Carlos Baena dolly

Old post from Carlos on how to think about moving cameras.

The camera should never call attention to itself. It’ll take an audience out of a film. It should bring people inside the film based on the storypoints.

Regardless of the medium, the camera still has weight, and if it moves too light and flips around 20 times, chances are, the audience may not be into that as much.

Always keep in mind composition. Even though the camera is moving, it’s re-composing shots in every frame.

What lenses are used will obviously affect the composition of the moving camera. Wider lenses tend to be used in steadycams and/or when following people around and are easier to follow focus as well. Longer lenses are move difficult to track people in my opinion. However, longer lenses are always a lot more personal to a character.

Camera level matters. Not the same to go eye level, that low level. Why and how the camera is placed again should be based on what’s being told.

The camera should work with the actors, follow once they start moving, as if the camera where an actor looking. To go with or before an actor moves feels staged.

Don’t move the camera just to move it. Keep it still if you are unsure what to do.