Wednesday Feb 10th- LESSON:DOLLY CAMERA SHOTS & RIGS
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LESSON:DOLLY CAMERA SHOTS & RIGS
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DOLLY CAMERA RIGS
Camera dolly and slider rig
A dolly is a wheeled apparatus to which a camera is mounted for smooth horizontal movements. There are different types of dollies such as the platform dolly. A platform dolly has a flat dolly surface that other rigs can be placed on such as a tripod. These dollies are typically cheaper.
Other, more expensive, dollies are more functional. They often have a fixed head or camera stand that the camera can be mounted to. Dollies are often combined with other camera gear to be more versatile such as the dolly crane or the dolly pedestal.
The dolly camera rig is used for small push ins, pull outs, and tracking shots. Dollies can also start or stop at a static frame which allows for precise compositions. The smooth movement of a dolly makes it a great tool for lateral tracking shots.
Dollies entail the use of tracks that the dolly moves along. A dolly moves on a camera rail system composed of various tracks. This can make the dolly camera rig quite expensive and cumbersome. A more economical and ergonomic option is the slider rig. Slider rigs can produce similar horizontal camera movements on a smaller scale.
It can be difficult to push your audience to identify with the characters while only using camera movement. But it is possible. Today, we’ll review the dolly shot and learn how you can use them creatively to bring the audience into your characters’ world. We’ll also walk you through the process of planning, scheduling, and shooting your own dolly shots in your next project. Hello, Dolly!
DOLLY SHOTS IN FILM
Dolly shot basics
There are only a handful of equipment options when it comes to camera movement. For the most part, camera movement is achieved with one of the following mechanisms: a handheld shot, a Steadicam shot, a crane shot, or a dolly shot. This fundamental type of camera movement is today’s subject.
Let’s begin with a dolly shot definition, how it compares to a zoom shot, explain what the heck a dolly zoom shot is, and then share some creative dolly shot examples from movies like Interstellar, Joker, Death Proof.
We’ll even look at how Spike Lee took the dolly camera movement and made it his own. We’ll end with some practical tips on how you could go about shooting your own dolly shots in your next project.
DOLLY SHOT DEFINITION
What is a dolly shot?
A dolly shot is a specific kind of tracking shot where we follow a subject on an apparatus called a dolly. A dolly is a cart that the camera is mounted on, which rolls along dolly track or on its own wheels. Dolly shots are designed to be smooth and controlled camera movements. Dolly shots can be combined with other camera movements like a pan or tilt to accentuate the theme, or message, of the scene.
What is a dolly shot used for?
- Smooth and precise camera movement
- Dolly in towards a subject to emphasize dialogue, emotions, or a moment of realization
- Dolly out away from a subject to capture the environment around them, or emotionally disconnect
A camera dolly is an essential piece of camera gear and it can often be paired with various other types of camera rigs.
Other times you can move out of a scene to reveal the scope of where you left the characters or subject of the narrative. A “dolly in” brings us physically and emotionally closer to the subject. Conversely, a “dolly out” can create physical and emotional distance.
There are a number of reasons why you would want this. Let’s look at this early scene from Joker — watch the dolly camera movement as Arthur lays on the ground after the attack. The shot begins at 3:06.
CLICK TO WATCH EXAMPLE FROM THE JOKER
So far, we’ve seen how to define dolly shots with forward and backward camera movement, but let’s not forget about side-to-side. Parallel tracking shots like this excellent example from Moonrise Kingdom require the precision and control of a dolly camera set up.
