Researching Camera Movement Kelsey Schmitt

1. Pan shot

Rear Window (1954)
Director : Alfred Hitchcock
Cinematographer : Robert Burks

A newspaper photographer with a broken leg passes time recuperating by observing his neighbors through his window. After seeing what he believes to be a murder, he decides to solve the crime himself. With the help of his nurse and girlfriend, he tries to catch the murderer without being killed himself.

In this scene the camera is slowly panning across the courtyard of an apartment complex. It is this scene where we are introduced to L.B Jeffries and the view he is taking in while sitting in his apartment. Here, the panning of the camera allows us to see into the lives of each neighbor, as if we are looking out our own window of an apartment and into the uncensored day to day moments of everyone else. 

 

2. Crane/jib shot

Amy Winehouse preforming in London, 2007 
From DVD : "I Told You I Was Trouble : Live in London"

This video shows Amy Winehouse preforming the song "Valerie" at a concert hall. In this performance the camera sweeps across the crowd and stage to capture a jib shot of the sold out venue. This fly over shot shows the crowd singing along with Amy, also intensifying the performer's small stature in comparison to the large stage, as she is battling with drug addiction and substance abuse.




3. Steadicam shot

The Shinning (1980)
Director : Stanley Kubrick
Cinematographer : John Alcott

A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future.

In this scene Danny, son of Jack Torrance (former writer and now caretaker of a mysterious hotel), is seen to be riding around the hotel in his tricycle. Here a steadicam is used to capture the child like innocence Danny tries to maintain while living in an isolated hotel that is slowly driving his father mad, and is also causing Danny frighting visions about what is to come. The steadicam maneuvers around the hotel with Danny, following him also to convey the big and empty space the Torrance family is calling home. 





4. Drone / Bird's eye

Justin Timberlake preforming at the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show February 4th, 2018 in Minneapolis 

During this performance a drone shot is used to capture the large crowd that is lit with purple lights, matching Justin's lights on stage during his tribute to Prince. A Drone shot is also used to capture the stadium and its illuminating purple color from the streets of Minneapolis. The surrounding buildings take on the purple tent, capturing this tribute to Prince by conveying how widespread his presence was. 




5. Wild Card

La La Land (2016)
Directed: Damien Chazelle
Cinematographer: Linus Sandgren

While navigating their careers in Los Angeles, a pianist and an actress fall in love while attempting to reconcile their aspirations for the future.

In this scene, a wide angle pan beautifully shows Sebastian and Mia dancing in the starry night while on their date at the planetarium. This scene also displays a bird's eye view, moving through the clouds and showing starlit sky and milky way. A zoom shot is used when moving in closer to the couples hands while they are seen dancing into each other. The camera movement in this scene conveys the majestic feeling of falling in love, and the other world Mia and Sebastian seem to fall into when they are with each other, consumed only with love for each other and for art.