Zooming V.S Dolly Shots

When going from a wide shot to a close up of your subject, there are two main ways to get closer to your subject, those being zooming and dolly/trucking. By using the zoom function on your camera, you can easily get a closer shot of the subject, but if the subject moves out of the focal range, the frame becomes blurry and unwatchable. When preparing for a zoom shot, zoom in on the subject and focus, then zoom back out to your wide shot. This will keep the subject in focus when you begin shooting. The second way to get closer to your subject is by using a dolly. A dolly can be used to physically get closer to the subject, giving the shot a more 3d feel. A dolly can also be used for a trucking shot, where the camera is moved horizontal to the subject, giving more room for the audience to understand the scene. When deciding which way to get closer to your subject, remember how each one makes your audience feel when watching it: choose the one that would feel more natural for the scene.