motivated camera movement

Motivated Camera movement.

Scene 1: Tim & Eric’s Bedtime Stories “Tornado”

About 9 minutes into this episode, there is a scene in which Matt is in the hospital operating room to have his testicles removed. When he realizes that there will be no anesthetic, he starts to get real antsy in his pantsy. He shakes back and forth, as the camera (presumably) tracks to an XCU shot of his face. It’s possible that it was a zoom, and not a tracking shot. The movement here is a phenomenal example of “good motivated camera movement.” This scene really lets you know what’s about to go down, and how scared Matt is about the whole debacle.

Scene 2: Breaking Bad “Crawl Space”

This chilling cliffhanger of an ending leaves us feeling paranoid and eager to learn what’s the next move for Walter White. The camera movement, which I must say is exceptionally awesome in this particular scene, is motivated through Walter’s inner struggles, which would eventually turn into outer struggles if he doesn’t hurry and get a move on. The thing is, he can’t get a move on because Skyler gave all of the… No spoilers here. Basically, Walt finds out that shit is about to go down HARD. So he runs home to pack up basic items and gather enough cash to save his family. He finds out that he doesn’t have enough cash to save his family, and basically loses his mind. The camera floats higher and higher above him as he smiles in his twisted mind.

Scene 3: The Master (2012)

One of if not my favorite films of all time, The Master, has a scene which seems almost completely unplanned, but works out perfectly. It’s a long take, filmed in one shot. At first, the camera stays still as Freddie (Phoenix) nears the man getting his photo taken. Once they start fighting, Freddie moves far back within the frame as the opposing man chases him around. As Freddie starts to make his way stage-right, the camera tracks smoothly to follow him. I love everything about this movie; it’s beautifully shot.