One of the classic examples of great motion picture photography is Orson Welles's breathtaking tracking shot at the opening of Touch of Evil. The camera, mounted on a Chapman crane, begins on a close-up of a ticking time bomb and ends a tense three-plus minutes later with a blinding explosion.

During this scene Welles uses the slowly moving camera -- along with a tense, pulsing musical score -- to create anxiety, build suspense and cause us to live out every second on the bomb's ticker. The camera travels at a high angle, then descends and rises again, each time revealing characters and a town street about to be shaken by the explosion.

This legendary shot by Orson Welles has much to teach today's videomakers. It offers a clear example of how the moving camera, when properly motivated and precisely controlled, can be a key to unique and compelling video images.

How many times today do we see the work of videographers whose idea of camera movement is to repeatedly zoom "in" and "out" on their subject from a stationary tripod? Though this kind of camera work may be essential in certain uncontrolled news situations, it has become the sign of an amateur at work on more sophisticated productions.

Several factors now make it easier, faster and cheaper than ever before to create powerful moving camera shots during video productions. Today's cameras and camcorders are smaller and lighter than previous models. A new generation of portable camera support gear designed for video production has appeared on the market. And, improved compact zoom lenses and accessories are available for every camera.

A zoom lens -- with its continuously variable focal lengths -- cannot make a successful moving shot. By simply zooming in and out from a stationary position, the camera operator is changing the angle of view of a scene without changing perspective. This is why the resulting images often seem dull and two-dimensional.

The perspective of a scene can be altered only by physically moving the camera. Through camera movement the videographer can make three-dimensional images and create dynamic, high-impact television programming.

Horizontal to/from camera movement is called "tracking" and is usually executed with a movable "dolly." Vertical -- up and down movements -- are called "booming" or "craning" and are accomplished with a "crane" or "jib." Dollys, cranes, jibs and zoom lenses can be used in combination with each other to create a vast range of moving shots.

Dollys range in size from massive, steerable, motor-driven units to small, inexpensive, suitcase-sized portables designed for field video production. The camera operator sits or stands on the dolly as it tracks across a smooth surface or on pre-laid railroad-style tracks.

On low budget productions, any smooth-running wheeled device can serve as a camera dolly. Many successful dolly shoots have been made from wheelchairs, children's' strollers, shopping carts, toy wagons and bicycles. In fact, if the operator is steady enough, short tracking shots can be made by hand.

The main obstacle with any tracking shot is to keep the camera smooth. Professionally-designed gear makes it easier to achieve steady shots, but, with enough time, tracking shots can be perfected with the crudest equipment.

Tracking shots can be used with both stationary and moving objects. Since perspective changes with the movement of the camera, slowly tracking the camera around a stationary object allows the audience to discover, explore and get a "feel" for the mass, texture, form and other characteristics of the object. Moving subjects can also be tracked with the camera, keeping the distance between subjects and camera the same.

Veteran British camera operator and film director Ronald Neame teaches students in his film/video directing classes to combine the zoom lens with the tracking shot. "All the zoom does is to magnify the scene. It looks very mechanical to zoom by itself," Neame tells students. "You should never use the zoom lens unless you incorporate it with a tracking camera. I very seldom use a camera that doesn't move in some way."

Neame cites a situation where an extreme close-up is required of the subject but there is not enough time to fully track from a full length shot into the close-up. "In this case I zoom at the same time as tracking. That covers up the zoom. The mechanical effect is disguised," Neame explains.

The crane -- or a smaller jib arm -- is used to move a camera up or down for panoramic elevated shots. Most also allow sideways motion as well. Small cranes are often found in television production facilities where additional height is needed over standard studio pedestals. Larger hydraulic cranes are frequently used for high shots during video coverage of outdoor events. A new generation of small, portable jibs, which offer the capability of crane shots with a single operator, are now available for video production in the field.

For low budget videographers, make-shift cranes are easily devised. Escalators, elevators, forklifts and "cherry-picker" arms can be put to work to move the camera. For those wanting to revisit childhood, a wooden "see-saw" with a plank and saw horse can even be used as a suitable crane. Just have the camera operator lie on one end of the board with the camera and have an assistant counter his or her weight on the other end of the board. As the weight is shifted, the camera can be raised or lowered.

Shots made from cranes often result in dramatic, sweeping images which elicit specific audience responses. It is especially important for the videographer to use crane shots with reason and motivation. Another way to move the camera and disguise a zoom is by combining a pan and zoom.

"Let's say you want to pan from one figure to another figure, to another figure and to another and keep them in a close shot," filmmaker Neame proposes to his students. "You want to make them all the same size but they are all at different distances. Then you would zoom at the same time you pan the camera. The audience would never be aware that you had used the zoom."

© Frank Beacham

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