Film Making / Production / Set Operations Staff and Equipment >

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.


Top >