Shot List

Pan:

How: Move the camera horizontally left or right. Ideally, you should use a tripod for a smooth effect.

Why: To follow a subject or show the distance between two objects. Pan shots also work great for panoramic views.

Tilt:

How: Moving the camera up or down without raising its position.

Why: Like panning, to follow a subject or to show the top and bottom of a stationary object. With a tilt, you can also show how high something is. For example, using a tilt shot on someone who is quite tall in size would show some power they may have. 

Dolly:

How: The camera is set on tracks or wheels and moved towards or back from a subject. A dolly is also a noun, describing a train track contraption used for a dolly (verb) shot or a device attached to a tripod. 

Why:To follow an object smoothly to get a unique perspective. In some movies directors combine the dolly and a zoom shot for a real sense of suspense. To do this they would, the camera zooms into the subject at the same time as the camera dollies out, and the person in the shot remains the same size, but the background appears to move. 

Boom:

How: This works and looks similar to a construction crane, continusously rising up to gain a vertical shot typically of something very tall.  It is used for high sweeping shots or to follow the action of your subject.

Why: Gives a bird's eye view. It looks as if the camera is swooping down from above. Movie directors use this for street scenes so they can shoot from above the crowd and the traffic, and then move down to eye level.

Handheld:

How: You hold the camera without a device to support it like a tripod, literally holding the camera in your hand. Professional cameras which are larger are normally held on the cameraman's shoulders to reduce shaking. This balances the camera and keeps shaking to a minimum. Because of their size, most consumer cameras can't rest on your shoulder and should be practiced to create a good shot.

Why: Due to the nature of the action, many news crews and most documentaries use hand-held shooting techniques. Sometimes, it is used in TV shows and movies, mainly in action and horror films to create suspense or to have a first person view of the action.