B1Follow shot / over-the-shoulder
put the audience in a character's footsteps toward something unknown
Low tracking
A low tracking shot follows the subject with the camera skimming just above the ground. What it's for: a child's or animal's view; make small moments feel big.
B7Start and end
The prompt
Scene paragraph A crowded open-air market street on a bright afternoon, photoreal urban action. Colorful stalls of fruit and fabric with strings of lanterns line both sides, shoppers everywhere. A young Black woman bike courier with short braids, wearing a bright yellow rain jacket, black cargo pants and a small black backpack, carries a small brown package through the market. Live-action footage shot on 35mm film, real people, natural skin and textures.
Ground-level tracking shot a few inches above the pavement beside her black sneakers, the camera skimming along with her steps from the first second. 0–2s: her sneakers splash through a shallow puddle. 2–4s: the camera skims along at ankle height. 4–6s: paving stones, fallen petals and a stray cat crossing pass beneath the lens. 6–8s: her feet stop at a doorstep and she sets the package down beside them. Throughout: the camera stays at ground height, one continuous take.
Reusable camera layer
- Openat ground height beside {feet, wheels, paws}
- Movethe camera skims along with them at their pace
- Developthe ground rushes beneath the lens
- Landstill low [PERFORMANCE]
Tip
Inches above the ground, the pavement becomes the story. Fill the path with small things to pass over.
Pairs with: Boxing footwork
More in this family
B1
B2Reverse tracking / walk-and-talk
keep faces readable during dialogue that has to move
B3Tracking shot
carry the audience through a world alongside a character