ABSTRACT
In a dolly shot, the camera is placed on a wheeled platform that can be moved smoothly towards or away from a subject. Like all other shot types that incorporate camera movement, dolly shots tend to perform three main narrative functions: they can reveal or conceal visual information, and can also contextualize an action or a situation by virtue of how and when the camera move is executed within a scene. Zoom shots tend to make audiences feel as if a detail of a scene is being brought closer or moved away from them; the camera’s movement in dolly shots, on the other hand, is perceived as if audiences are themselves moving towards or away from a subject. Dolly shots that include wider fields of view will also require more powerful lights than those with tighter framings, because they will need to be placed relatively far from the action to avoid being seen by the camera.
