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You can create energy in an otherwise static shot simply by moving your camera. As with the various perspective shots, videographers bestow specific names on each of these camera movements.
Panning effectively
Moving the camera across a scene is called panning. You often see home videos that are shot while the person who is holding the camcorder pans the camera back and forth and up and down, either to follow a moving subject or to show a lot of things that don't fit in a single shot. This technique (if you can call it that) is called firehosing — and is usually not a good idea. Practice the following rules when panning:
- Start panning slowly, gradually speed up, and then slow down again before stopping.
- Slow down! Panning too quickly — say, over a landscape — is a common mistake.
- If you have a cheap tripod, you may find it difficult to pan smoothly. Try lubricating the tripod's swivel head with WD-40 or a silicone spray lubricant. If that doesn't work, limit tripod use to stationary shots. Ideally, you should use a higher-quality tripod with a fluid head for smooth panning.
- If you're shooting a moving subject, try moving the camera with the subject, rather than panning across a scene. Doing so reduces out-of-focus issues with the camera lens and helps keep the subject in-frame.
The two basic kinds of panning are following pan and surveying pan. In the following pan, the camera operator pans (moves the camera left or right) to follow a character, for example, from one spot to another. The surveying pan is used to locate a character or an object, for example, a character searching for and finding another character on a crowded street.
Knowing when to tilt
Tilting the camera (moving it up and down relative to your subject) is another movement that you'll do less than you may think. After you have the camera placed correctly for a medium shot, for instance, moving the camera up and down is rarely useful. One instance where it can be used to good effect is to show extreme size — for instance, to tilt up from a low angle to show how huge a professional wrestler, a politician, or a city building is. Another common use of tilting is to add a sense of confusion or danger or to even indicate that something's not quite right with one of your characters.
If you decide to tilt, use a smooth motion and keep the subject nicely framed. When you reach the end of the tilt, hold the shot for a few seconds before performing any zoom or other movements.
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