In the early days of filmmaking the camera didn't move very much and this was for several reasons. First, no one had yet thought to put them on wheels, and secondly because directors believed that moving the camera would confuse people trying to follow the narrative. As moviemaking progressed, cameras started to move in all sorts of ways and these movements were used to add to the storytelling. Today, most major productions feature a lot of camera movement, from subtle dollying along as two characters walk down a pathway, to elaborate crane maneuvers which fly us over a scene and bring us in close to the action.

Today a moving camera is the rule, but there are notable exceptions such as Jim Jaramusch's 1984 film Stranger Than Paradise which is shot entirely with static cameras. Let's have a look at each of the camera movements we talked about in the August 2009 story, Basic Camera Moves, and discuss when you might use that motion to forward your story along.

Tilt - Reveal Size

Tilts can be used to show size and scale. Martin Campbell uses the tilt to excellent effect in the opening scene of the 1995 James Bond film, Goldeneye. Bond, played by Pierce Brosnan, but in this scene, doubled by stuntman Wayne Michaels, walks up to the very edge of the Verzasca hydro-electric dam in Switzerland. While Bond looks straight ahead, the camera dramatically tilts down to reveal a dizzying view of the 750 foot drop. What will our hero do? Our stomachs flutter, England's favorite spy jumps. As he falls, a number of other cameras (six cameras total, filmed the shot,) follow his movement with downward tilts. Luckily, 007 had thought ahead and wrapped a bungee cord around his ankles, saving him from pancaking onto the rocks below, but very capable camera work ensures that we see every foot of his fall.

Pan - To Follow the Action

Panning can be used to follow action, like a football pass. But pans can also be used to lead us from one place to another, it may follow a dog as it runs across a field and then stop on the window of a building to indicate that the next scene takes place inside that room.

Zoom - To Define Detail

Zooms are the most common camera movement shots - though to call them "camera movements" is a little deceptive since the camera itself isn't really moving, but rather the focal length of the lens is changing, bringing the audience closer to the action. Zooms can be used effectively to establish a scene - beginning with a wide shot of the Grand Canyon then zooming in to show two mountain climbers scaling the side. Zooms can also redirect our attention, zooming in on a single face in a crowd tells us that person is important and should be paid attention to. Zooming out can add context to a shot you used to confuse the viewer initially. Such as the 1929 Harold Lloyd scene from Welcome Danger which shows Lloyd reading a newspaper when a strange arm suddenly turns the page. The camera then zooms out to show that he is not holding the paper himself, but reading over another (very annoyed) man's shoulder.