Cinematography-Theory-And-Practice

Figure 11.2. A Chapman Lenny Armrigged on a camera car for somemoving shots in Greenwich Village.The grip who will operate it wearsa safety harness. (Photo courtesy ofMark Weingartner.)the audience out of the moment and make them conscious that theyare watching a fiction; they do, however, have their uses, particularlyin very stylized filmmaking.There are many ways to find a motivation for a camera move, andthey can be used to enhance the scene and add a layer of meaningbeyond the shots themselves. They can also add a sense of energy,joy, menace, sadness, or any other emotional overlay. Camera movementis much like the pacing of music. A crane move can “soar” asthe music goes upbeat, or the camera can dance with the energy ofthe moment, such as when Rocky reaches the top of the museumsteps and the Steadicam spins around and around him. Motivatingand timing camera moves are part of the goal of invisible technique.Just as with cutting and coverage in the master scene method, thegoal is for the “tricks” to be unnoticed and not distract from thestorytelling.Basic TechniqueThere is an endless variety of ways to move the camera, and it wouldbe impossible to catalog every one here. It is useful to look at a fewbasic categories of types of moves to provide a general vocabularyof camera dynamics. The most fundamental of camera moves, thepan and tilt, can be accomplished in almost any mode, includinghandheld. The exception is when a camera is locked off on eithera non-movable mount (as it might be for an explosion or big stunt)or where it is on a movable head, but the movements are lockeddown and there is no operator. Many types of effect shots requirethe camera to be locked down so that not even the slightest movementof the camera is possible. Sandbags on the tripod or dolly, oreven braces made of C-stands or lumber may also be used.camera movement211