Tracking

A movement where the camera travels through space along with a moving character. Originally the camera was mounted on rails (tracks) or a vehicle. Broadly, a move in any direction (forward, back or sideways) can be called tracking; CineBunny shows tracking alongside the character, side by side.

Camera seen at an angle from above. The character walks sideways along the street, and the camera moves alongside at the same speed.

Camera view. The character stays in the center while only the background flows sideways.

How it feels

Companionship
Walking together
Flow
Continuity

When to use it

Going along beside a character walking or running down a street
Filming kids on bikes from a car driving alongside
Scenes that stretch out sideways, like a procession or a traffic jam
Linking time and place in one continuous move, without cutting

In the movies

Atonement (2007) · Source: Focus Features (YouTube) · Original video

Goodfellas (1990) · Source: Warner Bros. Rewind (YouTube) · Original video

Week End 1967
Directed by Jean-Luc Godard. It has a tracking shot of about 8 minutes alongside a traffic jam outside Paris. The British Film Institute (BFI) lists it among famous long takes.
The Hunters 1977
Directed by Theo Angelopoulos. A tracking shot following a man walking from the beach into a village moves from 1949 to 1963 without a cut (BFI).
The Magnificent Ambersons 1942
Given as an example of a tracking shot in Columbia’s film glossary.

Not to be confused with

Truck: Truck names a direction, the camera moving sideways, so the character can stand still. Tracking focuses on going along with a moving character. Some sources use the two words to mean the same thing.
Follow Shot: A shot that follows a moving character to keep them in frame, usually from behind. CineBunny calls it tracking when side by side and follow when from behind.
Pan: A pan can also follow a walking character, but the camera stays put and only turns. In tracking, the camera itself travels.

Prompt

Keyword

lateral tracking shot

Descriptive

Lateral tracking shot. The camera moves sideways alongside the character as they walk down the street, keeping the same distance and the character centered while the background slides past.

Try these combinations

Tracking + night street: walking beside a character
Steady tracking shot moving alongside a man walking down a busy street at night, neon signs passing in the background
Low angle + tracking: a hero’s sprint
Low-angle tracking shot of a superhero landing and running forward