Filming the Fantastic: A Guide to Visual Effects Cinematography, 2nd Edition

Chapter 8

The Moving Camera

 

 

 

 

Motion pictures are a remarkable simulation of how we experience the world. A big component of that experience involves movement. For a good deal of the time our mind steadies out rough movements so that either the world appears still or we appear to be moving smoothly through it. This smoothness was initially accomplished in movies by putting cameras on tripods and using smooth pan-and-tilt heads or by using a dolly or crane to obtain smooth, dreamlike motion. Later, the development of the steadicam allowed for smooth movement from a camera that was essentially handheld.

The effects industry has always had to catch up with this need for movement. The problem is that every single element in a shot involving ...