a sense of immediacy OR it can be used to
suggest realism. Thus this shot if often used in more gritty films.

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However, it is often used these days as it allows for more
freedom and with the use of a steadicam the shots have less of
the hand-held, shaky feel that one associates with amateur film.

The main parts height with viewer The real thing

Zoom (Crash Zoom, Reverse Zoom, Reverse Crash Zoom)

This is not really a movement of the camera but it appears to be so.
It is when the focus is pulled making either the object/scene slowly
appear closer or further away. When this is done very fast, it’s
called a crash zoom. When the focus reverses to make the
object/scene seem further away, then it’s called a reverse zoom or,
when done very quickly, a reverse crash zoom.

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Editing
How the individual shots are put together in terms of the way it's
done STYLE and how quickly PACE.

There are two main types of editing which you will encounter in
mainstream films and TV programmes:

Continuity editing
The majority of film sequences are edited so that time seems to
flow, uninterrupted, from shot to shot. Within a ‘continuity editing’
sequence, only cuts will be used. Continuity editing can also involve
‘cross-cutting’, where a sequence cuts between two different
settings where action is taking place at the same time. There are
matches on action and no editing that draws attention to itself. this
is the realm of the 'invisible edit'.

Montage
In montage, different images are assembled to build up an
impression. This is often used in title sequences. The most famous
example of this technique is the Odessa Steps sequence from
Battleship Potemkin. This is used increasingly in what is now called
'American Quality Television' and includes most of the shows
headlining on Sky, FX, Channel 4 amongst others.

Editing can vary both in pace (how long individual shots stay on the
screen for) and in the transitions (or STYLE) between shots.
Transitions describe the way in which one shot replaces the
previous one and is the term used by editors and their software.

PACE OF EDITING
Cutting rate
Frequent cuts may be used as deliberate interruptions to shock,
surprise or emphasize. Generally speaking, the rate that cuts are
made increases with the tension in the film.

Cutting rhythm
A cutting rhythm may be progressively shortened to increase
tension. Cutting rhythm may be exciting (erratic and unpredictable),
lyrical (in time with the music or with a feeling of rhythm) or
staccato (like sharp regular cuts). It can create excitement, musical
‘alignment’ or intense response in the viewer.

TRANSITIONS /STYLES OF EDITING

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Straight Cut
One image is suddenly replaced by another, without a visible
transition. We are so used to these you will probably not even
notice them. In Classic continuity editing, that is the point – not to
be noticed.

Cross-dissolve
One image dissolves into another. This can be used to make a
montage sequence – such as a title sequence - flow smoothly; it
can also be used in continuity editing to show that we have moved
forwards in time and/or space.

Fade up
An image gradually fades in

Fade out
An image gradually fades out. Fades to and from black usually
mean that time has passed

Wipe
One image replaces another without dissolving, with the border
between the images moving across or around the screen. This style
was previously popular in the 1960s but has not been much used
until recent work, mostly cartoon based hollywood mainstream films
such as Hellboy and Iron Man.

Jump Cut
This is where a cut is disjointed – often by the change in what the
audience sees not changing that much – the action appears to
judder or just ‘jump’. This is used to disconcert the audience.
Typically a jump cut is one of less than 30° and is easy enough to
spot as it makes the scene literally 'jump' before your eyes and it Is
used infrequently.

Matched cut
In a 'matched cut' a familiar relationship between the shots may
make the change seem smooth through:
continuity of direction
completed action*
a similar centre of attention in the frame
a one-step change of shot size (e.g. long to medium)
a change of angle (conventionally at least 30 degrees)
*The cut is usually made on an action (for example, a person begins
to turn towards a door in one shot; the next shot, taken from the
doorway, catches him completing the turn). Because the viewer's
eye is absorbed by the action he is unlikely to notice the movement
of the cut itself.

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Motivated cut
This is a cut made just at the point where what has occurred makes
the viewer immediately want to see something which is not
currently visible (causing us, sometimes, to accept compression of
time or space – we can jump in time or place – what matters is
seeing the next ‘expected’ thing). A typical feature is the
shot/reverse shot technique (cuts coinciding with changes of
speaker). Editing and camera work appear to be determined by the
action.

Cutaway/cutaway shot (CA)

A bridging cut, this is usually an intercut shot between two shots of
the same subject. It represents a secondary activity occurring at
the same time as the main action. It may be preceded by a definite
look or glance out of frame by a participant, or it may show
something of which those in the preceding shot are unaware.

It may be used to avoid the technical ugliness of a 'jump cut' where

there would be uncomfortable jumps in time, place or viewpoint.

It is often used to shortcut the passing of time.

Reaction shot
Is a cut to any shot, usually a cutaway, in which a participant reacts
to action which has just occurred.

Insert/insert shot
A bridging close-up shot inserted into the larger context, offering an
essential detail of the scene (or a reshooting of the action with a
different shot size or angle). This is often a focus on an object,
person or reaction.

Buffer shot (neutral shot)

A bridging shot (normally taken with a separate camera) to
separate two shots which would have reversed the continuity of
direction or to move from one place to another we no jumping
effect.
Make a note of these in your work and add examples to your list as
you spot them. This will help you to build up a good understanding.

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