The two type of Dollies that I have worked with are:
- Tracking Dolly
- Tripod Dolly
Tracking Dolly
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Tripod Dolly |
This is where you place the camera on a track and it allows you to push or pull the camera along to capture the action. They can also be used for revealing shots to show the object to the audience.
This is used for arc shots (if you want to circle round a subject). I'll show you an example of a tripod dolly in use later on in this post but it is used when filming people dancing.
Our example of using a Tracking Dolly
We had a go ourselves at using a tracking dolly and believe me it is a lot more difficult than it looks. Everything has to be in sequence and in time with each other for a shot such as the tracking shot to work.
Clip from Fame (1980)
Bellow is an example I found of the use of a Tripod. Watch from around 0:37 when Irene and Bruno begin to walk through the doors; the camera follows them and see the use of the arc shot when the camera rotates around the two characters
By making use of these shots and making sure that the shots are smooth when using the tracking dolly and the tripod dolly, your film would look as good as Hollywoods. One slight jolt of the camera and like all other components of a film, and it could make or break the film you could have been working on for months.
