Six Camera Movements

I want to talk about the six camera movements that you need to know in filmmaking.

First off, a dolly. A dolly shot is when the camera is physically moving towards a subject or away from the subject, not a zoom, but really moving forward and backwards. This is often achieved on a dolly or a slider. Second camera term is a boom shot. This is when the camera is physically moving up and down. This is often achieved on a jib or a crane. Number three, a truck shot. This is when the camera is actually moving left to right. This is often achieved on a slider or dolly. The fourth camera movement is often the most misused term, pan. True pan is when the camera is typically on a tripod and it’s moving left or right. Next up we have a tilt, also achieved most commonly on a tripod, but the camera is either looking down or looking up. And the sixth camera movement that you need to know is a roll. It’s when the camera physically turns and spins. There’s variety of ways you can achieve this. Most successfully it’s done with a gimbal.

Now all these shots can become way more dynamic when you mix two together.