Camera Movement Techniques

Welcome back movie lovers! Today's assignment in class was to experiment with different types of camera movement. We were instructed to take 8 different shot types, including: pan, tilt, dolly, tracking, handheld, zoom, dolly zoom, and boom shots. We were given some time outside in the courtyard of our school campus to get the footage. My friends Chloe and Nevaeh (from aladyblug.blogspot.com and nevaehsgallery.blogspot.com, respectively) worked with me to brainstorm for and act in the films, and I helped them with theirs as well. My results are shown below:  

Pan:

In getting this shot, we tried filming a couple of ideas before we settled on this one. In the clip, you can see Chloe standing on the side before the camera pans to Nevaeh doing a cartwheel. Personally, I feel like this adds a sense of chaos to the footage. I would probably try using a different scenario if I were to film a pan for another project, but I think this shot does what I need it to do.

Tilt:

For this shot, I immediately thought of having a subject stand in front of the camera, which would tilt up to reveal more of the subject at a low angle, creating a sense of suspense and inferiority for the viewer. Chloe agreed to help me out with this one, which I got in one take. I think it came out pretty well!

Dolly:

The dolly shot did take a few tries. Originally, I had my friends sit far from each other on the ground, and I moved the camera to each of them in turn. I think the video came out cool, but I didn't think it was a good fit for this project. After some thinking and discussion, I came up with another idea. Once again, I had Nevaeh and Chloe sit on the floor, but this time they were next to each other and I filmed as the camera moved closer to them. This is the take that I decided to use for the assignment.

Tracking:

My teacher advised that we use similar ideas for the pan and tracking shots in order to be able to observe the difference between the two side-by-side. I chose to follow this advice and directed my subjects to do almost the same thing as before; Chloe stood on the side, and the focus of my tracking shot was on Nevaeh doing cartwheels in the grass. I decided to use my first take of this shot, though I think I can make the movement sync up better with the action if I try again. I found this shot pretty fun to get.

Handheld:

When I read that I needed to get a handheld shot, my mind went immediately to following a subject up a dimly lit, narrow staircase… alas, I couldn’t do that for this project. Instead, I got a bright shot in a reasonably open area. I wanted to film a scene that would highlight the fact that I was using a handheld camera, and I figured the best way to do that was by doing something that would create some shake— this is what led me to the idea of a running scene. In this footage, Nevaeh can be seen running through the courtyard of our school, being closely followed by a shaky, handheld camera. This shot is pretty obviously a handheld shot, but I want to take some more time to experiment with this shot type later.

Zoom:

When we got to this shot, we had already been summoned back into the classroom. This wasn’t really a problem, because I didn’t have any specific ideas for an outdoor zoom shot anyways. As zoom shots are often used to create drama or reveal important information in a film, I thought I could use the audience’s expectations to create an ironic humor for my video. This concept gave me the idea to use the words “Oh no”, which Nevaeh typed into her phone for me and let me zoom in on. I like how smooth the zoom came out and the video isn’t bad, but the footage doesn’t really hold any significance, so it doesn’t create the effect that I wanted to see.

Dolly Zoom:

I wasn’t planning to take this footage at the time that I ended up getting it (as I was preparing for a different shot type), but an opportunity arose and my subject was very eager to participate. On film is my second take of a member of the security team at my school. I only got two takes of this shot, and the effect is noticeable in both. The first take didn’t turn out very well; the second one (visible above) is better but not very smooth at the beginning. I enjoy trying to create dolly zooms, so I’m pretty happy that it was one of my required shots.

Boom:

This shot turned out to be my favorite. I didn’t have a complete plan for it at first, but I suggested that my subjects sit on the table and went from there. I kind of rushed the very end of the clip and I wasn’t entirely sure whether or not I actually did want to go over the umbrella, but otherwise I think this video looks pretty cool. I had never really messed with boom shots before, but I think I might try using them more often now. I got this clip in one take, and I honestly love how it turned out.