Tracking Shot
Also known as dolly shot · traveling shot
A shot in which the camera itself moves through the scene, usually alongside or behind a character, on a dolly, a Steadicam or a gimbal.
In practice
A tracking shot is a shot in which the camera itself travels through the scene, usually following a character or moving alongside the action. The name comes from the rails, or tracks, laid on the floor for a camera dolly to roll along. Today the same movement is also made with a Steadicam, a handheld gimbal or a vehicle.
A tracking shot changes the audience's position rather than just what they see. Following a character down a corridor puts the viewer at their back; moving along a line of faces lets the scene reveal people one by one. Because the camera keeps moving, the space feels continuous and real.
Many famous tracking shots are also long takes, shots that run a long time without a cut. The opening of Touch of Evil (1958) follows a car with a bomb in its trunk for more than three minutes, and the Copacabana shot in Goodfellas (1990) follows a couple through a nightclub's back corridors and kitchen to their table.
Writing a tracking shot without directing it
INT. LUCA'S RESTAURANT - KITCHEN - NIGHT
We follow NINA (24), first night, as she trails the manager, BEA (40s), through the chaos. Bea doesn't slow down for anything.
BEA
Grill, pasta, pass. Never stand at the pass.
Past the dish pit, through a swinging door, into the dining room. The noise drops. Candles. A full house.
Bea stops at table nine and smiles as if she had been there all evening.
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The writer never says TRACKING SHOT or DOLLY. "We follow" and an unbroken run of locations and sounds suggest one continuous move, and leave the actual shot to the director. A script reads best when the camera is implied by what the reader experiences.
How a tracking shot is made
On a dolly: the camera rides a wheeled platform on rails or a smooth floor, pushed by a grip. It gives the steadiest, most precise move.
On a Steadicam: an operator wears a vest and arm that keep the camera stable while walking. Invented by Garrett Brown in the 1970s and first used on features in 1976, it let the camera climb stairs and pass through doors.
On a gimbal or by hand: small motorized gimbals stabilize lighter cameras, and a handheld camera gives a rougher, more urgent version of the same move.
From a vehicle: a camera car or a crane on a truck tracks moving cars, horses or runners.
Famous tracking shots
Touch of Evil (1958): the opening follows a car across a border town, building suspense because the audience has seen the bomb go into its trunk.
Goodfellas (1990): Henry takes Karen in through the Copacabana's kitchen, past everyone who knows him, showing his power without a word of explanation.
Children of Men (2006): a long shot inside a moving car, filmed with a special rig, turns a quiet conversation into an ambush without a cut.
1917 (2019): the whole film is designed to look like two continuous shots, following two soldiers across the front line in close to real time.
Tracking shot vs. long take and one-shot movie
A tracking shot is defined by movement: the camera travels. A long take is defined by time: the shot runs a long while without a cut, and the camera may move or stay still. Many tracking shots are short, and some long takes never move.
A one-shot movie is a feature that appears to be a single take. Russian Ark (2002) really is one continuous 96-minute shot. Birdman (2014) and 1917 (2019) hide their cuts inside camera moves and darkness so they look continuous.
How to write a tracking shot in a screenplay
Usually, don't name it. Camera directions belong to the director, and a spec script reads better without them. Write the experience instead: "We follow Nina through the kitchen" or "Moving with the horses as they break from the tree line."
Keep the move in one paragraph flow. A sequence of short action lines that pass through doors and rooms without new scene headings tells the reader the camera doesn't stop.
Name it when the shot is the point. If an unbroken move is essential to the story, as in a heist told in one take, a short note such as ONE CONTINUOUS SHOT at the top of the sequence tells everyone. In Plot that line is ordinary action, so the formatting stays standard.
Common questions
What is a tracking shot?
A tracking shot is a shot in which the camera moves through the scene, usually following or traveling alongside a character, on a dolly, Steadicam, gimbal or vehicle.
What is the difference between a tracking shot and a long take?
A tracking shot is about camera movement. A long take is about duration, a shot that runs a long time without cutting. A shot can be one, the other or both.
What is the most famous tracking shot?
The opening of Touch of Evil (1958) and the Copacabana shot in Goodfellas (1990) are the most often cited, along with the car ambush in Children of Men (2006).
Is 1917 filmed in one shot?
No. 1917 was filmed in many long takes joined with hidden cuts so that it looks like two continuous shots. Russian Ark (2002) is a true single-take feature.
Should you write TRACKING SHOT in a screenplay?
Rarely. Most screenwriters imply the movement with phrases such as "we follow" and leave camera choices to the director, naming a shot only when the story depends on it.