The Language of Visual Storytelling: Introduction to Camera Movement
Over the past several issues we’ve been covering the essential tools of the Language of Visual Storytelling.
In this issue, I taught you how to pick the right shot size for each shot in a scene, and in our last issue, you learned how to combine camera angles and camera heights to convey specific emotions to the viewer.
Today, we’ll be stringing all these elements together with the one tool that’s the staple of visual storytelling in cinema: camera movement.
But before diving into the specifics of camera movement, let’s take a moment to reflect on what the camera represents in the context of the experience we call “a movie”.
One key consideration here is that, in film, the camera is always invisible to the viewer, and not only invisible, but what I’d call “transparent”.
Something is “transparent” to the viewer when it’s not only out of sight –the camera is, for obvious reasons, always out of sight– but also and more importantly, when the spectator can allow themselves to forget that it exists in the first place!
Being “transparent”, in this context, basically means not bringing attention to itself.
This is a really important concept in cinema, since our main goal is to give the spectator an immersive experience, and every element the viewer notices that’s not part of the story being told will break this precious immersion.
This consideration for not breaking the immersion of the spectator guides every aspect of the moviemaking process, from writing believable characters and dialog, to filming, to editing.
This need to keep your visual storytelling tools “invisible” and “transparent” –that is, out of sight and out of mind– for the spectator to be able to full enjoy an immersive experience is well reflected in the classic rule editors live by:
“A great edit is an invisible edit.”
This means, of course, that if the edit brings attention to itself, if the viewer somehow notices it’s there, it’s a bad edit!
You might be wondering why we are talking about the edit now, instead of camera movements…
There are a couple of good reasons why I’m bringing your attention to this important aspect of filmmaking, while making the connection with the edit:
Editing is, at its core, the art of selecting the best shots to tell the story, and seamlessly –that is, invisibly– stringing them together in a fluid chain of motion.
In AI Filmmaking, where we’re not really “filming” a scene in the traditional sense –no cameras nor actor performances are involved– the borders that separate production and post-production apart get blurry.
I particularly want to bring your attention to the last point here, since this is a HUGE difference between traditional filmmaking and AI Filmmaking:
In AI Filmmaking, there is a constant and fluid back and forth, a continuous iteration process between production and post-production, between “getting the shots”, and the act of placing them in the timeline.
It is true that great cinema directors are always thinking on the edit while shooting, but they still must get 20x more coverage than the final feature’s length in order to give the editor choices and enough wiggle room to craft and refine the final edit.
Remember that the edit is considered the third writing of a movie!
AI movie directors, on the other hand, have a huge advantage over traditional movie directors who must work with actors, cameras and a full film crew: the ability to create a new shot whenever it’s needed out of thin air!
Really, let’s not underestimate this superpower, because it really changes the entire dynamics of the filmmaking process!
A movie director must get all that extra coverage, simply because getting the actors and the crew on location and building the set costs a lot of money!
So they’d better make pretty darn sure they get all the shots they could ever need on that location while the actors and the crew are still there!
When we use AI image and video models to create our shots, on the other hand, we have the luxury of being able to get any extra shot we might need down the road at any time, at ZERO extra production cost!
This real luxury makes collecting extra coverage that we don’t know if we’ll need later completely unnecessary, and tears down the separation between filming and editing, turning both into ONE fluid, iterative creative process.
We’ll be revisiting these important concepts in the future, but for now I just wanted to introduce them to you, so that you can keep them in the back of your mind while we discuss the crucial role of the camera in film.
Now that you know that the camera is supposed to remain invisible and transparent to the viewer in order to keep the illusion of immersion intact, let me ask you:
What IS the camera?
What does the camera stand for within this immersive experience we call a movie?
Put simply, the camera is the WITNESS of what’s happening in the story.
As such, the camera becomes the eyes and ears of the spectator, who, by virtue of the magic of screenwriting, is given the superpower of omniscience:
The superhuman power to know everything that’s going on –even things the characters themselves do not know yet–, to follow different characters in their experiences, to fly in and out of every location and event in the story…
.And even to temporarily take on the point of view of a particular character and look through their eyes!
Believing this requires, of course, quite a stretch of imagination, but if we do it skillfully, the spectator will buy the illusion and experience it as something completely natural!
That’s the magic of cinema!
Of course, none of this would be possible without that invisible camera we talked about before: the spectator’s eyes.
Which leads us back to the topic of this particular newsletter issue: camera movement.
Out of all the tools at our disposal in the Language of Visual Storytelling, the way the camera moves inside a scene is without a doubt the most powerful device we can use to shape the experience of the spectator.
Technically, there are infinite possible ways of moving the camera.
But when we talk about visual storytelling, we’re restricted by that tacit contract between the camera and the spectator:
“I’ll guide your gaze, and take you through the full experience, while protecting your immersion in the story at all times.”
In practice, this means that all those fancy but rather unnatural camera movements and transitions we usually see in commercials and YouTube are out of the window!
The spectator has given us their trust and their permission to guide them through the experience, and we need to honor and protect that trust at all times.
Sometimes, we’ll ask them to allow us to stretch their imagination and their sense of reality just a tiny bit… but we need to be really careful not to stretch it too much, to the point of breaking the illusion!
This is the delicate balancing act every director needs to engage in.
Personally, I divide the most commonly used camera movements in film into 2 categories: the camera movements I like to call “natural”, and the ones I call “supernatural”.
Natural camera movements are camera movements that mimic our day-to-day human experience, and because of that, feel really natural to us.
These are the bread and butter of every scene: since they feel completely natural, they fly under the radar and serve as a powerful tool to immerse the spectator into the story being told.
These movements are the dolly in and dolly out –also called “push in” and “pull out”–, the pan left and pan right, and the tilt up and tilt down camera movements.
As I explained extensively in this issue, the dollies makes us feel we’re walking into or out of a scene, usually in the skin of one of the main characters.
This camera movement feels completely natural to us, since this is the way we experience getting into or out of places in real life, so it really helps with immersion.
Another very natural camera movement is the pan left/right: this is exactly what we do when we turn our heads left or right to check what’s around us.
Finally, the tilt up and tilt down movement mimic our experience when we tilt our heads up to look at what’s above us, or down to uncover what’s below us, or on the floor.
The pan and tilt movements are excellent to reveal the immediate surroundings of the character and introduce new information in the frame in a really natural way that makes the spectator feel he’s there, with the character, scanning the location with their own eyes.
Now, before diving into the supernatural camera movements, let me stop for a minute to talk about one camera “movement” that is actually neither natural nor supernatural, nor is actually a movement…
I’m talking about the fixed camera, or stationary camera.
As the name clearly implies, here the camera is fixed in its position, recording everything that happens in front of it.
There are many uses of a fixed camera in movies, from over-the-shoulder shots, to quick establishing shots, but the most iconic in my opinion is what I call the “fly on the wall” shot.
This is basically the perspective of a “fly on the wall”, or a hidden camera if that makes more sense to you: it’s not the perspective of any of the characters in the scene –which is quite more common– but instead, a fixed perspective from a hidden outsider.
A fixed camera can be used to create more tension in a scene, especially when there is back and forth dialog or otherwise great performances from actors, whose actions get accentuated by the feeling the spectator gets of“spying” on them from a hidden place.
Another “camera movement” that’s not actually a movement but rather an adjustment in the focal length of the camera as explained in this issue, is the Zoom In/Zoom Out.
Unlike its cousin the dolly, the zoom is not a naturalistic camera movement since our eyes are incapable of zooming in or out.
Consequently, it doesn’t feel as natural as a dolly in or dolly out, and it doesn’t create the same feeling of immersion in the viewer.
And now for the “supernatural” camera movements you’re waiting for…
The reason I call them “supernatural” is that they do not mimic the human experience.
In fact, there is no way for us to experience these movements and perspectives in real life.
Except maybe by piloting a drone through a VR headset… but still: they’re supernatural!
Executing these “supernatural” camera movements in a real movie set or location requires attaching the camera to mechanical devices and rigs specifically designed to produce such movements, such as pedestals, steadicams, cranes, and other specialized equipment .
This particular category of camera movements is mostly used to introduce a scene or location, reveal more of the location surrounding the characters, or leave a scene or location.
They are also more appropriate for exteriors in most cases, since they tend to be more grandiose movements than the natural camera movements we saw before, and they usually require more space to be properly executed.
The main camera movements in this category are, in my opinion, the bird’s-eye shot and drone shot, the pedestal up and pedestal down, the crane up and crane down, the tracking and trucking, and the arc/orbit movements.
We covered the bird’s-eye shots and drone shots in our last issue, but only in regard to the framing of the shot and without looking at the movement itself.
These shots are generally used as establishing shots for the locations where the action of a scene or even the entire movie will take place.
The movement itself is usually a slow forward motion while the camera is hovering over the landscape from high in the sky (that’s why it’s called a bird’s-eye).
Traditionally, these bird’s-eye shots were taken from a helicopter, but nowadays is more common –and way cheaper– to use a drone.
With that said, we should clarify that a drone can be used to take other kinds of shots, not only bird’s-eye shots.
And even when it comes to bird’s-eye shots, drones can provide more dynamic shots that would be pretty difficult if not plainly impossible to get from a helicopter!
Moving on to the next camera movements: PEDESTAL and CRANE shots.
A “pedestal” is like a pole where the camera is mounted in such a way that can be raised and lowered in a straight, vertical line.
A pedestal shot can be used to reveal a character, by slowly raising the camera from their shoes to their face, or to reveal something bigger such as a building or structure, or even an entire area where the action is about to take place (like a port, or a battlefield, for instance).
Pedestal downs have more limited use than pedestal ups in my experience.
A good example would be a shot where the camera slowly goes down to reveal that the character has a gun in her hand, hidden under the table.
A crane movement is similar to a pedestal movement in that the camera usually goes from eye-level to a really high position or the opposite way around.
But in the case of a crane, the camera goes up or down describing an arc trajectory, instead of a straight line like with the pedestal.
Also, crucially, the camera mounted on a pedestal remains level, while the camera mounted on a crane can change the camera angle to keep its point of focus constant during the entire movement.
This capability adds a more nuanced emotional effect to the general feeling of “approaching” or “leaving” a scene, or the the act of “revelation” these camera movements are better suited for.
While both the pedestal and the crane can be used to “reveal” a location or a character, and to jump into or out of a scene, the emotional impact created in the viewer is quite different!
When a pedestal up reveals a scene, for instance, it often feels like a gradual unveiling or a subtle shift in perspective.
A crane shot allows for a much larger range of vertical movement than a pedestal shot.
Crucially, a crane can also move horizontally or arc through space simultaneously with its vertical movement.
This creates a more sweeping, fluid, and often a more dramatic motion!
Because of that, when a crane up reveals a scene, it often feels more expansive, dramatic, and awe-inspiring.
Imagine starting on a close-up detail and craning up high to reveal a vast landscape, a huge crowd, or the full scale of an ancient temple!
Crane down and pedestal down shots also feel quite different when used to enter a scene:
A pedestal down conveys the feeling of focused arrival, a settling of attention, or a direct, controlled introduction to a subject from a slightly higher starting point. The movement is methodical and contained.
Conversely, when the camera cranes down to enter a scene, often starting from a higher vantage point and arcing horizontally as it descends, it typically creates a more dynamic, expansive, and often more dramatic introduction.
The crane movement can sweep the audience into the scene, revealing context and scale before settling on the point of interest.
Finally, when used to leave a scene, crane shots and pedestal shots have quite a different emotional impact on the viewer:
Craning down to leave a scene often feels like a descent into intimacy, a dramatic focusing, or a sense of finality and, sometimes, even foreboding.
When a crane up shot is used instead, this movement typically creates a much more dramatic, expansive, and emotionally charged departure.
The ability of the crane to achieve significant height and move in sweeping arcs provides a powerful sense of scale and perspective shift.
Pedestaling down to leave a scene often feels like a descent into something, or a sense of diminishing importance.
When a pedestal-up movement is used instead, the feeling is often one of subtle detachment, of a gradual shift in focus, or that of the characters/action becoming smaller or less significant within their immediate environment.
Because the pedestal movement is purely vertical, and often much more limited in height than that of a crane, the departure feels more contained.
Let’s talk now about the TRACKING MOVEMENT.
The tracking movement is one of the most used camera movements of all: the camera “tracks” the subject, that is, it moves with the subject at their exact same speed, keeping the distance between camera and subject constant.
While it’s pretty common to track a subject from their left or right side –which is also called “trucking”–, we can also have tracking shots from the front of the subject, or their back.
A classic example is when we see a character running on screen.
We usually start with a trucking shot, where the camera tracks the actor from their left or right side, to later cut to a front tracking shot where they’re running toward the camera, while the camera is retreating at the same speed, maintaining the distance between camera and subject.
This is a great use of a tracking shot to immerse the spectator, letting them experience the action as if they’re running alongside the character!
Finally, the arc movement, also known as the orbit shot, is when the camera orbits around the subject describing an arc, or a full 360-degree circle.
This camera movement centers the attention of the viewer on the subject, and it’s generally best used to introduce a character, or to intensify the emotional impact of an actor’s performance, especially when the actor is mostly static at the center of the frame.
Some people also call this shot a 360 tracking shot, which I personally find a little confusing since it seems to imply that the movement must always cover the entire circumference, which is rarely the case.
Partial orbit shots that only span 120 to 170 degrees are far more common:
Think of a shot that starts at the three-quarter right profile of an actress, and slowly orbits around her figure showing not only every detail of her facial features and facial expressions, but also her attire and her demeanor, to finally stop at her three-quarter left profile.
This shot can make for an excellent “debut” shot, quickly introducing a lot of new information about the character and their immediate environment to the viewer in a very efficient and emotionally impactful way. A real HERO SHOT.
Meanwhile, a full 360-degree orbit can be used for a very dramatic reveal, or to show a character taking in their surroundings.
Partial and full 360-degree orbit shots can, of course, center around things other than the characters themselves, and be used to highlight a location, a building, or other objects of special importance in the scene.
Side Note:
There is a special effect that is often confused with the arc camera movement: it’s the so-called bullet time effect first introduced in the movie “The Matrix”, back in 1999.
From a technical point of view, this is a 360 tracking shot as well, but instead of using one camera that orbits around the subject, it uses several cameras –often hundreds of them– that all shoot at the same time.
The goal of this effect is to convey the feeling that time has stopped, and because of that, it’s common for the cameras to film the scene in ultra-slow motion.
The reason this is considered an effect, rather than a camera movement, is that it needs to be composed in post-production.
From a pure storytelling point of view, the bullet time effect is used to highlight the character in the midst of a fast-paced action, and it’s as supernatural an effect as you can get!
And with that, we have covered the most important camera movements used in cinema!
Here you have a full cheatsheet with all of them in one place:
Natural Movements (Mimic human experience, feel natural to the viewer)
Dolly In / Dolly Out (also know as "Push In" / "Pull Out"): Camera physically moves closer to the subject (Dolly In) or further away from the subject (Dolly Out).
Emotional Impact: Makes the viewer feel like they are walking into or out of a scene, often from a character's perspective; enhances immersion.
Pan Left / Pan Right: Camera swivels horizontally left or right from a fixed point (like turning your head).
Emotional Impact: Scans a scene, follows a moving subject, reveals surroundings, or shows the point of view of a character looking around.
Tilt Up / Tilt Down: Camera swivels vertically up or down from a fixed point (like looking up or down with your head).
Emotional Impact: Reveals something above or below; can emphasize the height or scale of a subject, or a character's perspective looking up/down.
Stationary & Lens-Based
Fixed Camera (Stationary Camera): The camera remains in a static, unmoving position.
Emotional Impact: Provides an objective viewpoint; can create a "fly on the wall" feeling (hidden observer); may increase tension in dialogue scenes.
Zoom In / Zoom Out: The camera lens's focal length is adjusted to magnify the subject (Zoom In) or make it appear further away (Zoom Out), without the camera itself physically moving.
Emotional Impact: Directs the viewer's attention quickly; as it doesn't mimic natural eye movement, it can feel less immersive than a dolly but can be used for dramatic emphasis or to create a specific psychological effect.
"Supernatural" Movements (Do not mimic direct human experience; often require specialized equipment like drones, pedestals, cranes, steadicams, etc.)
Bird’s-eye / Drone Shot Movement: Camera is positioned very high, looking nearly straight down, often moving slowly forward over a landscape or scene.
Emotional Impact: Primarily used for establishing shots; shows grand scale and context; can make subjects look like patterns or small, abstract elements.
Pedestal Up / Pedestal Down: Camera physically moves straight up (Pedestal Up) or straight down (Pedestal Down) on a vertical axis, without tilting.
Emotional Impact (Up): Can reveal a character from bottom to top, making them seem more significant; unveils a scene gradually.
Emotional Impact (Down): Can reveal something below a character (e.g., a hidden object); creates a sense of focused arrival or diminishing importance.
Crane Up / Crane Down: Camera is mounted on a crane and moves in a sweeping vertical arc upwards (Crane Up) or downwards (Crane Down), often combined with horizontal movement and camera tilting.
Emotional Impact (Up): Creates an expansive, dramatic reveal of a location or a sense of awe-inspiring departure; emphasizes scale.
Emotional Impact (Down): Offers a dynamic entry into a scene, often revealing context before focusing; can feel like a descent into intimacy, or convey finality/foreboding when leaving a scene.
Tracking Shot: Camera moves alongside the subject, keeping pace with it (can be forward, backward, or sideways relative to the subject's movement direction).
Emotional Impact: Immerses the viewer in the action; makes the viewer feel as if they are moving with the character or subject.
Trucking Shot: A specific type of tracking shot where the camera moves horizontally (left or right) parallel to the subject's movement.
Emotional Impact: Often used to show a subject in profile as they move through a scene.
Arc Movement (Orbit Shot): Camera circles around the subject in a partial arc or a full 360-degree orbit.
Emotional Impact: Centers intense focus on the subject; excellent for introducing a character dramatically (a "hero shot"), revealing different facets, or intensifying an emotional moment or performance.
I know that this lesson has been a little dense with theory, but I really needed to introduce you to all of these camera movements first, along with their uses and a brief introduction to the emotional impact each one can provoke in the viewer.
In our next issue we’ll leave the theory to the side and go full hands-on and create specific shots leveraging all we have learned today.
Until then, keep practicing your shots!
See you Friday!
Leonardo
P. S. I’m starting to work on a new short movie that I intend to have ready by the end of the month, in time for my submission for the next Venice’s AI Film Festival.
In case you’d like to join me in this challenge and create your movie alongside me, I’ve put together a group coaching program where I’ll be hosting live training and support calls via Zoom 3 times a week from now through May 31 to help you in everything you need, from crafting your story, to coming up with the best shots for your movie.
The goal?
That you and I can make it on time to submit our movies before the June 1 deadline!
If that sounds like something you definitely want to do, make sure to secure your seat here. Our first live training call is tomorrow!
P. P. S. As always, I need to humbly ask you to support my work by sharing Flawlessly Human with your friends and colleagues.
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE for your support!!
Or share this particular newsletter issue instead using the button below:
P. P. P. S. I’m fully aware that you’re receiving this issue really late today. My sincere apologies for that.
Yesterday I had quite a difficult day and could not start working on this issue until earlier today.
As always, the quality of this newsletter is my main consideration, even if maintaining that quality means I might miss a deadline here and there. I hope you’ll understand!