Camera movement
Eighty-six ways to move the camera, and the wording that gets each one.
Movement is the one thing a video model does that a still image cannot. Name the move and the model runs it. Leave it out and you get a slow drift, because a drift is what most of the footage it learned from does.
Push and pull
8The camera travels along the lens axis, into the subject or away from it, and the setting arrives or leaves as it goes.
Dolly
The camera body travels on wheels, and the view shifts with real parallax.
Push In
The camera advances and the frame closes on the subject.
Dolly In
The camera advances toward the subject, and the world opens around it.
Super Dolly In
A very fast travel forward that covers a lot of ground.
Eyes In
A steady push closes until the eyes fill the frame.
Pull Out
The camera retreats and the frame opens to the setting.
Dolly Out
The camera retreats from the subject, and the setting comes in around it.
Super Dolly Out
A very fast travel backward that covers a lot of ground.
Moves that go through something
6One unbroken move crosses a barrier or a change of scale that a real camera could not. These are the moves a model gives you for nothing.
Through Object In
The camera passes through a solid thing and into the space beyond.
Through Object Out
The camera passes out through a solid thing and into the open.
Pass Through
The camera flies through a gap and out the far side.
Mouth In
The camera pushes into an open mouth and through into darkness.
Eating Zoom
A fast push closes on food at the mouth.
Earth Zoom
One unbroken push runs from orbit down to a detail on the ground.
Travel with the subject
8The camera keeps pace, so the subject holds still in frame and the world does the moving.
Tracking Shot
The camera travels with a moving subject and keeps pace.
Follow Shot
The camera travels behind the subject and holds a constant distance.
Walk and Talk
The camera retreats ahead of walking subjects who talk as they go.
Double Dolly
Camera and subject travel together, so the subject is still and the world slides.
Locked-On
The camera holds the subject in the same spot in frame no matter what moves.
Head Tracking
The camera locks to the subject's head, so the head is still and the world moves.
SnorriCam
The camera rigs to the actor's body, so the actor is fixed and the world swings.
Choreo
The camera moves in step with the performers, as one more dancer.
Sideways travel
5A straight lateral move. The background slides the other way, and the depth in the shot becomes obvious.
Dolly Left
The camera travels to the left and the background slides right.
Dolly Right
The camera travels to the right and the background slides left.
Trucking
The camera travels sideways on a straight line.
Slider Shot
A short smooth lateral move on a small track.
Conveyor
The camera slides along a line of subjects at a steady rate.
Moves from a vehicle
4The camera rides on a vehicle or chases one. Say where the camera is mounted, because that is what decides which part of the frame is still.
Turning on the spot
10The camera stays put and pivots. Nothing travels, so the move reads as a look rather than a step.
Pan
The camera turns on its own axis, and the view sweeps sideways.
Pan Left
The camera turns to the left and the view sweeps that way.
Pan Right
The camera turns to the right and the view sweeps that way.
Whip Pan
The camera turns so fast that the frame smears sideways.
Tilt
The camera pivots up or down on its axis, and the view sweeps vertically.
Tilt Up
The camera pivots upward and the view sweeps to the sky.
Tilt Down
The camera pivots downward and the view sweeps to the ground.
Whip Tilt
The camera pivots so fast that the frame smears vertically.
Camera Roll
The camera turns on the lens axis, and the horizon rotates.
Dutch Roll
The camera tilts off level during the shot, so the horizon leans as you watch.
Circling the subject
7The camera curves around the subject and the background rolls past behind. This is the move that proves the scene has depth.
Arc
The camera curves around the subject on part of a circle.
Arc Left
The camera curves around the subject toward the left.
Arc Right
The camera curves around the subject toward the right.
360-Degree Orbit
The camera circles the subject through a complete turn.
Lazy Susan
The subject turns on a turntable while the camera holds still.
3D Rotation
The scene turns in depth, so near and far edges swing at different rates.
Parallax
Near things slide faster than far things, and the depth becomes obvious.
Up and down
11Height changes inside the shot. A rise opens the scene and a drop closes it, and both read as a change in scale.
Crane Up
The camera climbs on a crane and opens the view.
Crane Down
The camera descends on a crane through a tall move.
Crane Over
The camera lifts over an obstacle and reveals what sits behind it.
Crane Over The Head
The camera rises over the subject and looks back down.
Jib Shot
The camera swings on an arm, and the height changes through the shot.
Jib Up
The arm lifts the camera, and the angle rises with it.
Jib Down
The arm lowers the camera, and the angle drops with it.
Pedestal Up
The camera body rises straight up, and the framing stays level.
Pedestal Down
The camera body lowers straight down, and the framing stays level.
Hero Cam
A low camera rises to the subject and makes them look large.
Falling
The camera drops with the subject, and the world rushes upward.
Zooms
11The lens changes, not the camera position. A zoom flattens as it tightens, which is what makes it read differently from a push-in.
Zoom
The focal length changes, so the frame tightens or opens with no camera travel.
Slow Zoom In
The lens tightens so slowly that the pressure builds before you notice.
Slow Zoom Out
The lens widens so slowly that the setting arrives quietly.
Rapid Zoom In
The lens tightens fast, but not as a single snap.
Rapid Zoom Out
The lens widens fast, but not as a single snap.
Crash Zoom In
The focal length snaps in, and the frame tightens without the camera moving.
Crash Zoom Out
The focal length snaps out, and the frame opens in an instant.
YoYo Zoom
The lens runs in and out repeatedly without stopping.
Dolly Zoom
The camera travels one way while the lens zooms the other, so the background warps.
Dolly Zoom In
The camera moves in as the lens widens, so the background pulls away.
Dolly Zoom Out
The camera moves back as the lens tightens, so the background closes in.
Flying
5The camera is in the air. Say the height and the speed, because an aerial and a drone shot are the same rig at different distances.
Aerial
A high wide view from the air, moving slowly over a landscape.
Aerial Push In
The camera descends and advances toward a subject on the ground.
Aerial Pullback
The camera climbs and retreats, and the subject shrinks into its setting.
FPV Drone
A racing drone weaves fast and close through the space.
Flying Cam Transition
A flying camera carries the shot from one scene into the next.
How the camera is carried
11Not where the camera goes, but what holds it. The rig is what an audience feels even when the move is small.
Handheld
An operator holds the camera, so the frame breathes and corrects.
Steadicam
The camera floats smoothly while the operator walks with the subject.
Gimbal Shot
The camera floats smoothly while the operator walks.
Static Locked-Off
The camera holds one frame and does not move.
Fixed Cam
The camera does not move, and the subject works inside a locked frame.
Wiggle
The frame jitters in small erratic steps.
Wandering
The camera drifts with no fixed target, as if looking around.
Bolt Cam
A robot arm throws the camera through a fast, exact path.
Robo Arm
A motion-control arm repeats an exact path with no error.
Hyperlapse
A time-lapse that travels, so the camera covers ground at speed.
Omnidirectional
The camera sees in every direction at once.
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