Camera Movement

A crane shot is filmed from a camera on a crane or jib arm that can rise, descend and sweep through the air — often lifting away from an intimate moment to a wide view of the whole place, or swooping down to open a scene.

A dolly shot is filmed with the camera on a wheeled dolly, usually on track, so it can glide smoothly toward, away from or alongside the action; unlike a zoom, the camera really moves, so perspective and parallax change.

A dolly zoom moves the camera toward or away from the subject while zooming the opposite way, so the subject keeps the same size but the background seems to stretch away or rush in — a jolt of dread or sudden realisation made famous by Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958).

An FPV shot is flown with a small, agile drone piloted through video goggles, letting the camera dive, weave and thread through gaps, doorways and crowds in one continuous rollercoaster-like move.

A handheld shot is filmed with the camera held in the operator's hands or on the shoulder, without a stabiliser, so its natural sway and jolts make the scene feel immediate, documentary-like or anxious.

A pan swivels the camera horizontally from a fixed position — left or right around its vertical axis — to follow action, connect two points in space or reveal a scene bit by bit.

A Steadicam shot is filmed with a body-worn stabiliser — vest, spring-loaded arm and balanced sled — that lets the operator walk, run and climb stairs while the camera glides; it made long moving takes like Rocky's steps run and The Shining's corridors possible.

A tracking shot moves the camera through space with a moving subject — on a dolly, Steadicam, vehicle or drone — following, leading or flanking it so the audience travels with the action.

A whip pan is a pan so fast that the image dissolves into motion blur; it snaps attention between two points, links two characters with energy or hides a cut, making it one of the liveliest transitions in film.

A zoom shot changes the lens's focal length during the take, so the image grows or shrinks from a fixed camera position; because the camera doesn't move, perspective stays the same — the key difference from a dolly.

An arc shot moves the camera along a curved path around a subject, so the subject holds its place in the frame while the background revolves behind it — a way to heighten a climactic beat, bind two characters together or give a hero moment extra charge.

A tilt pivots the camera up or down from a fixed position, like nodding your head — to reveal a tall subject, follow a rise or fall, or shift attention between sky and ground.

A gimbal is a motorised three-axis stabiliser that keeps the camera level while the operator walks, runs or hands it off to a car or crane, giving Steadicam-smooth moves with a lighter, cheaper rig.

A crash zoom is an abrupt, very fast zoom in or out that slams the frame onto a face or detail; it punctuates a shock or a joke and openly announces the camera's presence.

In a double dolly the actor stands on a dolly that travels together with the camera dolly, so the character floats through the location without walking — a dreamlike, unsettling move that is Spike Lee's signature.

Parallax is the difference in apparent speed between near and far objects when the camera moves sideways: the foreground sweeps past quickly while the background drifts slowly, which sells depth — and can be faked in post by animating image layers.

A Snorricam is a rig strapped to the actor's body with the camera aimed back at them, so their face stays locked in the frame while the world lurches around — a staple for drunkenness, panic or euphoria.

A static shot keeps the camera completely still — locked off on a tripod or dolly with no pan, tilt, zoom or move — so all the energy comes from actors, light and composition inside the frame.

A truck shot slides the whole camera sideways, parallel to the scene, on a dolly, slider or vehicle; nearby objects sweep past faster than distant ones, giving strong parallax and a sense of travelling along the action.

A camera roll rotates the camera around its own lens axis, so the horizon and the whole image turn inside the frame — from a slow lean to a full 360° barrel roll — to convey disorientation, a shift of power or a stylised transition.

A locked-on shot keeps one moving object pinned to the same spot in the frame — by rigging the camera to it or by stabilising on it in post — so the object seems frozen while the world swings around it.

In a pass-through shot the camera seems to travel through a solid barrier — a window, a keyhole, a gap in a wall or even a character — carrying the viewer from one space into the next without a visible cut.

A pedestal move raises or lowers the whole camera vertically without tilting it, so the eyeline climbs or sinks while the angle stays level — named after the studio pedestal that does it.