Testing Big Things

Shot by shot by Steven D. Katz talks briefly about the crane and tracking shots.

Seeing as we rarely see the world from such angles the crane shot is the least naturalistic shot as it is capable of movement in many directions. This makes them inherently majestic and whatever the subject our attention is usually held. It is good as an establishing shot as it introduces us to the geography of the scene. On the other hand it can be used for very subjective shots too in that it can follow a walking subject closely. Seeing as it can move to pretty much any position, especially when placed on a track, it can be tempting for the director to make it slavishly follow the subject which is often unnecessary and can look clumsy. The crane can also come into use for when a director wants to achieve a quick succession of shots in different areas of the environment that would normally require multiple moves of a tripod.

The tracking shot is similar to the crane shot in that it can be used to follow a subject or explore space. Deciding on whether to use a tracking shot has a lot to do with the point of view of the scene and the appropriate emotional distance between the viewer and the subject.

Common tracking uses/principles:

• To introduce a subject or location: this works with both tracking into and out of a close up of the subject; an intimate view of a subject and it's environment can all be shown within one shot.
• To follow a moving subject, especially common when following a walking subject.
• Tracking towards or away from a subject to highlight the increasing or decreasing gravitas of the subject.
• Tracking around a subject: to draw attention away from the characters as individuals so that we will evaluate the situation as a whole.
• Combining an interior and exterior shot into one: this can work well when shooting through windows.
• The tracking camera intensifies our perception of space for any angle.
• When following subjects at fixed distances the angle of the shot doesn't change however if the camera approaches or retreats from the subject the angle of view may change.

When editing tracking shots remember:

• A tracking shot can be time consuming and the director can be put in a position of gambling the success of a scene on a single moving shot.
• A static shot can't be inserted easily into a tracking shot of the same action.
• Jump cuts appear less pronounced and jarring when made between tracking shots.
• Continuity is still dependent on the same types of compositional and editing strategies that promote smooth shot flow in a series of static shots.

I haven't really done any track and dolly work, let alone used a crane so a group of us (all with a similar amount of inexperience) decided to get some kit out and play around.

Here is an example of how the tracking shot is used to highlight the increasing gravitas of a scene. As you can see we did a fair few takes.

Here's a little playing around we did with the crane. We filmed a monologue. The idea is to slowly bring the viewer closer to the words and increase their attention to them. It later struck me that the words are a little rude so I had to get rid of them.

I think that the perfect example of how the tracking shot should be used is this one from Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. A slow track pretty much by definition creates anticipation. That combined with the creepy music and the frantic sound of a typewriter (when does a typewriter not sound frantic?) creates one of the most iconiclly spooky shots in cinema. This sense of spook is added to by the pysical attributes of the scene; created by things like the beams in the ceiling and the slow revealing of either side of the other half of the room.