Film Making Tips 101 Camera Movements – Panning

When the camera pans, it moves horizontally (yes, it can be combined with tilting to form an even more spectacular shot, but panning itself is just left to right or right to left). With panning you can take a look across a landscape or scene from either direction to reveal something new.

It can also be a good idea to begin a pan by following a movement. For example, a man enters the frame from the left and starts to head towards the right of the screen, the camera may then pan following him but ending on the storyline’s main subjects which he passes. He exits the frame cleanly, but the camera has been brought to the subjects in question.

The pace of how you pan should also be taken into consideration so as to not disorientate your viewer. Plus, if your frame has objects which interfere with your pan, you may want to either change the pace to fit viewing these objects or move the camera.