Dolly In/Out
A movement where the camera physically moves toward the subject (dolly in) or away from it (dolly out). Originally the camera was mounted on a wheeled platform (a dolly) or on rails and pushed. Since the camera body moves and the lens stays the same, perspective changes, unlike a zoom: near things grow faster than far things.
How it feels
- Immersion
- Intimacy
- Isolation
- Into the space
When to use it
- Slowly moving in as a character makes a decision or says something important
- Pulling back at the end of a scene to leave a character alone
- Giving a sense of entering a space, like a misty forest
- Slowly approaching a product in an ad
In the movies
Taxi Driver 1976
Columbia’s film glossary gives the film’s "Rejected" scene as an example of a dolly shot.
Not to be confused with
- Zoom In/Out
- The camera stays put and only the lens’s field of view changes. The image just gets bigger and perspective stays the same. In a dolly the camera actually moves closer, so perspective changes.
- Push In / Pull Out
- Other names for the same movement, usually used for a slow, short dolly. Note that some AI tools read these words as a zoom.
- Tracking
- Tracking travels along with a moving character. In a dolly the character can stand still while the camera moves forward or back toward them.
Prompt
slow dolly in
Slow dolly in. The camera physically moves toward the character, from a full shot to a waist-up shot, without zooming the lens.
Try these combinations
Eye level + dolly in: the moment of decision
Eye level, slow dolly in on the character as they make a decision, quiet room, soft window light
Dolly out + empty street: a character left alone
Dolly out from the character standing alone on an empty street to emphasize their isolation