Film: Making Meaning 1 MICRO ELEMENT Cinematography #2
A basic introduction to camera movement terminology, effects and purpose.
Cinematography #2 This presentation, and today’s screenings, will introduce you to some of the terminology used when we discuss camera motion devices. This will help to develop our understanding of the way we read a film and hopefully give you some ammo in both your written analysis and your practical work.
Pan or pan shot/panning shot From a fixed position the camera swivels: Left (pans left) or Right (pans right) this can follow movement in the frame, like a character walking across a room, or pan to reveal something not seen in the original shot. Left (pans left)
Past tense, the camera panned right Think ‘panorama’ or ‘panoramic’
or
Right (pans right)
Tilt – or tilt shots From a fixed position the camera ‘looks’ up or down: Tilt up (camera looks up) or Tilt down (camera looks down) Tilts down
Similar to the L/R motion of the pan but up/down instead, this can also follow movement in the frame, like a rock falling, or tilt up to reveal something not seen in the original shot. In both the pan and tilt the camera body stays at a fixed point.
Tilts up
Ped up/down The camera is fixed onto a ped device like the TV Camera shown or a camera Dolly which which may also be a mini crane or Jib.
Peds up
Using a ped shot, the whole camera body rises or lowers, unlike the tilt where the camera pivots to look up or down. Peds down
Think? Where would you use one over the other?
Tracking – or tracking shots The camera is fixed onto a Dolly which rolls along tracks which are balanced. This provides a steady camera shot often used to follow someone walking Track Left – if the motion in frame moves right to left aka crab left in profile shots Track Right – if the motion in frame moves left to right aka crab right in profile shots Discuss crew roles: Key Grip, Grip, Grip Assistant.
Tracking 2 – Dolly shots When on tracks the camera moves into, or away from, a subject - we call this: Dolly in (or camera Dollies in, tracks in/forward) – when the camera moves in Dolly out (or tracks out) – the camera moves away from the subject
Also see: depth of field, planes of focus, zoom in/out
Truck shots The camera is fixed onto a vehicle which chases or follows the action. The most obvious use is when we follow another vehicle. Question? What shot is the truck shot most similar to? But what more can it offer or what are its limitations? See also, following shot
Steadicam Pivots on a system of hydraulic counterweights making for flowing, bump-free, movement Shots.
Mini jib The camera is fixed onto a Dolly and small crane Allows for crane shots in tighter spaces
Mini Jib shown on Chapman Pee Wee III+ Camera Dolly (8' lens ht.)
Crane Like a tracking/dolly shot the jib and crane shots are very complex shots to undertake. What does a crane shot add to a production? Quick question? How many people do you think it takes to man this camera?
Arc The Matrix (Wachowski Brothers,1999) used ‘BulletTime’ cinematography, several shots involved the camera arcing around the subject, here the camera arcs around Trinity. When would you use an arc shot?
Zooms The camera is usually at a fixed point, like the pan or tilt. With a zoom it’s the lens that moves in not the camera (that would be a….?) Often the shot reveals something. Zoom in/Zoom Out This requires a long lens (telephoto lens)
Hmmm…. What happens to the depth of field?
Crash zooms & Whip-pans As with a zoom or pan - but much faster! Simple. Discuss – Documentary style?
Contra-zooms AKA Reverse zoom, trombone shot et al. The camera dollies in and zooms-out. This creates a somewhat disorientating shot for the viewer. The characters remain the same size within the frame but the depth of field is compressed causing the background mise en scene to encroach around the filmed subject. See Jaws lens camera