Learning From Spielberg: The Elegant Dolly Move in a Long Take From 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'

Long takes are one of the trademarks of Spielberg. Using a camera on a dolly, here's how he made a visually engaging scene from the famous "Raiders of the Lost Ark" film.

If you've watched most of Steven Spielberg's movies, you can find a stunning resemblance to some of Andrei Tarkovsky's camera moves and long takes. Filmmaker Vashi Nedomansky took a scene from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and made an overlay that shows the camera move on the dolly track, which makes it quite easy to understand the power of a simple stabilization setup.

Watch the scene without paying attention to the overlay and see how moving actors close and farther away from the camera (as well as zooming in and out) feels like creating seamless smooth cuts to wide shots and close-ups. If you don't have the luxury to own a cine zoom lens, you can always use the distance between the subjects to the camera as a means for framing. If you want to make a similar camera move, you can use a standard slider. Watch the overlay. The camera is moving back and forth, not just in one direction. However, the secret is not just in the way the camera moves, but in the way the actors are positioned during the sequence. This positioning is called "blocking." That's one of the most important aspects in creating a dynamic and engaging scene in any film.