The camera does not move.

Use it when. Most dialogue. A still frame makes the audience watch the actors.

On the phone. Tripod. Turn off stabilisation if the frame breathes at the edges.

The camera turns left or right on a fixed point.

Use it when. Follow a person who crosses the room. Reveal what is beside them.

On the phone. Use a fluid tripod head or a gimbal. Start still, move, end still.

The camera turns up or down on a fixed point.

Use it when. Reveal height. Travel from a face to the object in the hands.

On the phone. Same as a pan. Keep the speed constant.

The whole camera moves toward the subject.

Use it when. A realisation. The audience leans in with the camera.

On the phone. Gimbal, and walk slowly with bent knees. Very slow is better than slow.

The whole camera moves away from the subject.

Use it when. Isolation, an ending, or a reveal of the wider room.

On the phone. Walk backwards with a spotter behind you.

The camera moves sideways, often with a walking subject.

Use it when. Walk-and-talk scenes. Passing a row of objects.

On the phone. Gimbal. Match the actor’s pace, or put the phone on a rolling chair.

The camera circles the subject.

Use it when. A turning point, or two people at the centre of something.

On the phone. Gimbal, small radius, and keep the subject in the same spot of the frame.

The whole camera rises or lowers.

Use it when. Stand up with a character. Reveal a face from behind an object.

On the phone. Gimbal. Bend and straighten your legs, not your arms.

The lens changes focal length. The camera stays still.

Use it when. Rare in drama. A slow zoom in a static frame can feel uneasy.

On the phone. Only the jumps between the phone’s real lenses are optical. Smooth zoom in between is digital and soft.

The operator holds the camera. The frame breathes and shakes.

Use it when. Urgency, documentary feel, chaos.

On the phone. Hold with both hands, elbows in, and keep stabilisation on.

A very fast pan that blurs the frame.

Use it when. A cut disguised as a move. A shock reveal.

On the phone. Whip from a still frame to a still frame. Shoot at 60 fps if you can.