Scenes that combine handheld and dolly

[Theo Sundal Holen]

Hey!

 

I'm looking for references for films that combine handheld operating and dolly tracking shots within the same scene. I'm having a discussion with my director who doesn't think it can be done.

 

Can anyone think of any good ones?

[Max Field]

I think Neveldine & Taylor did stuff like that? Watch some of their stuff.

[Adrian Sierkowski]

Anything can be done; it's a question of why should it be done and what effect you are attempting to achieve / what production issue are your trying to address.

[Theo Sundal Holen]

Yes, I am slightly oversimplifying it. I'm more looking for what effect it has in different films to start a conversation with the director.

[Ryan Constantino]

One scene which is frequently noted to contain both handheld and static shots is the end scene from "Se7en" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1giVzxyoclE spoiler alert haha. Maybe something what you're looking for.

 

There are also scenes in The Matrix that combine dolly movement and handheld:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwtifqCmGuw

 

There are many more examples out there, maybe if I thought long enough I could remember more. The combination can certainly be done. There just needs to be a method behind the madness.

 

The way the cut is assembled matters more than the shots themselves in the sense that if you are moving with the handheld camera, you typically cut into the next shot, dolly or otherwise in a moving state. The Five C's of cinematography refers to this method: https://www.amazon.com/Five-Cs-Cinematography-Picture-Techniques/dp/187950541X I think it's in the "cutting" section. So you could very much do both, just know how you're cutting it together. Personally I don't think it's all that much different than cutting together steadicam and dolly shots, conceptually.