Camera movement is one of the most expressive tools available to a filmmaker. It alters the relationship between the subject and the camera frame, shaping the viewer's perspective of space and time and controlling the delivery of narrative information. Below you can find all the different types of movements and descriptions below!
Moving the camera lens to one side or another without moving the location of the camera. Look to your left, then look to your right - that's panning. It can reveal parts of the scenery not seen previously. Pans can be fast or slow. When they are fast, these are called Whip Pans.
This is like looking up or looking down while standing in place without moving the rotation of the camera. Tilting means moving the camera’s lens up or down while keeping its horizontal axis constant. Nod your head up and down - this is tilting. This is typically used to reveal something.
To Roll is to rotate the entire camera on it's axis in such a way that the scene seems to rotate. This is a strange illusion, because if you try it with your own eyes your brain stabilizes the image automatically, but in a movie the effect is disorienting and typically used to introduce weirdness.
The camera moves towards a subject or away from a subject head on. The direction of the dolly draws different types of attention from the viewer. When the dolly moves toward the subject, the viewer’s interest is increased. Note that this is very different from a zoom. When you zoom, you use the lens to get closer to the action. With a push pull you literally move the whole camera.
Tracking means moving the camera physically to the left or right while maintaining its perpendicular position. The lens does not turn. This is typically used to follow a subject in motion.
Moving the camera up or down without changing its vertical or horizontal axis as if the camera was on a crane. Another way to think about it is what the world looks like from the vantage point of an elevator.