Im pretty new to film making, just testing out the waters with some stuff I shot. I just discovered the Ken Burns effect (really cool) and read up on it a little. I can definitely appreciate its use on photographs and in documentaries but how is it used in film within the context of camera pan and zoom?
In other words the same effect can be achieved by physically panning the camera while zooming during production. I guess if a sufficiently good camera is used, you can apply the Ken Burns effect during editing and achieve the same effect without a reduction in image quality, perhaps with more precision.
How is it typically done by the "pro"? Is it just a matter of taste or are there some general guidelines?
Thank you for your advice.
Any camera that has a zoom can be used to pan and zoom during production.
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
The "Ken Burns" effect is pretty much exclusively used for still images. The point is to make them a bit more alive by introducing movement.
In narrative filmmaking, this is practically NEVER used. Zoom is essentially an unnatural construct. Human eye cannot zoom. With a few very special exceptions, zoom is never used in film. Camera movement (pan / tilt / track / dolly) is much more appropriate for such situations, as they represent the natural types of movement that humans can make while observing their surroundings. Practically every filmmaking book will say very early on, in the section covering camera, that zoom should not be touched during the shot: set the focal length as necessary for the shot, then leave it there while shooting.
