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Film & Television vocabulary · Shots and Camera Movements

Tracking shot

Meaning in film & television, with examples

/ˈtrækɪŋ ʃɒt/nounCommon term

In film & television, tracking shot means: A shot in which the camera itself moves through space, for example on rails, a dolly, a vehicle or a stabiliser, usually following a character.

In Turkish: kaydırma çekimi, takip çekimi, travelling

How it is used

Named after the tracks (rails) the dolly runs on. Related terms: dolly shot, Steadicam shot, crane shot. A long tracking shot without a cut is called a oner or a long take, and it often becomes a famous showpiece.

Example sentences

  1. The tracking shot follows the waiter through the kitchen and into the dining room.

  2. We need two hours to lay the track for this tracking shot.

Common collocations

  • long tracking shot
  • lay track
  • dolly shot
  • Steadicam shot
  • follow with a tracking shot
  • panTo turn the camera horizontally from left to right or right to left while it stays in the same place. The movement itself is called a pan.
  • zoomTo make the subject look closer or further away by changing the focal length of the lens, without moving the camera.
  • shotOne continuous piece of film recorded from the moment the camera starts until it stops, or the piece of it that appears between two cuts.
  • cinematographerThe head of the camera and lighting departments, who decides with the director how the film will look: framing, lenses, camera movement and light.

More terms: Shots and Camera Movements

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