Camera Movement & Stabilisation

Camera movement and stabilisation tend to go hand in hand, and external gear is usually required in order to get the most visually pleasing results. 

That being said, do not let a lack of gear prevent you from trying them out, great results can still be achieved with some careful handling. A lot of cameras, lenses and smartphones these days tend to have a degree of internal stabilisation which smooths out major bumps. 

Also, if you're planning any slow motion shots, slowing down the footage also helps to minimise camera shake. 

Static / Fixed - The camera is fixed to one spot, most often with a tripod or other stabiliser. Movement is generated within the frame by the subject or subjects, who can also move in and out of the frame. Fixed frames often feel very composed or stylized as we tend not to use our eyes in such a direct way. We tend to follow the action with our eyes or glance around the scene. The composition of fixed frames therefor feel very deliberate and attention to detail is key as the audience will see everything. 

It can be used for all shot types and angles, and it's also very useful for documenting performances.

Whilst you can make perfectly acceptable videos with fixed shots, adding a few movements to your edit can create a more dynamic engaging experience for your audience. Camera movements can be subtle & large, slow & fast, choosing a pace which suits the tone of your video content is important. 

Acquiring a familiarity with the effect of different camera movements will help you to make informed visual narritive choices in your shoots. However also feel free to explore the scene with your camera and discover many new ones. 

Pan (Short for Panoramic) - Real time portrayal of scale or action – Left to right, right to left. Gives the feeling of surveying the scene, or following action from a fixed vantage point, similar to the natural movement of the human head. 

Tilt - Real Time portrayal of scale or action - Up to down, down to up. Effective for revealing or exiting from a character or location. Can create a feeling of height and a often awe, especially when looking up at a ceiling, tall building or the sky. They can be useful to begin or end a video or section within the video.

Whip Pan / Whip Tilt - A faster version of a pan or tilt where blur is created in between two points of focus. It creates a moment of dynamic movement, like a human head glancing quickly from one subject to another. The blur in between can also be used to disguise a cut from one character, location or time to another. 

Crab / Truck - The camera moves horizontally across a scene. It's similar to a pan, but more dynamic. There is more of a feeling of physically moving across the scene as opposed to viewing it from one vantage point. 

Pedestal - The camera is physically moved up and down, with the lens facing one direction, usually forward. A slightly more unusual feeling for the audience, similar to standing up or sitting down, or being lifted or lowered in an elevator. Can give an engaged perspective on vertical space, subjects or objects. 

Dolly - Traditionally the dolly shot would be a camera mounted to a track, slider or a tripod on wheels and then pushed forward or backwards. The effect can be achieved handheld or with a gimbal with slightly less compositional precision. It give the the feeling of moving through a scene or room, either moving closer to a subject or moving away. 

Arc - The camera moves around the subject or subjects, always keeping them in frame. Gives you a range of perspective on the subject and environment and can add movement to subject which might be fairly static spatially. 

Tracking Shot - Tracking shots, similar to follow shots, involve the physical movement of the camera through the scene, often following a subject, but not always. Stabilisers such as steadcams, gimbals, dollys, cranes and tracks (hence the name) are often used achieve smooth motion for these, but these can also be performed handheld, if a little shakier. These shots give the audience the feeling of participating in the activity of the subject or subjects. 

Lens Zoom - When using the lens to zoom in, the perspective of the subject transitions from a wide to a close shot or vice versa. They can either draw the audience's attention to a subject or gradually reveal the environment. 

They are challenging to get really smooth and can often look somewhat mechanical. They are used frequently in documentary style film making & some sitcom television shows, often in a more dynamic manner. 

A crash zoom is a sudden fast zoom which lands on a subject. It creates a similar blur to the whip pan and tilt but in a forward or backwards motion, suddenly focusing on a subject or space.