Using the camera movement terms in practice

posted to: Camera Moves
Just watching through for fun at the mo'. But how would one use the terms when describing a camera movement, or giving an instruction? For example would you say, "dolly forward", "truck left", "pedestal down", or "roll right"? Some of the terms sound like verbs. "Pan" or "tilt" left make sense. Whereas "truck" or "pedestal" sound like names of things. Saying "pedestal up" sounds odd, or rather unfamiliar. Does using these terms in the context of camera movements turn them into verbs? I assume the answer is yes. And if you told a camera operator to pedestal down, they'd probably know what that means? Or is there a different way to use the terms?
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Reply
  • Wayne Dixon replied

    Yes - a camera operator should know these terms but probably doesn't get the opportunity to use them all that often.  

    Why?

    Lay people don't actually know the lexicon.  Everyone just says "Pan".....in fact a lot of professionals do the same.

    If you were giving an instruction to a camera operator you would say "Dolly forward" or "Push forward"  (because people actually push the dolly)

    I'm no word person but these terms are the names for the types of movements - therefore that makes them verbs (in the context of film making).

    2 loves
  • Omar Domenech replied

    Moral of the story Harris, professionals are humans like us, full of doubt, little kids that grew up and now have to play adult without a manual on how to. So we play it cool, that way people can't tell we're actually scared and full of uncertainty and voila, the professional is born. 

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  • Harris Clook(Yeehawcowboyletsgo) replied

    I'm just going to go forward and think of a big ol' 18 wheeler whenever I hear the term truck. It's like with rigging, whenever I would be dealing with the MCH bones, I couldn't help but call them things like Mc-Leg, as if it were a McChicken burger. As hard as I tried, I couldn't get it out of my system ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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  • Dwayne Savage(dillenbata3) replied

    On the term pedestal, it would be raise/lower pedestal. The pedestal is the piece that the camera mounts to on a tripod or camera dolly. It's also known as a camera mount, but technically that's the piece that the pedestal attaches too. On set, at least in the independent groups in Dallas Texas area, They use dolly/push in/out. Since dollying is the physical form of zooming. You will also hear dolly on {Subjects or Item's name} or dolly away from {Subjects or Item's name}. In some of the newer groups, it's as Wayne says. As for the term Truck, I haven't heard it on set. I've only seen it written in the script. Usually they say tracking on {Subjects or Item's name} that is being followed. This often times leads to a truck movement. It is more common in this area to hear Boom up and Boom down instead of pedestal. In Chicago area I heard pedestal more. 

    Note: I'm not a professional. I've only helped some friends on set and in some cases general public areas(AKA Gorilla Filming). This is just my experience.