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printcontentsfull screenprint40 VIDEOMAKER >>> NOVEMBER 2019
right. They could tilt or pan if you had
the proper mount, and zoom if you
had a zoom lens. Let’s take a closer
look at each.
Every time we learn a new craft
or skill, we need to learn the basic
moves or techniques that defi ne that
function. Beginning to learn to shoot
video, whether for a hobby or a bud-
ding business, requires some knowl-
edge of the basic moves that defi ne
good video shooting practices.
Back when I was in high school tak-
ing TV Tech, we would practice mak-
ing a TV Show called “The Skills Card
Test” — we hated doing it. The studio
looked so inviting — the cameras,
the lights — that we wanted to get on
with being Steven Spielberg and skip
over the boring stuff, like learning
how to actually use the equipment.
“The Skills Card Test” consisted of a
number of grey cards on stands, and
the camera operators had to perform
certain camera operation tasks that
related to things that were on the
cards. So, while the camera operators
practiced panning between two dots,
zooming from one box to another,
the directors practiced directing, the
narrators practiced narrating, the
Technical Director practiced Techni-
cal Directing (which involved settingEarly movie cameras were limited
by their size and weight. And by
early, I mean for the fi rst 150 years
of cinema. Throughout the golden
age of Hollywood, a camera was a
device often ridden across train tracks
by a camera operator and a focus
puller. Camera movement was bound
by this technology, but that didn’t
stop cinematographers from moving
their cameras — along tracks or with
cranes. Even the smallest amount of
movement required an astounding
amount of preparation, planning,
dedication and off-camera assistance.
Here’s French fi lmmaker Jean
Cocteau fi lming “The Testament of
Orpheus” in 1959. He didn’t always
dress like that; he was also acting in
the fi lm. (fi gure 1)
The basic camera moves were
all developed in this age of cinema;
cameras could move up, down, left orSHOOTING
A static frame is not only bor-
ing to your audience; by keep-
ing the camera still, you’re also
missing out on one of the most
fundamental storytelling tools in
cinema — movement.
by Kyle Cassidythe levels for the cameras, making
sure that the lighting wasn’t too bright
or too dark, among other technical
tasks), grips gripped, gaffers gaffed
and production assistants learned
to do everything else. What I realize
years later is that doing that boring
show over and over during the fi rst
three weeks of class taught me not just
to appreciate fi nally getting to write
scripts and make our own TV shows,
but I realized that I learned right there
in a few weeks what it takes many
people years to learn on their own.
A camera exists in a three-dimension-
al world and can move anywhere along
the X, Y or Z axes. This means it can
move up, down, left, right, as well as for-
ward and backward. So that the director
and camera operator can effectively
communicate, there are names for each
of these moves. This means the director
can give a series of verbal instructions,
and the camera operator knows exactly
what to do without anybody having to
get out and draw diagrams.The basic camera moves
Let’s look at the basic moves that are
used in every video and fi lm produc-
tion, from those used by your wed-
ding videographers to those used by
Spielberg himself. Our pictorial ex-Camera movement techniques
amples show a videographer using these moves
with a tripod, jib and simple dolly.TILT: Moving the camera’s lens up or down while
keeping its horizontal axis constant. Nod your
head up and down – this is tilting. See fi gures 2 -
4 for an example.WHY DO THIS? Tilting is the fastest way to get
from low to high, or the other way around, when
you want to show two things, though not neces-
sarily at the same time. You might start focused
in on a hand holding a bloody knife and then tilt
up to reveal ... Macbeth!PAN: Moving the camera lens to one side or
another. Look to your left, then look to your right
— that’s panning.WHY DO THIS? You might pan across the audi-
ence at a wedding to show all the people there.
You might pan from one character to someone
who walks through the door to elevate the ten-
sion that wouldn’t exist with a simple cut.ZOOM: Zooming is one camera move that most
people are probably familiar with. It involves
changing the focal length of the lens to make
the subject appear closer or further away in the
frame. Most video cameras today have built-in
zoom features. Some have manual zooms as well,
and many have several zoom speeds. Zooming is
one of the most frequently-used camera moves
and one of the most overused. Use it carefully.WHY DO THIS? Zooming is the easiest way to get
from far to close, or the other way around. You
might start with a wide shot of a concert to set
the stage and then zoom in to get a better view of
one of the performers.PEDESTAL: Moving the camera up or down
without changing its vertical or horizontal axis.
A camera operator can do two types of ped-
estals: pedestal up means “move the camera
up;” pedestal down means “move the camera
down.” You are not tilting the lens up, rather
you are moving the entire camera up. Imagine
your camera is on a tripod and you’re raising or
lowering the tripod head. This is exactly where
the term comes from.WHY DO THIS? When pedestaling, you usually
want to maintain the camera to subject distance,
so you might start on a person leaning up againstFigure 1390 C02 Shooting.indd 40 9/24/19 2:20 PMVIDEOMAKER >>> NOVEMBER 2019 41
SHOOTING
by Kyle Cassidythe levels for the cameras, making
sure that the lighting wasn’t too bright
or too dark, among other technical
tasks), grips gripped, gaffers gaffed
and production assistants learned
to do everything else. What I realize
years later is that doing that boring
show over and over during the fi rst
three weeks of class taught me not just
to appreciate fi nally getting to write
scripts and make our own TV shows,
but I realized that I learned right there
in a few weeks what it takes many
people years to learn on their own.
A camera exists in a three-dimension-
al world and can move anywhere along
the X, Y or Z axes. This means it can
move up, down, left, right, as well as for-
ward and backward. So that the director
and camera operator can effectively
communicate, there are names for each
of these moves. This means the director
can give a series of verbal instructions,
and the camera operator knows exactly
what to do without anybody having to
get out and draw diagrams.The basic camera moves
Let’s look at the basic moves that are
used in every video and fi lm produc-
tion, from those used by your wed-
ding videographers to those used by
Spielberg himself. Our pictorial ex-Camera movement techniques
SHOOTING NOVEMBER 2019
amples show a videographer using these moves
with a tripod, jib and simple dolly.TILT: Moving the camera’s lens up or down while
keeping its horizontal axis constant. Nod your
head up and down – this is tilting. See fi gures 2 -
4 for an example.WHY DO THIS? Tilting is the fastest way to get
from low to high, or the other way around, when
you want to show two things, though not neces-
sarily at the same time. You might start focused
in on a hand holding a bloody knife and then tilt
up to reveal ... Macbeth!PAN: Moving the camera lens to one side or
another. Look to your left, then look to your right
— that’s panning.WHY DO THIS? You might pan across the audi-
ence at a wedding to show all the people there.
You might pan from one character to someone
who walks through the door to elevate the ten-
sion that wouldn’t exist with a simple cut.ZOOM: Zooming is one camera move that most
people are probably familiar with. It involves
changing the focal length of the lens to make
the subject appear closer or further away in the
frame. Most video cameras today have built-in
zoom features. Some have manual zooms as well,
and many have several zoom speeds. Zooming is
one of the most frequently-used camera moves
and one of the most overused. Use it carefully.WHY DO THIS? Zooming is the easiest way to get
from far to close, or the other way around. You
might start with a wide shot of a concert to set
the stage and then zoom in to get a better view of
one of the performers.PEDESTAL: Moving the camera up or down
without changing its vertical or horizontal axis.
A camera operator can do two types of ped-
estals: pedestal up means “move the camera
up;” pedestal down means “move the camera
down.” You are not tilting the lens up, rather
you are moving the entire camera up. Imagine
your camera is on a tripod and you’re raising or
lowering the tripod head. This is exactly where
the term comes from.WHY DO THIS? When pedestaling, you usually
want to maintain the camera to subject distance,
so you might start on a person leaning up againsta wall, and then pedestal up, and up, and up,
and up until the camera gets to Spiderman,
clinging to the fourth story of a building and
creeping up it. Or, you might pedestal from a
bride and groom’s hands up to their faces.DOLLY: This is a motion towards or motion
away. The name comes from the old “dolly
tracks” that used to be laid down for the heavy
camera to move along — very much like railroad
tracks — in the days before Steadicams, gimbals
and drones got so popular. The phrase dolly-in
means step towards the subject with the camera,
while dolly-out means to step backwards withFigure 2Figure 3Figure 4390 C02 Shooting.indd 41 9/24/19 2:20 PM