Motion Comparatives

Below are a few comparisons of how camera motion may be applied.

Wide vs. Pan vs. Track Side vs. Track Diagonal

Traveling Side Phrase

Wide vs. Tilt vs. Crane

Rope Phrase

Wide Statinoary vs. Rotate

Wind Up and Inversion Phrase

Dolly vs. Zoom

Bigger and Bigger Phrase

Crane vs. Tilt

Rolling Lift Up and Down

Tilt vs. Edited from Low Level, Middle Level, High Level

Stationary Phrase

Stationary vs. Freeform with Fig Rig

Bartenieff Phrase

Pan/Tilt Combination

X Jump Phrase

Dolly/Zoom Combination

Walk Away Phrase

“Once the dynamism of the moving camera is set in motion, dance becomes a duet between the organism and technology. This duet changes the perception of motion in very concrete ways. For instance, when the motion of the camera pans against the dance action, our sense of friction is increased. When the camera pans with the live action, our sense of flow is increased. The combinations of the two create many degrees of friction and flow, a “to-and-fro” kinetic which makes visible the inner drama of our physicality, but which could not possibly be seen with the naked eye.”

From "Filmdance: Space, Time and Energy" by Amy Greenfield (1983)

Banner image from Kicks and Giggles by Jocelyn Perez, 2014