National Spots move the camera, local spots point the camera. There is a difference -allow me to explain. A moving camera shot immediately says to our subconscious mind something along the lines of “Wow, that’s cool.” It’s simply that the camera is showing us something in a way that we can not experience in normal life. The camera is moving up or down, swinging over the heads of people like a bird in flight, gliding through a room smooth as silk – its movement is taking us as an audience somewhere special. As an audience we expect and demand Dynamic visualization, or at least we crave it…
Flat camera work resembles our own normal experience. A camera on a tripod is like a person sitting in a chair. Look left, look right, look up, look down… it’s flat. It is expected. The reason that I chose flat to describe this way of shooting video is this – video shot in this way creates a two dimensional image for a two dimensional media (TV) for a client/audience that is accustomed to viewing the world in three dimensional space.
Dynamic camera work gives the impression of three dimensional space in a two dimensional medium. This convincing illusion happens when the foreground and the background move in relationship to each other showing us the distance between them.
Not every shot has to be dynamic. It is also not true that every spot has to have dynamic shots.
This is part of the creative process to decide how best to utilize our tools to make your message make an impact.
Tools for Dynamic Camera work available at Guardian Studios.
- Cam Mate Jib Arm: This camera crane can be built out as short as 8′ to 30′ to give huge movement. With its robotically controlled head, the camera has complete freedom to get the shot.
- Glide Cam: This harness mounted piece of gear is worn by the Director of Photography. Walk, run, forwards, backwards, complicated choreographed moves, inside and out… all super smooth.
- Dolly: This platform is simple yet highly effective tool to move the camera across the ground in a variety of ways to “sell the shot”.
