http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpN3M_CeurQ

How do you achieve this "floating" felling?
Its a dolly shot right?

Thanks! Cheers!

A very-well lubricated dolly on a super flat surface.

Yep. I'm going to guess that's a dolly. It COULD be a steadicam, but I don't think they had those when 8 1/2 was made.

ok thanks. what about that spike lee technique -place the actor on the dolly.It has the same floating feeling.

It's not even that smooth (by Hollyfake standards), although it's more than good enough for the purpose.

There would be little incentive to use a Steadicam here. A dolly is perfect as the tracks would not be visible.

Putting the actor on the dolly looks reaaallly weird.

quote:

Putting the actor on the dolly looks reaaallly weird.

Wayne looked pretty cool doing it.

In an email or a review of one of my shorts some guy wrote that Auburn (my school) must have a nice crane. I only used a homemade dolly on a track and one other very strange (and impractical) device that allowed me to track in a circle with the camera aimed along the radius. I used no vertical tracking motion.

HOWEVER, I've found now that tracking with a crane is a lot smoother and it does add that "floating" feeling to the shot because the movement is not so rigid. I wonder if the pros use short cranes for some of their simple tracking shots just because the weighted arms make it look better. Anyone know?