Camera movement

I find camera movement to be an interesting way to bring dynamic emotion to otherwise static scenes. After this semester, I have found several forms of camera movement to be effective in achieving this feat. While some camera movement is more difficult to pull off without expensive equipment, there are usually cheap alternatives to gliding a JL Fisher down a 40 yard track once you've got your scene shot on the Steadicam.

<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/t9w4OrPj19c?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/t9w4OrPj19c?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

This video shows several effective uses of glide tracks, which I have implemented several times this semester.

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y48R6-iIYHs?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y48R6-iIYHs?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

Also known as the "student zoom," vertigo shots can be visually captivating ways of showing confusion, epiphany, or just exploring a space in an interesting way.

<object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13558482&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=1&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1&amp;autoplay=0&amp;loop=0" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13558482&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=1&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1&amp;autoplay=0&amp;loop=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/13558482">Jason Vieira Steadicam Montage</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4284588">Jason Vieira</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

The Steadicam can also be a very effective tool for camera movement as it allows the operator to smoothly follow a character or explore a space with a more natural movement than any other camera apparatus. While we do not have a Steadicam, I was able to learn how to use one very briefly this summer, and I cannot wait until I get the chance to play with one again!

By clayton with No comments