Sliders Don’t Have To Slide
Nowadays in this digital realm that we work in (or at least when we went digital it seems like that was when sliders first started showing up), there are no sets that I go on that dont have a few sliders for the operator to use. For those of you who don't know, a slider is a rectangular unit that sits below the head on top of the dolly or a set of sticks, and with the help of some rails, ball bearings and unicorn tears, allows you to slide the camera from one side to another, or forward and back if set differently, extremely smoothly.
Sliders are great and can help you in all sorts of situations. As on over keeper where you are landing a dolly shot and the actor tends to never quite hit that mark, a slider can allow you, as the dolly is landing, to hit that frame perfectly every time. Another way they are used well is when a small move is needed and there is no time or the terrain is too tough for dolly track (or to save your dolly grip at the end of a tough day) where it can be used to create a small dramatic move in a shot. (HUGE NOTE: A slider move is not a replacement for a dolly move because the dolly move is always going to be better simply because one person moves the camera and one person frames the shot rather than a single person doing both. But sometimes you can get away with it).
Having said all of that, having a slider on a dolly is a double edged sword because some operators find that since they can move the camera, they should move the camera. The result is a shot that has movement for movement's sake and not for the story's sake. Which is all a more complex way of saying
Sliders Don't Have to Slide!!!!
A well planned out scene is like a symphony. There are no errant notes, the violinist doesn’t suddenly decide to solo in the middle of the adagio section, the oboe doesn’t play louder at one point simply because they think it would sound good, the theremin player (who is still surprised she’s even there) doesn’t start turning the piece into a haunted house of epic proportions on whim. Simply put, everyone plays their part because otherwise it would be chaos.
Shooting a film is no different. Every piece needs to tell the same story. Every shot should be designed (and yes, some are not and you find it as you go, but you must always keep in mind what you are doing and how it fits into the overall story). If every shot is a push in, then the push in has no value. If every shot is moving laterally, then the lateral shot has no value. Understand the story, understand what the movement is saying, and you will understand when to move, and when to sit still (even if you can move!!).
This is a classic trap that I see younger ops making because they are thinking about the shot and not about the overall story. There is no question that you can find gold on set you never even realized was there and that gold may in fact use the slider. But understand why you are moving and make sure it fits in with the director's vision.
Movement should make sense. Movement for movement's sake is not the answer. I have been on shows where directors ask to keep the camera moving because the scene isn’t really working, because they want to heighten tension, because they think it will cut better, and these are all things that can work. But in the end, they are band aids for a larger problem (with the script, with the actors, with the directors) and of course as the operator we need to give the director what they want, but be wary of falling into this trap.
Camera movement should be designed, purposeful and most importantly, help tell the story, not be the story itself.
