Another tool we can use to inform and move our audience is by moving the camera. There are some common camera moves that we will examine here.
In a static shot there is no camera movement
In a pan the camera rotates on it's vertical axis across your subject/scene.
A tilt rotates your camera along it's horizontal axis.
A push in, moves the camera forward toward your subject. This can be helpful to change your shot size to capture emotion, to separate a subject from their surroundings
A Pull Out moves the camera away from your subject, making them appear smaller in the frame and revealing more of their surroundings.
A zoom changes the focal length of the camera, this is an unnatural feeling for your audience.
A dolly zoom is a dramatic effect where the camera is moved forward or backward in the scene while the focal length (zoom) is changed in the opposite direction.
The camera roll is a rotational camera movement that rotates the camera over its side on its long axis. Rolls can be dizzying and unnatural. For this reason, filmmakers use it to disorient the audience or create uneasiness. It’s specific effect makes it a very intentional camera movement that should only be used when wanting to elicit a discomfort in the audience.
A tracking shot is any shot that physically moves the camera through the scene for an extended amount of time. Tracking camera movement often follows a traveling subject, though they can be used to simply show off the scene.
The arc shot orbits the camera around a subject in an arc pattern. Arc shots are typically used to add energy to a shot in which characters have minimal actions.
To move the camera vertically upward or downward, filmmakers turn to the boom shot. Boom shots are achieved by using boom crane camera movements, pedestal camera movement, and jibs. They can be small boom movements typically used for reveals and characters.
Other times, filmmakers use large boom movements to show off the setting of a scene. These shots are known as establishing shots.
Sometimes, camera movements are not motivated by character actions, but rather audience experience. Filmmakers often add random movement to a shot via camera shake through a handheld shot to heighten the intensity of a scene.
When used more subtly, the random movement can establish subjectivity for the audience. This is often used in films that are based on true events.