camera movement Flashcards
pan
when the camera stays on its axis and pivots side to side. Wes Anderson did a lot of these in The Grand Budapest Hotel.
tilt
when a camera stays on its axis and pivots up and down. This motion is similar to nodding our heads up and down.
Moving shot
when a shot is in motion, typically done with the usage of a vehicle. This reminds me of that one time I tried to make a moving shot with an electric scooter but dropped my phone in the mud.
Tracking shot/dolly
when the camera moves parallel to the ground, like that one scene I liked in Missing.
crane shot
when a shot moves up and down in the air with the assistance of a crane or drone. Matthew and I wanted one of these for Atelis, but we didn’t have a drone, crane, or budget.
Hand-held shot
when the camera operator holds the camera in their hand (duh) and films. This tends to create an element of realism. Josh and I filmed Atelis like this, and it was amazing for certain points, such as demonstrating Brandon’s boredom in life.
Steadicam
when the camera is mounted onto the operator’s body via a body vest. This makes the film very smooth. Josh and I wanted to buy one of these, but we didn’t have the money. (we still don’t)
zoom
(not the quarantine class platform) When camera movement is artificially manufactured. The illusion of movement is created via telephoto lenses. These fake movements have way less depth than the real ones. Wide-angle lenses can make these fake movements feel more real through the enhancement of depth, but nothing beats real movement.
Motivated vs unmotivated movement
motivated movement is when the camera moves in relation to the subject it is filming. However, in unmotivated movement, the camera moves seemingly on its own. The first type of movement is character-driven, while the second is more direction-driven, as it is the director’s commentary on the character’s world. Josh’s filmmaking style has a lot of unmotivated movement, while mine has less.
Long take
his is VERY different from a long shot. This is when a take has a long DURATION.
sequence shot
when a single shot acts as its own sequence or scene, as it is very long. This might seem paradoxical, but don’t worry, it’s not.
offscreen spaces
These are the spaces that are not shown on the camera. Even though they aren’t shown on camera, the audience should have no doubt that these spaces exist. There are 6 different offscreen spaces: offscreen right, offscreen left, offscreen top, offscreen bottom, behind the set, and behind the camera.
Diegetic
the fact that everything in the film is done for the purpose of establishing the world. For example, offscreen right, offscreen left, offscreen top, and offscreen bottom are all diegetic spaces, as they all help make the world of the film more believable
Non-diegetic
when something in a film has nothing to do with the world of a film’s story. For example, behind the set and behind the camera are non-diegetic spaces, as they don’t directly contribute to the world of the story. The recognition of non-diegetic spaces in film is usually avoided, and if it’s shown, it’s probably an accident, like that time when the makeup and wardrobe consultant (Harly) was seen in the background of Atelis.
Reframing/mobile framing
when the movement of a shot causes the objects on the screen to be framed differently. Even the smallest of camera movements can reveal and maintain space and spatial continuity of the world of the film. (yes, mobile framing is camera movement, as the MOBILITY of the film’s composition and FRAMING are major components of camera movement).
