Ever wish you had the power to create portals
that transport you through time and space?
What about the power to generate massive amounts of energy?
Motion creates emotion.
And that includes your camera.
It can float and twist,
shake and crank.
But it can also whip.
Today, we're going to discuss
how a relatively simple technique
can be used to jump through time and space.
Show cause and effect.
And generate energy within your scenes.
Our topic.
The Whip Pan Shot.
In filmmaking terms,
a pan is simply a rotation of your camera on the x-axis,
commonly done on a tripod.
But you can do them handheld, on dollies, gimbals, whatever you like.
"- Becomes an addiction. - Really?"
But the key point is that your camera rotates
while remaining in the same position.
"Oh man, this is serious."
A whip pan is just a pan
but a very fast pan.
And it not only creates a blur effect
but also acts as a neutral shot,
resetting the viewer's orientation and,
in some cases, the overall scene-setting.
You can also use whip pans as motivated camera movement.
Simply showing us what a character sees,
or where the characters headed.
Whip pans can be successfully used for three reasons.
Number 1. Energy.
You can use whip pans to amplify the adrenaline of a scene or action.
Number 2. Transitions.
Whip pans can jump through time and space within your story,
and create a portal that consent the viewer anywhere the storyteller wishes.
Number 3. Cause and effect.
You can use a whip pan
to show it chain of events in real-time.
Showing the viewer how this action leads to that outcome.
We're going to use StudioBinder`s break down and shot listing features
throughout this video.
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Let's jump in.
Our first topic is Energy.
What if you want to simulate the fast-paced cocaine riddled world of 1970s Hollywood?
You can use a whip pan like this one.
Which transitions us from a close up to a wide shot.
Or you can generate energy
with whip pans like the ones Guy Ritchie uses in "Sherlock Holmes."
Well, maybe you want to emphasize the absence of someone.
How did this scene look during the script breakdown?
In this scene from "Whiplash"
the potential moment for the whip pan
can be added in the scene notes.
This will act as a reminder when you create the shot list for the scene.
Here will call attention to our whip pan
by adding a color to the shot, so it stands out.
"Oopsy, Daisy. Forgot my jacket."
Next, our second usage of the whip pan.
Transitions.
Whip pans are notably used by directors like Edgar Wright for transitions.
But one of the best examples of the whip pan
can be seen in the NBC comedy "30 Rock."
Where they use the whip pan for comedy
but also to transition to wherever and whenever they like.
"- How can you defame someone who's been arrested
in three different Chuck-E-Cheeses?
- Do you know who I am?
Seriously, please tell me who I am?"
It's used as a constant motif
to transition from setup to gag.
"Good God."
If you're using whip pans as a recurring transition motif
throughout your story.
Consider specifying it when writing your script.
Select and tag them in the script breakdown.
In this case, we'll tag it as a sound effect.
Our third category. Cause & Effect.
One of the most commonly used whip pans
is when an object is shot or thrown.
They can be cleverly paired with props and stage blood
to create the effect that someone was just struck by something.
To achieve this, show a character throwing something off-screen
with pan in the same direction as the moving object,
and land on your actor,
with the prop already affixed to their body.
Show one image, then another,
and the viewer will draw a connection between the two shots.
To recap, use whip pans to.
Generate energy.
Transition through time and space.
And show cause and effect.
Consider the tone of your project,
and the ultimate effect you want to achieve to determine if a whip pan
will strike the right note.
You'll want to identify the correct moments for a whip pan
when breaking down your script
and then identify them on a shot list for your shoot.
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[Music]