Crane
A shot taken with the camera on the end of a mechanical arm (a crane or jib), moving in big sweeps through the air. As the arm rises or falls in an arc, the camera’s tilt changes too so it keeps looking at the subject. That lets it move smoothly from eye level to a view looking down from high above.
How it feels
- Grandeur
- Isolation
- Release
- Flowing rhythm
- Opening and ending
When to use it
- Showing a whole place in a big way at the start or end of a film
- Revealing a vast battlefield or crowd
- Rising from the street to show an entire building
- Rising high to leave a character small and alone
In the movies
Touch of Evil 1958
Directed by Orson Welles. The film opens with an unbroken crane shot of about 3 minutes that starts on a close-up of a time bomb and floats across several blocks.
High Noon 1952
Directed by Fred Zinnemann. A crane rises to make the character look isolated, small and powerless.
The Player 1992
Directed by Robert Altman. Crane moves within a long take create a flowing rhythm.
Not to be confused with
- Pedestal
- A pedestal rises and falls in a straight line, keeping its tilt. A crane moves in an arc and its tilt changes along the way.
- Tilt
- A tilt keeps the camera in place and only turns its head up and down. A crane moves the camera itself through the air.
- High Angle
- A crane can rise and end on a high angle, but an angle is a position and a crane is a movement.
Prompt
crane shot
Crane up shot. The camera starts at eye level and rises smoothly on a crane arm, tilting down to keep the subject in frame, ending high above and looking down at a small lone figure.
Try these combinations
Crane up: revealing the battlefield
Slow crane up from street level, revealing a vast medieval battlefield at dawn, smoke and banners
Crane down: an opening that descends to a character
Crane down from above the rooftops to a lone detective standing in a rainy alley, night, neon