DEEP FOCUS is used to keep all objects in both the foreground and background in focus at the same time. This is most easily accomplished using a wide lens and/or a closed aperture (high number t-stop setting) in order to gain the deep depth of field desired.
SHALLOW FOCUS is used to isolate a subject from the background and/or foreground. This is most easily accomplished with a narrow lens and/or an open aperture (low number t-stop setting) in order to gain the shallow depth of field desired.
SPLIT FOCUS - to focus on a point between two subjects.
FOCUS PULL (FOLLOW FOCUS) - This simply refers to adjusting the focal point on the lens so as to keep subjects sharp as they move about the frame, closer or farther from the camera, or as the camera itself moves. A assistant cameraman, not the operator, usually pulls focus.
RACKING FOCUS is an effect that changes the selective focal point within the frame from one plane to another within a shot (from subject A in the foreground to subject B in the background), thus changing the point of the audience's attention.
FOCUS IN / OUT - This is a TRANSITION SHOT where at the beginning of the shot the subject slowly comes into focus; or at the end of a shot the subject slowly goes out of focus.
T-STOP PULL - This refers to changing the actual t-stop on a lens as the camera moves into a different lighting situation within a single shot. Say you are tracking your subject as she walks out of her house and into her front yard where the sun is shinning. In this situation you would have to close down the t-stop as you moved into the much brighter outdoors. This can be a very difficult move, as you will have to take accurate light readings with your incident meter. The change in light intensity may be a sudden change, or a gradual one depending on the situation.
TILT UP / DOWN - The camera is stationary, but moves on its axis up or down.
PAN LEFT / RIGHT (to see all of Panoramic view) - The camera is stationary, but pivots on its axis, moving the camera left or right (always leading, never chasing the actor).
SWISH PAN, sometimes called a WHIP PAN, is a very fast pan that causes the image on the screen to blur and is often used as a TRANSITION SHOT from one shot or sequence to another.
TRACKING (DOLLYING) - To move the camera smoothly in a preset motion using a dolly on a straight or curved track, or on wheels alone.
A professional dolly can be used, as can a pickup truck, a typical wheelchair, skateboard, or any other device that can be rigged. A dolly shot usually moves forward or backward (PUSH IN / PULL OUT / DOLLY IN / OUT); or moves along side the action as a horizontally moving shot. Tracking shots can also be done HANDHELD, but will not be as smooth. They can also be done with a STEADICAM. A slow tracking shot, often called a CREEP, is done to build tension within the shot.
HANDHELD - A WALKING HANDHELD SHOT can be effective, but can also make the audience nauseous. A handheld is most effective to show nervous tension, hastiness, or anxiety when it is a STATIC HANDHELD SHOT, meaning the operator does not move, but stands in place. The frame will move slightly but naturally as a person naturally moves while standing. A static handheld shot is far more subjective than a static shot on a tripod.
STEADICAM - a device created in the 1970s that straps the camera on a spring harness to the operator's body, allowing him a free range of motion on uneven terrain, while filming a smooth and flowing shot.
ZOOM IN / OUT - Using a zoom lens - and not moving the camera - to change the magnification of the subject within the frame. This move is now considered a faux pas by many cinematographers, but can still be found in some contemporary films.
VERTIGO SHOT - Two separate effects: dolly in while zooming out, or dolly out while zooming in. The former will cause the background to move in behind the subject, while the latter will cause the background to spread out and nearly disappear. The subject will appear to remain relatively the same distance from the camera. This move is highly effective as an intense reaction shot. It was first used by Alfred Hitchcock in the 1958 film Vertigo, and was later made famous in Steven Spielberg's Jaws.
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