Dolly Zoom Practice

Today we attempted to create a dolly zoom, using a dolly and a [CAMERA MODEL]. We encountered many problems, as it required four people to execute – one to keep the subject in frame, one to zoom the camera, one to hold the dolly (sitting on a wheeled chair), and one to pull the person on the chair (we found that this made the whole process slightly easier). It was difficult to keep the dolly moving at a constant, smooth speed, and synchronising the rate of the zoom with the backwards camera movement was even more strenuous.

Furhter problems included feet getting in the way, and the dolly tipping upwards. The biggest problem the seemingly unavoidable fragmented zoom, as the zoom function on the camera was not smooth. To resolve some of these problems, we would like to procure a camera track, to make moving the dolly easier and smoother, as well as a lens with a smoother zooming function, or possibly a [HANDLE(?)], as used on professional film sets by the First Assistant Camera. However, these solutions may not be possible due to budget.

Connor also attempted a handheld "dolly"-zoom, which actually looked relatively good on the camera's preview.

The results of today's experiments will be uploaded to the Dolly Zoom page of this website, as soon as they have been edited (stabilised).

#maintask #preparation