Using The Dolly

In order to give our music video the cinematic look, and make it as professional as possible, we realize that we need certain equipment to achieve certain looks. Luckily enough for us our school supplied us with these necessary equipments, one in particular is the dolly.

What is a Dolly?

'High-tech' dollies as you can see from the image, as usually carts which travel along tracks. The camera is mounted on a dolly and records the shot as it moves. Dolly shots have numerous applications and can provide very dramatic footage.

  

 As obvious as it may sound dollies are used to make dolly shot which are also known as tracking shots/trucking shots. Although many professionals prefer the 'rigid' terminology which defines dolly as an 'in-and-out' movement (i.e. closer/further away from the subject), while tracking means 'side-to-side' movement. Most dollies (especially those used by professionals) have levers to allow for vertical movement as well as (known as pedestal move). Or in other cases a crane can be mounted on the dolly for additional height and flexibility. A shot which moves vertically while simultaneously tracking is called a compound shot. 

How Effect Can The Dolly Be For Our Music Video?

Using the dolly would be an effect tool to our music video because it will allow our group to capture smooth and dynamic footage. For example in our music video the dolly could used for a tracking shot, as we want footage of our main female artist walking in the kitchen. With the dolly we could record our female artist in a way which would put our target audience in her POV, as well as following her; this could be a way of interacting with the audience. 

Practicing With The Dolly

To avoid wasting time during our filming with the dolly, we established that it would be more logically to practice using it. Nonetheless we split our group further into two groups, Seun and I and Prince and Sath and practiced using the dolly. 

First and foremost we had to set up the dolly, this was very simple. We first mounted the camera onto a tripod and then extended the legs. Once that was done we then connected it to he dolly, by adjusting the knob (widening the gap) to allow the tripod slip in, to then tighten the knob (reducing the gap) to the extent that the tripod could not move. This was done to all three legs of the tripod. 

Once the dolly had been set up we then practiced panning vertically up and down on each other. Below features so of these clips: