The Moving Camera

“In collaboration with the director and all the creative

forces present during the preparation of the shoot,
and then on set, all the minds and hands come
together in creating images and emotions that
continue to attract and fascinate audiences around
the world. Shaping these images with composition,
movement, lighting, colour, and texture is one of our
roles as cinematographers”.
Manuel Billeter 15 October 2018
Lancaster, Kurt. Basic Cinematography (p. viii). Taylor and Francis.
 Learning Objectives
Analyse the developing shot
from the perspective of the
cinematographer

A good eye is more important than

the most advanced or “best” camera
equipment. There are many tools
that are given to us, and most of
them lay outside the confines of the
equipment list.
A shot not only
technically
reproduces the reality
it captures, but more
importantly, it also
conveys an idea, an
emotion, a tone.
Storytelling
Shots may look good, they may
even be poetically beautiful, but
if the story emotions contained
in the script fail to materialise in
a moment-to-moment
manifestation through the
blocking and body language of
Atonement (2007) the actors, then the composition,
camera movement, and lighting
will unlikely serve the story.
What is your Job?

The first step in the

cinematographer’s job
involves discovering emotions
found in a story and
translating them physically to
the screen with a camera. It
begins with the script.
Blocking
As those emotions become clearly defined,
we can visualise them through blocking and
body language (good actors will do this work
naturally and they will come up with creative
ideas that may be better than ours), but we
must begin with this before any other work on
the film can be done since the emotions, the
subtext, is what drives all of the other choices
filmmakers must make.
If you strip away the dialogue and are still able
to follow the story visually through the
blocking (and composition), you’ve done your
job as a director and cinematographer.
Actors
The word ‘drama’ itself in Ancient
Greek means ‘an action being The physical actions of actors
performed’” (Stanislavski, 2008: 40) grow from the underlying
psychological needs and wants of
characters, and good actors will
Stanislavski stresses how actors
feel those emotions bubble up
“start with physical actions that
from the physicalisation of the
are stable and manageable” in
order to tap into the subtext.
psychological—“we can use As DP you need to previsualise
physical actions to arouse and make blocking notes so you
emotions” (Stanislavski, 2010: 78). can anticipate your director needs.
 Visualizing Dramatic Subtext
Based on four questions:

What does each character want?

The inner desires, needs, wants of the characters define who they are.

What do they do to get what they want?

Their desires drive the action and creates the plot.

What prevents them from getting what they want?

If characters get what they want with no resistance, then there would be no conflict, and not
much of a story, since conflict feeds the plot. And sometimes characters don’t get what
they want, but what they need.

Whose point of view is it?

The character going through an emotional change in a film (or scene). Knowing who “owns”
the scene—usually the one with the most at stake, the most to lose—helps to determine the
shots needed to reveal that point of view.
 Exercise for Breaking Down script
How photographic qualities determine narrative effect

Photographic – Where is the camera stationed?

Narrative – Whose point of view is being expressed?
Photographic – What size is the shot?
Narrative – What distance are we from the subject of the scene
(shot size) the emotional distance ?
Photographic – What is our angle of view ?
Narrative – What is our relationship to the subject?
Photographic – Are we cutting or moving the camera?
Narrative – Are we comparing points of view?
Composition and Camera Movement
Choices in composition should allow the audience to
receive all of the necessary information for them to
follow the story, visually. That comprises the director’s
job. A cinematographer should utilise the tools
outlined in this lecture to envision the director’s plan.
Composition and Camera Movement
Camera motion: the way to change composition in a
shot. When not static (locked off), shots may be
handheld, shaky, slow, or fast in motion, but in all
cases it should reinforce the story, and changes in
motion in a scene should revolve around emotional
shifts in the story, what’s called motivated camera
movement.
Shot size and lenses
All moving shots start with the choice of a lens. But
lenses also determine how an audience feels about the
story at particular moments, so examining how different
types of lenses influence how we perceive a story (even
if unconsciously), sets the discerning cinematographer
on the path to thinking about how shots sizes and focal
lengths of lenses comprise one of the most important
elements of visual storytelling in cinema.
Psychological Impact of Lenses
Psychological Impact of Lenses

Lancaster, Kurt. Basic Cinematography (p. 61). Taylor and Francis.

The proper lens (at the correct distance) will reinforce the emotion
found in the story as performed by the actors. In many ways, the
impact of how a particular lens is used or how a camera moves
depends on the style of the story. The filmmaker sets the rules of
consistency in how certain focal lengths, composition, camera
movement, and camera angles reinforce different psychological
situations.
As we have discussed in previous lectures the
the height of the camera and camera angle in
relationship to the subject also determines the
psychological nature of a scene.
Panning & Tilting
The simplest moving shot
Replace a series of edited shots
Provides multiple views in a single shot
Makes connections between ideas
Create graphic & rhythmic variations
Panning
The simplest moving shot. Covers space from left of screen to right and vice versa on a
static axis (tripod).
Use to cover subject movement, moving from one subject to another to show the
relationship between them in space.
Use to cover the reaction of someone. Following the eyes, the energy of one person
looking at another—we pan to see what the character looking sees.
Use to cover a person drawing attention to an object and following it, used in some ways
as the continuation of a physical action.
Psychologically, an audience wants to see what another character is looking at, so the
pan releases this tension as we want to follow the gaze.
Makes connections between ideas, create graphic & rhythmic variations
pan shot

Broken Embraces (2009) Pedro Almodovar

pan shot
You might want to pan with a character as he moves about a location to
establish, in real time, how long it takes him to get across it.

To show the spatial relationships that exist at that location if this information
plays a critical role in your story.

Panning can also be used to preserve the integrity of a particularly

important performance by an actor that could have its impact diminished
if editing were used instead.

An argument between a couple, could be covered by panning back and

forth between them instead of using shot/reverse shot combination, to
convey the heightening of emotions as they get increasingly agitated.

The panning speed of the camera could even be choreographed to

match the intensity of their exchange, while letting the audience
experience the argument in real time would make the scene stand out
from other scenes that use conventional editing techniques.
In Horizontal Panoramic Shot the camera Rotates
360 degrees
Pan can cover a space faster than a tracking shot
Can frame one goalpost at one end of a football field and
move to opposite end in a second
Can include more space
Follow action as it moves
Connect two or more points of interest graphically
Connect or imply connection between two or more subjects
Scenic Pan
Slow move over landscape staple of a home movie
Used as opening shot of a movie
Tilt up a skyscraper to convey height
180 Pan from Howard Hawkes - Red River
Illustrates the immensity of the undertaking
Red River (1948) Howard Hawkes https://youtu.be/TZJP79KDwEg
 Panning to cover Action
▪Reframe so subject
remains in desired portion of
frame
▪Can cover a wide space
more quickly than other
shots
▪Camera placement is key –
▪Is camera in or out of
dramatic circle of action?
https://youtu.be/KNgOOsAd8fA
Panning and Telephoto Lenses
Longer lenses increase the perceived speed of objects moving across the
frame.
Panning with longer lenses over short distance can be made to seem longer.
When using a long lens, the background is drawn toward the subject, and the
foreground is compressed toward the subject.
Director Akira Kurosawa frequently used the telephoto pan.
Small DOF can be used to isolate a subject.
Increase sense of motion and blur with fast moving subject.
An actor wont appear to move fast toward the camera, but objects moving
across the frame will appear to move quickly. We see the character trapped
or struggling in a chaotic world.
Deliverance (1972),Vilmos Zsigmond used 1000mm
to follow characters on river.

https://youtu.be/SDb088UFBJI
 Motivating a Pan
A passing car or
blowing leaves can
motivate a pan.
Cross pan is where a
moving subject leads
us to another moving
subject.
 Panning to Emphasize Depth

A subject running towards

camera turns a corner and
runs L – R.
Goes behind a woman
sitting in a car in extreme
foreground.
tilt shot

In Bruges ( 2008) Martin McDonagh

tilt shot
Tilt shots pivot the camera up or down while it remains stationary, mounted on a tripod or
handheld.

This move shifts the audience’s attention from one area to another, vertically extending
the range of the visual scope of the shot.

It is commonly used as an establishing shot, introducing a location by tilting the camera

down to gradually reveal it to the audience.

Sometimes the tilt ends on a character, showing her arriving or leaving.

Another variation includes first showing a character, usually after an exchange with
someone, then tilting the camera up to reveal the location, providing a context (i.e.,
comic or ironic) to their previous exchange.

Like pan shots, tilt shots preserve the integrity of real time, space, and a performance.
tilt shot
Their use should be reserved for those moments in your story when it is narratively
meaningful to make this choice rather cutting to cover the same action.

The tilt can be motivated by the movement of a character or some other aspect
of the scene .

Unmotivated camera movement is sometimes avoided because it can call

attention to itself and distract the audience from the story.

The most common tilt shots go largely unnoticed by the audience, since they take
the form of slight vertical reframes that happen when characters move closer or
farther away from the camera, in order to maintain proper headroom as per the
rule of thirds.

Potential to reveal importance of grandeur or majesty of an object or subject, by

tilting up to reveal a towering figure or object. May be menacing to the subject if
shot from a low angle.
 Panning & Tilting

The Last Of The Mohicans (1992) Michael Mann https://youtu.be/q8ZisDHg6v0

Handheld
Hand-held & The Verity Style
The handheld verity style originated out of necessity in World War 11 combat
photography.

The verity style was refined by practitioners of the French New Wave and
European art films of the 1960’s.

Particularly influential was Claude Lelouch’s low-budget documentary-style A

Man and a Woman (1966, d.p.Claude Lelouch), which won two Academy
Awards and was a box office hit

Two years later Haskell Wexler directed and shot Medium Cool (1969), shot on an
Eclair CM3, perhaps the most fully realised example of the verity aesthetic
released by a major studio.

Later films would use hand-held more selectively, to inject energy into a scene.
Hand-held & The Verity Style

The crowd scene in Dog Day Afternoon (1975) Sidney Lumet, dp Victor J. Kemper,
are shot handheld whist the intimate shoots in the bank are not.

Where Janusz Kaminski used a handheld camera for about 60 percent of

Schindler’s List (1993 Spielberg), he estimates its use on Saving Private Ryan as 90
percent, so as to mimic the combat footage of World War 11.

Kaminski also explained “For handheld work we used Clairmont Camera’s Shaker,
which is an ingenious device. You can dial in the degree of vibration you want
with vertical and horizontal settings, and mount it to a handheld camera or crane,
whatever.”

When using choppy quick movement, then use to convey a sense of frenetic,
out-of-control behaviour.
 Hand-Held

A Man and a Woman (1966) Claude Lelouch https://youtu.be/O3eZU4GOfM8

zoom shot

The Conversation (1974) Francis Ford Coppola

zoom shot
Zoom shots were originally used as part of the verity aesthetic. The zooms lent a
strong feeling of spontaneity, as though the event was being covered by a
documentary camera.

On a more practical note the zoom acted as a fast, cheap substitute for dolly
shots.

A slow dolly in used for emphasis could be executed by a simple turn of a a dial.

A very quick “crash zoom”, can be used to accent or heighten a moment of high
drama.

In Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) George Roy-Hill d.p. Conrad Hall.
The outlaws are fleeing through rocky terrain: as Sundance shouts “Damn it!” A
quick zoom-out reveals that they have reached the end of a steep cliff. This would
have not been possible on a dolly.
zoom shot
Zoom lenses are generally slower than prime lenses and softer (although the later
characteristic is considered by some cinematographers to be a benefit).

The key characteristic of the zoom when used as a long lens, is shallow depth of
field with out of focus backgrounds.

Because the zoom lens simply enlarges the image while a dolly does this and
changes the camera angle to the action. The zoom was considered an inelegant
substitute.

The zoom’s ubiquity in television, seen as an inferior medium, was another issue.
Where the tendency was for zooms to be overused on tight schedules as a time
saver.
We’re conscious that a camera is being used (to create the effect of newsreel
footage, like a live event—someone with a camera covering an event, providing
a subjective look).

Use to move close or farther away from the subject while maintaining absolute
motion, so only use if the subjective view is needed.
Contra Zoom

https://youtu.be/WIpMtL68G8w
 Contra Zoom
The effect is achieved by zooming a zoom lens to adjust the angle of view (often
referred to as field of view, or FOV) while the camera dollies (moves) toward or
away from the subject in such a way as to keep the subject the same size in the
frame throughout.

The visual appearance for the viewer is that either the background suddenly
grows in size and detail and overwhelms the foreground, or the foreground
becomes immense and dominates its previous setting, depending on which way
the dolly zoom is executed.

As the human visual system uses both size and perspective cues to judge the
relative sizes of objects, seeing a perspective change without a size change is a
highly unsettling effect, often with strong emotional impact.

The effect was first conceived by Irmin Roberts, a Paramount second-

unit cameraman, in Alfred Hitchcock's film Vertigo(1958). The shot has since been
used in many other films, including Goodfellas (1990) Martin Scorsese d.p. Michael
Ballhaus, Jaws (1975) Steven Spielberg d.p. Bill Butler, and the Lord of the Rings,
films.
Contra Zoom

Talking Lives (2004) D.j. Caruso

 Dolly & Grip

▪Dolly
▪Crane
▪Developing shot
Parallax
Imagine that you are looking out through a train window.

As the train is traveling, nearby objects appear to move across the window faster
than objects further away.
The trees right next to the tracks whoosh by quickly while the mountains in the
background move very slowly.
This complex overlapping “motion” is known as parallax. It is so embedded in our
perception of movement and depth that we hardly pay attention to it in real life,
but the lack of parallax is immediately apparent to even the most uninitiated eye.
A movement without parallax feels like there’s no depth, as if all the objects are
on the same exact plane.
Parallax
If the train window is a camera lens, then the train movement is essentially
a track move. Any type of horizontal or vertical move (track, dolly in/out,
and crane up/down) generates parallax. One thing to note here is that
the effect of parallax diminishes with distance.
Perspective Shift
A perspective shift means that the camera reveals different parts or areas
of an object as the camera moves.
If we crane up in front of a house, we’ll first see its façade, but as the
camera moves higher up we’ll start seeing the roof from above.
Just like parallax, perspective shift is more pronounced in the foreground
than the background. A camera that travels along a street will reveal the
sides of nearby buildings as it travels, but distant buildings will still show only
their front facades.
 Camera movement

Why move the camera?

Transition moving from one subject to another
Reveal revealing the subject from obscurity
Develop Emotion changing the mood by pushing in or pulling out
Travelling moving with a moving subject
Maintaining the line moving with a subject to avoid crossing the line
Maintaining the shot moving with a subject to maintain the shot size
For style to maintain movement for stylistic purposes
What kind of tracking shots are there?

Lateral tracking side by side

Track in / out track in to emphasis/track out to abandon

Counter-track tracking in the opposite direction to a moving subject

Converging/diverging diagonal move closer or further from a moving subject

Trombone using the same track to move one direction then the other
 Laying and Levelling Metal Track

Make sure you have all the items you need:

Metal Track
Track Joiners (Bottle Screws)
A Spirit Level
Wooden Wedges
Paganinis (Small Wooden Blocks - you will only need these on a slope)
 If this is the
highest point,
Decide on the start and end B A put the rst
Using the spirit level
points of the shot and mark them wedge here
and another
on the floor with tape
E F
wedge, bring the
opposite side of the
Work out where the highest point
same sleeper (B) up
of the floor is - this will be where
to match the first
you begin - bear in mind it might D C

be in the middle
Once the first piece Now move to the
of track is level, opposite end of the
Lay out the right number of
attach the second single piece of track
lengths of track to match the piece using the
and ask a member
points marked on the floor, but joiners
of the team to
do not join them yet
stand gently on the
level piece of track
Starting at the highest point (A),
(at A/B) to make
put a wedge under one sleeper
sure it doesn’t
on one side at the furthest point
move. Using the
of the single piece of track, this is
spirit level, bring one
now the level you will match
side (C) up to the
everything to
same level as the
master point (A)
fi
Again, using the spirit level and a wedge, make sure the single piece of track is level
across the sleeper (D)

Now your single piece of track is level across all 4 corners (A, B, C & D)

You can now gently place wedges under the middle sleeper (E & F). You don’t need to
level it with the spirit level because it should now be level if the four corners are. Make
sure you don’t lift up the track while gently placing these wedges underneath.

Attach a second piece of track to the first using the track joiners

Level the second piece of track as you did the first. Make sure you don’t change the first
one while you do it

Continue adding track using the same method until you’ve reached the end point
Panther Husky Dolly

https://vimeo.com/41905685
The Tracking Shot
Can simply frame one subject
Complex sequence that connects multiple story
elements in a flowing movement
A static shot cannot be inserted into a tracking shot of
the same action
But static shots can be joined to travelling shot
sequence
Travelling shots can be joined to Travelling shots
Travelling shots prepares the viewer for graphic
complexity
dolly shot

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Steven Spielberg

Tracking & The Circle of Action

If in a Ballroom dance scene, the camera is on the dance

floor, it is said to be in the circle of action
If it dollies along a balcony covering the action its outside
the circle of action
It can travel in & out of the action in the same shot
Camera can travel towards and away and include a range
from WS, MS – CU
This can work with the narrative to increase or decrease the
intimacy of the scene.
Movement in the Frame

https://youtu.be/doaQC-S8de8
Planning for a Tracking shot

What is the relationship to the circle of action in or out?

What is the subject to camera distance (emotional
distance)?
Whose point of view is being expressed in the script?
Tracking to Introduce a Subject or Location

Can inspect a subject or location revealing it slowly.

This can be inside or outside circle of action.
Motivated Dolly Shot

https://youtu.be/doaQC-S8de8
The camera can also turn corners move forward and
backwards, halt and move again, change speed, cross its
own path
Move through windows and doors
Track at the same speed as the subject
Track directly in-front or behind
Track on a parallel path
Subject can be framed full figure, medium shot or close up
Used to record conversation in cars, horses, boats etc
Tracking Faster than subject

Camera moves at a different speed from that of the subject

The perspective is accentuated
3 planes of action
Background, subject and foreground move at different rates
Subject can exit and enter frame as camera moves
i.e. If a runner is loosing race camera can move past them
If runner winning they would go faster than camera
Variations
When recording a conversation camera keeps pace
then slows down and is left behind
Subject overtakes moving camera then moves along at
same speed
 Moving Towards and Away from Subject

Increases and decreases

importance within the story.
A dolly in can emphasise a
moment of realisation.
Dolly Out
A dolly out can de-emphasise a subject - isolating them
i.e. a woman standing at a railway station as a train pulls
away with her child on-board
A Camera Mounted on the back of the train as it pulls away
indicating her sense of loss
Can be used as an intro shot at the beginning of a scene?
We pull back from a worn expensive suit revealing a squalid
room.
Unmotivated Camera Moves

https://youtu.be/h2c3JZ6X3f8
Exercise A Push In & Pull Back
Block and shoot a tracking shot pushing
in to reveal a characters inner turmoil.
Block and shoot a tracking shot pulling
back to reveal a characters isolation as
camera moves back abandoning them.
Circular Track
 Combining INT and EXT Space

Moving in a continuous
track
Entering the Int in front of
subject using a jib arm
 Shooting Through Windows and Doors
The camera frames the subject
through a window close to
glass so window frame not seen
Viewer unaware camera is
inside as subject walks past
outside and we pan
Continuing panning we follow
subject entering doorway
following subject into the house
The viewer realises they have
been watching subject from
inside a room
Crane Shot
Crane
Crane Shot
Takes time to execute
Careful planning necessary
Models are an excellent way to plan
Virtus WalkThrough (CAD based 3D software)great for
planning
Choreography improves with practice
crane shot

The Piano (1993) Jane Campion,.

Crane
Establishes geography
Used at the beginning of a sequence
Sense of presence
Penetrates space
Establishes reality through the illusion of depth
Mobile tripod
Last Tango In Paris (1972) Bernardo Bertolucci

In the next clip from Last Tango in Paris. The crane is

used to reveal Marlon Brando’s torment after the
suicide of his wife.
https://youtu.be/zYfQ-nLTgkI
Notorious (1946) Alfred Hitchcock
During a posh soirée at the home of the wealthy Nazi Sebastian
(Claude Rains), whom the undercover Alicia (Ingrid Bergman) has been
assigned to seduce, the spy and her handler (Cary Grant) plot to
surreptitiously search the host’s suspicious wine cellar.
A crane-mounted camera calmly surveys the party in progress from a
perch near the top of a grand staircase, before swooping down
through the air to the floor below, all the while pushing in on Alicia, until
coming to rest on a close-up of the cellar key in her trembling hand.
The camera underscores the psychological tension that keys represent
https://youtu.be/JueGAaj5pu8
Citizen Kane (1941) Orson Welles
Watch the scene in the following slide from Citizen
Kane’s El Rancho scene, where Susan Alexander
works as a singer.
The camera begins on a sign outside the restaurant
and then climbs upward to the roof. Then it glides
forward, through another sign, and approaches a
skylight. When it reaches the skylight, Welles uses an
“invisible” dissolve to cut to a high-angle long-shot of
the interior of El Rancho.
This camera movement calls attention to itself as a
spectacle. Not only is it unusual to begin a scene by
climbing up a building and floating across its roof, the DP- Greg Toland
cut through the glass window (skylight) is obviously
impossible.
Welles uses the crane shot to blend a miniature model
of the outside of the restaurant with an actual set. The
shot establishes space and sets up the scene, but it
does this in an overt and noticeable way.
https://youtu.be/47l_q4YjSc4
Crane range of motion
A crane can drop below its
base doubling its range
Can be attached to camera
car , Truck, Boat
Remote control Camera
3 axis head (Pan, Tilt, Roll)
3 axis control (Zoom, Focus,
Iris)
do this
Don’t slavishly follow the subject
Does your shot size change
Use foreground to add acceleration and depth
As a subject goes over a hill we see over the crest as
we push forward
 Jib Arm POV

Here we might jib down with

the subject as they begin to
crouch.

Use subject as framing

devise and push through.
Louma Crane

https://youtu.be/IGPjj43OTPs
 Louma Crane
The Louma Crane, combines the functions of a steady cam, a remote operating
camera (used in motion control for VFX), and a crane.

It can move forward and backward, track in or out, go up or down and pan and
roll 360.

Unlike a traditional crane, the Louma is a remote crane, operated from a console
that is separate from the boom upon which the camera is operated. This way the
crane can reach angles that would be impossible to achieve if an operator was
riding it.

Shooting 1941 (1979), Steven Spielberg praised the Louma’s ability to create
complex, flashy movements. “I don’t know of another camera that can shoot
straight down and then make an arm drop to within inches of the ground and
then suddenly tilt and be looking straight up again.”

https://youtu.be/l9NSd5_cx_c
 Louma Crane
Other variations include the Pogocan used on Point Break and True Lies. The
Spacecam used on The Shawshank Redemption(1994) Frank Darabont d.p. Roger
Deakins and Waterworld (1995) Kevin Reynolds d.p. Dean Semler.
Louma & Steadycam mix

Spectre (2015) Sam Mendes

DP Hoyte van Hoytema https://youtu.be/cbqv1kbsNUY
Steadicam
 Steadicam

The steadicam combines the practical attributes of the hand-held camera with
the smoothness of a dolly.

Ted Churchill said of the Steadicam “ there is little that can match the wide angle
Steadicam shot in pure kinetic energy. It makes for an eye-catching opening, is
great for fast intercutting”.

Steadicam’s ability too rapidly change perspective, to make highly energetic

moves, works wonderfully for quick cutting, creating enormous excitement for the
audience.
 Steadicam
Heskell Wexler used Steadicam to follow Woody Guthrie (David Carradine)
through a migrant camp in Steadicam’s feature debut in Bound for Glory (1976).
Haskell Wexler had Brown start the shot on a fully elevated platform crane
which jibbed down, and when it reached the ground, Brown stepped off and
walked the camera through the set. This technically audacious and previously
impossible shot

Stanley Kubrick famously gave steadicam operator Garrett Brown a full title page
credit on The Shinning (1980).

50% of the shots in Born on the forth of July (1989) were shot on steadicam.

The celebrated opening to Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas (1990, d.p. Michael

Ballhaus) was shot on steadicam.
https://vimeo.com/60974401
History of Steadicam

https://youtu.be/vF4jPaFQNHo
Movi - Gimbal Stabilised System

https://vimeo.com/188601738
 Movi/Ronin

The gimbal, first popularised by Movi in 2013, is an electronic solution to camera

stabilisation.

The technology appeared years before in helicopter mounts and crane arms.
However, it wasn’t until digital cinema cameras under 10 pounds appeared that a
handheld gimbal became viable.

The camera gimbal works by measuring the camera’s position hundreds of times
per second, and when it detects a movement, it engages motors to move an
equal degree in the opposite direction, thereby negating the shake.

Gimbals get lighter, stronger, and more capable every year, whereas the
Steadicam is still basically the same four decades later. So, what are the relative
strengths and weaknesses of each one?
 Steadicam Vs Movi
Gimbals are cheaper, quicker to set up, and easier to use. They still have a
learning curve. It takes time and practice to become proficient with one,
especially with heavier cameras.

One thing a Steadicam compensates for and a gimbal does not is the up-and-
down movement of walking. When walking with a gimbal, you need to bend your
knees and do what’s commonly referred to as the “duck walk” a shuffle that limits
vertical bobbing. This limits just how fast you can move, while keeping the motion
smooth.

A Steadicam — despite being more expensive, taking longer to set up, and
requiring more skill to operate, has advantages over the gimbal. Because the
Steadicam isn’t supported entirely by the operator’s arms, the shots can be
longer, and the operator can do more takes in a row before their performance
starts to suffer. Famous Steadicam takes are minutes long, and a trained operator
can do take after take without needing a break.
Gimbals Vs. Stedicams

https://youtu.be/Jer6EZFZV4g
 A Hybrid Future-Trinity

Hybrid systems have appeared in recent years that try to combine elements from
both stabilisers, a gimbal on a Steadicam like arm. These give you the best of both
worlds, but also the worst of both worlds.

They are more expensive and need much longer to set up than either system
alone. But once they do work, they can deliver shots that were once thought
impossible, shooting high one minute and low the next. ARRI has a system called
the Trinity that costs £65,000.
Drone
 Drone
A drones payload must weigh less than 55 pounds to meet FAA requirements.

The small size and flight power of the drone allow a drone cinematographer to
move a camera on set in ways never done before.

Compared to the helicopter’s bulky size, a drone is like a fly on the wall in
comparison. The drones size allows the camera to be flown in traditional and new
ways. This device is able to not only take shots that the helicopter can take, but
the drone can also take shots that require other technology, such as the dolly or a
crane.

Flying Low Unlike the helicopter, the drone does have is the ability to legally fly
under 400 ft. This allows filmmakers to record closer to their subjects. Flying at low
altitude allows the camera to naturally cut out parts of the scene. This can be
used with techniques like the “look down” shot.
 Drone

The Drone’s unique characteristics, dolly shots can be shot with a drone,
increasing its usefulness on set. The drone takes away the need for extra
equipment that would be used to move cameras. Instead of mounting
a camera and tripod on a track, the drone can simulate the motion of
a dolly shot in the air.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYlOemmS0gDNhNCc5IV8kpA
Drone Lighting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl1xYyGom1g
 Helicopter Filming

https://www.helicopter lm.tv/showereel-helicopers
fi
 Helicopter Vs Drone
The establishing shot is an extremely useful scene for a viewer. The shot
encompasses the surrounding of a plot and gives the audience context for the
story. These shots are easily achieved from a helicopter or drone.

The establishing shot from The Shining was executed by a helicopter. The
helicopter allows this scene to be shot continuously across a vast distance.
Although these clips were cut together, they were recorded in a single day. The
helicopter’s fuel capacity makes it perfect for this kind of establishing shot,
allowing for these clips to be recorded in one sequence.

Using a drone for this shot would be much harder. The pilot of the drone would
continuously have to move with their device as to not lose signal. The battery on
the drone would have to be changed many times since this kind of filming takes
place over great time and distance. A drone could produce these shots, but it
would be much more difficult.
 Helicopter Vs Drone
The helicopter’s size and fuel capacity are great assets on a film set. The
helicopter is able to fly above 400 feet, unlike the drone. While the drone is flown
down after 20 minutes to change the battery, the helicopter is still in the sky
recording footage.

Filmmakers know that a helicopter can get the job done. Helicopter pilots have
been working on film sets continually proving the efficiency of using a helicopter
for aerial film. Helicopters are established, the pilots are dependable, and are
proven to get the job done.

The drone is limited to flying on beautiful days. The helicopter is able to capture
aerial footage in much more situations. Rain, extreme cold weather, and snow are
just a few of the many weather conditions that will stop a drone from taking
footage.

When a project has multiple aerial shots across different locations, filming can be
very difficult. Having a helicopter that can not only take the videos but transport
the crew as well makes things much easier. A drone team must land their gear,
pack back up, and hop in a car to switch locations.
The Shinning-Helicopter Establisher

https://youtu.be/LjLip2FZLuA
1917 & the Stabileye

https://youtu.be/Oq4t3f6LmDA
Stabileye
 Stabileye
Stabileye is a miniature stabilised head that weighs just 3.5 Kgs designed
light so as to comply with the parameters required to fly beneath an
aerial platform, so is light enough to be used in the hand without being
encumbered with easy rigs or exosuits.
It can move the camera from ground level to full reach during the shot
and it is small enough so as to be discreet, very mobile and not in the
way of the lighting.
It's just as at home on a vehicle, a wire rig or even a galloping horse. It’s
also quick to setup and will give perfect stabilised footage.
It can accept cameras of a variety of sizes ranging from the Red
Weapon to the Alexa Mini, and support a wide range of small zoom
and prime lenses right up to the new Panavision 65mm series.
Built in wireless capability can see a range of over 200 metres between
the head and the controller, and the operator maintains control with
proper hand-wheels and an audio link.
 Wire Rig

https://youtu.be/2eweUOkmIUE
 Wire-rig

Versatile self drive wire dollies, can be used with Libra & Stabileye and all kinds of
stabilised gimbals.

The Speedycam rig has a carrying payload of 25kg and a top speed of 30mph. It runs on
a single line with an upper ‘safety line’ and can run virtually any length.

It is controlled via a digital wireless control system which gives speed and position
readouts and has the ability to set stop points for safety or for creative use. Fast to set up,
rigging points in stages, on buildings, trees or tele handlers can all be used, with lines
dropped in for ease of rigging.

Best used with light weight head like Stabileye, Mini Libra, Shotover G1 etc. The system
comes with a bespoke rigging system and is relatively quick to install.
How many camera moves can you spot in this clip?

https://youtu.be/gDZdcPOl1b8?si=45nfUtuvhfORWQM1
 Tracking exercises
Sketch out the following tracks as floor plans, including the actors positions,
don’t worry about lighting for this exercise.

In your virtual crew you would have the following, please consider each role
and anticipate what each crew member requires to make the shot work.

DP
Cam Op
1st AC
2nd AC
Grip
 Counter track

Subject 1 walks towards & past camera as if heading to a window,

stops next to subject 2

The camera tracks in on subject 1 as the walk begins

As subject 1 and the camera meet, the camera swings almost 180˚ to
follow subject 1 and reveal the back of subject 2
 Convergence

Subject 1 is talking on the telephone, subject 2 listens next to subject 1

Subject 1 walks across the space (45˚ from camera), leaving subject 2
standing

Camera starts as a full shot of both subjects

As subject 1 walks, the camera tracks to converge with subject 1,

developing to a CU

Subject 2 must stay in the BG of the shot at all times

 Reveal
Subject 1 is standing, talking excitedly, subject 2 is seated, bored of listening

The camera view is completely obscured to begin

The camera starts to track, revealing the following in order:

Objects on a table

Subject 2’s hands playing with the objects

Subject 2’s face

Subject 1 talking
 Develop
Subject 1 is saddened by something subject 2 has said

The camera moves slowly in from an MCU to a CU of subject 1

Repeat this move but subject 1 is shocked and surprised by something

subject 2 says

The camera makes the same move but quickly

 Trombone
Subject 1 walks forward to meet subject 2 who is stationary

Camera tracks back with subject 1 in MCU to reveal the back of

subject 2 as they meet

As the subjects talk, the camera moves into a CU on the reaction of

subject 1