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Unless you're planning to emulate Ozu and barely move the
camera on your first indie feature, you'd do well to introduce yourself
to the world of camera dollies and the dolly grip before shooting.
While any director knows he or she has to have a crack first assistant
cameraman to ensure that the director of photography's images are
in focus, fewer realize how important a trustworthy dolly grip is.
What may seem like grunt work - pushing the dolly across the room
or along a piece of track - is actually a skilled craft, requiring
not only muscles but an intuitive knowledge of camera operation,
a sensitivity to actors and their line readings, and a balletic
sense of movement.
The ability to introduce camera movement into a scene is an important
tool that no filmmaker should be denied. Successful dolly moves
occur through careful interaction and timing on part of the director,
actors, D.P. and the dolly grip. The dolly grip's role is simply
to move the camera from point A to point B as smoothly as possible
and at the proper speed. Depending on the complexity of the move,
there may be more points, or positions,and varying speeds. A relationship
of trust between the D.P. and the dolly grip is key to the smooth
execution of these moves. Besides focus, the movement of the dolly
is the only aspect of the camera that the D.P. does not have direct
control over.
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