In filmmaking and video production, a crane shot is a shot taken by a camera on a moving crane or jib. Filmmaker D. W. Griffith created the first crane for his 1916 epic film Intolerance, with famed special effects pioneer Eiji Tsuburaya later constructing the first iron camera crane which is still adapted worldwide today. Most cranes accommodate both the camera and an operator, but some can be moved by remote control. Crane shots are often found in what are supposed to be emotional or suspenseful scenes. One example of this technique is the shots taken by remote cranes in the car-chase sequence of the 1985 film To Live and Die in L.A. Some filmmakers place the camera on a boom arm simply to make it easier to move around between ordinary set-ups.
In cinematography, a tracking shot is any shot where the camera follows backward, forward or moves alongside the subject being recorded. Often the camera is mounted on a camera dolly which rides on rails similar to a railroad track; in this case, the shot is referred to as a dolly shot. A handheld steadycam or gimbal may also be used for smaller scale productions. The camera is then pushed along the track while the scene is being filmed, or moved manually when using a handheld rig. The effect can be used to create a sense of movement, to follow a character or object, or a sense of immersion to draw the viewer into the action.
A professional video camera is a high-end device for creating electronic moving images. Originally developed for use in television studios or with outside broadcast trucks, they are now also used for music videos, direct-to-video movies, corporate and educational videos, wedding videos, among other uses. Since the 2000s, most professional video cameras are digital professional video cameras.
A camera dolly is a wheeled cart or similar device used in filmmaking and television production to create smooth horizontal camera movements. The camera is mounted to the dolly and the camera operator and focus puller or camera assistant usually ride on the dolly to push the dolly back and forth. The camera dolly is generally used to produce images which involve moving the camera toward or away from a subject while a take is being recorded, a technique known as a "dolly shot". The dolly grip is the dedicated technician trained to operate the dolly by manually pushing it back and forth.
A television studio, also called a television production studio, is an installation room in which video productions take place, either for the production of live television and its recording onto video tape or other media such as SSDs, or for the acquisition of raw footage for post-production. The design of a studio is similar to, and derived from, movie studios, with a few amendments for the special requirements of television production. A professional television studio generally has several rooms, which are kept separate for noise and practicality reasons. These rooms are connected via 'talkback' or an intercom, and personnel will be divided among these workplaces.
The production control room (PCR) or studio control room (SCR) is the place in a television studio in which the composition of the outgoing program takes place.
In photography, a tripod is a portable device used to support, stabilize and elevate a camera, a flash unit, or other videographic or observational/measuring equipment. All photographic tripods have three legs and a mounting head to couple with a camera. The mounting head usually includes a thumbscrew that mates to a female-threaded receptacle on the camera, as well as a mechanism to be able to rotate and tilt the camera when it is mounted on the tripod. Tripod legs are usually made to telescope, in order to save space when not in use. Tripods are usually made from aluminum, carbon fiber, steel, wood or plastic.
This article contains a list of cinematic techniques that are divided into categories and briefly described.
Manfrotto is an Italian brand of camera and lighting supports, including tripods, monopods, and other accessories, that is manufactured by Lino Manfrotto + Co. Spa, a company headquartered in Cassola, Italy. The brand is wholly-owned by Videndum plc.
The AN/VAS-5B(V) Driver's Vision Enhancer (DVE) is a passive thermal imaging system used to enhance a driver's viewing capabilities while operating during degraded visual conditions, such as darkness, fog, smoke or dust.
Videndum plc is a manufacturer of hardware and software for the film industry founded in 1910 and based in Richmond, London. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
A pan-tilt-zoom camera is a robotic camera capable of panning horizontally, tilting vertically, and zooming. PTZ cameras are often positioned at guard posts where active employees may manage them using a remote camera controller. Their primary function is to monitor expansive open regions that need views in the range of 180 or 360 degrees. Depending on the camera or software being used, they may also be set up to automatically monitor motion-activated activities or adhere to a defined schedule.
Miller Camera Support Equipment is the commercial name of R. E. Miller Pty Ltd, an independent Australian manufacturer of tripods, fluid heads and various accessories for professional camera systems . The company supplies ENG/EFP equipment to broadcast and government.
Elevated photography is the process of taking aerial photos using a telescoping pole or mast, or other aerial or elevated support systems, to emulate aerial photographs, or video, taken from a commercially licensed aircraft.
Sachtler is a manufacturer of film and video camera support products and reporter lighting equipment. The company was founded in 1958 and was bought by the United Kingdom's Vitec Group in 1995.
Gary Thieltges is an American cinematographer, owner of Doggicam Systems and best known for inventing camera rigs used on big-budget Hollywood films and television shows. Upon being hired as the director of photography of a beer commercial featuring a dog in 1997, his first invention was the Doggicam, a camera on a stick with a monitor at the operator's eye level to view the picture feed. Thieltges' PowerSlide, a wirelessly controlled camera dolly that rides on super rigid track, was used by cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki in the famous car ambush scene in Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men. In 2004, the Society of Operating Cameramen awarded Thieltges their Technical Achievement Award for The Bodymount, a lightweight camera support system that can be worn by an actor and placed anywhere on their body. The Bodymount has been on such actors as Bruce Willis, Angelina Jolie, Eminem in 8 Mile and on Mick Jagger in a music video with Lenny Kravitz, among many others. In 2005, Thieltges was presented with a Technical Achievement Award from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences for the design and development of the Sparrow Head, a lightweight system for remotely controlling the pan and tilt of a camerama.
A tripod head is the part of a tripod system that attaches the supported device to the tripod legs, and allows the orientation of the device to be manipulated or locked down. Modular or stand-alone tripod heads can be used on a wide range of tripods, allowing the user to choose which type of head best suits their needs. Integrated heads are built directly onto the tripod legs, reducing the cost of the tripod system.
The Panther GmbH is a film technical company situated in Aying, Munich which develops and produces professional camera cranes and dollies. For the first ever electro – mechanical Camera dolly to be built,the "Super Panther", Mr. Erich Fitz, the founder of the company, received the Oscar "Scientific & Engineering Award". in the year 1990.
A camera pedestal is an item upon which television cameras are mounted, typically seen in television studios. Unlike tripods, pedestals give camera operators the ability to move the camera in any direction. They are commonly used on shiny-floor shows, sitcoms and soap operas.
In cinematography, remote heads, also known as 'hot' heads, or robos are motorized mechanical and/or electronic devices that are used as a mount for film, video or digital cinema cameras and can be controlled from a distance. In most cases this refers to control not only of the physical orientation of the camera body, such as pan (horizontal), tilt (vertical), roll, but also control over many or all camera functions – focus, zoom, color balance, gamma correction, camera menus and other related functions.
