Hiya! Question/clarification on the camera movement post you made regarding the 12x12 sneak peek. What are we looking for that is moving, and from what perspective? For example, the camera itself moving in a counter-clockwise direction (from a birds-eye view) can be interpreted as moving right (as the camera operator is moving their end in a left to right motion), but the lens and frame are moving to the left from the viewer's perspective (if they're staying static behind the operator). 1/2
2/2 So taking that into consideration, which is the “uncomfortable”/deceitful direction (frame moving left-to-right or right-to left)? I hope this made sense, if not I could probably come up with some diagrams. :) Thanks!
Sorry it took me awhile to get back to you. I sort of fell asleep after my meeting >.>I suppose it is kind of confusing now that I think about it. Thanks for the ask, it may help others who were thinking the same thing. I can get caught up in terminology I’m used to using sometimes.
What we’re looking for is the direction of whatever’s on screen, what’s in the frame. That’s the movie or show’s world.
So the camera itself may be moving in one direction to get a certain shot, but we’re only reading whatever its output is. Even if the actual camera dollies to the right to get a left moving shot, we only read the leftward movement, the output. Whatever’s on screen.In general, when you read camera movement, it’s read from the perspective of the output, the frame, the audience. Technically the “camera” is in Cas’ perspective or headspace because we’re given several sets of PoV shots and his placement in the shot usually acts as the establishing shot. Movies are generally built to hide the production. Most shots measure and track two things: What’s on screen and what’s off screen. Even with production in mind, that rule is generally only meant to apply to what’s in universe. The people who make movies usually want the storytelling to be seamless and don’t want to take people out of the movie so generally we discount whatever happens in production and only take whatever’s on screen as “the truth”, This is why the show itself is the only real authority on what is “true” in that universe of converse. Some movies will show the cameras and production equipment. When they do that, those things become part of the world and the story has changed.With that in mind, in western film, the direction that’s considered deceitful or off is the frame moving “right to left”.
