It’s obvious, right? In movies, the camera points us toward what we should look at. We follow the action by following the camera that’s following the action of the scene. But camera movements in films can also make us feel something, too. If the camera pushes in, we’re supposed to look closer. If it pulls out, we might be removing ourselves from the scene. The movement of the camera can go beyond just making us see something.
Hell, sometimes if a camera turns away from the scene, our imagination can fill in the blanks. Like in that terrifying Reservoir Dogs scene where the cop gets his ear cut off. Tarantino actually pans away from the action which somehow makes it even more horrifying.
There are so many other camera movements that can influence how we watch a movie too, so watch CineFix’s video of the five most brilliant below to learn more.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (slow push in)
20th Century Women (creep out)
Marnie (turns away)
The Passenger (distracted)
The Candidate (sudden)
