A
tracking shot can be used effectively for the following reasons:
• to
follow a particular character
• to
give a feel for the surroundings
From research that I found I noted that continuous shots (long takes)
has been around since film was invented as in those days they didn't have any
edits. Alfred Hitchcock's 'Rope' (1948) was one of the first noticeable films
to use long unedited takes (for story telling purposes).
"[Rope] was an entire film shot in real time created by seamless
cutting together a series of long 8-10 minute shots made to look like one. In
1948 it was a bold and unprecedented experiment for Hitchcock. The film works
because its takes place entirely in one room for 80 minutes, so there was
limited movement and lighting changes."
I found 2 examples of tracking shots used effectively.
'Atonement' (2007)
This scene gives us an insight into life in the
army during the time of the war. It is very powerful and emotive. It starts by
following the central character (Robbie) walking along the beach taking in his
vast surroundings. At the beginning of the shot he can smell the sea and so
rushes in that direction as he believes he will be able to get a boat home.
There is a CU of Robbie's face to show the shock of what he can see, the vast
numbers of soldiers waiting around. The audience watching now follow Robbie as
he walks through the crowds on the beach. This scene is less about seeing
facial expressions, and more about establishing the surroundings around, and so
LS's and MS's are used so that you can see a great deal more of the action.
This scene is powerful as it shows the brutality of the war (horses being
killed) but then also how the soldiers are just normal guys, looking for a way
home (choir singing, swinging on carousel etc). The tracking shot makes the
scene particularly upsetting and you see possibly thousands of soldier, most
wounded and you feel a great amount of sympathy. I believe this is one of the
most effective tracking shots as because it is so long (5 minutes) it allows to
to conjure up lots of emotion, rather than perhaps lots of smaller shots of the
beach. It slows the pace of the film tremendously, i believe, because it wants
to make you think about the war and think about how it is affecting all these
men. Also it helps to focus you and concentrate, as the beginning is made up of
a series of flashbacks. From some pictures i have seen i think this was shot
using a handheld camera.
(the scene is actually 5 mins long but is blocked on youtube - this was the best I could find!)
'Boogie Nights' (1997)
This particular tracking shot is used at
the beginning of the film to establish characters and it's surroundings. It
gives you a taste of whats to come in the rest of the movie. The very start has
a very peculiar camera technique as it goes upwards, and then sideways to read
the words on the sign. I liked this bit as it was quirky and fun. The scene
shows the lively night life of this south California town. As someone, who
appears to be the nightclub owner greets people, we are slowly introduced to
the central characters. It shows a fun environment where everyone is connected
and knows each other. Unlike the scene in Atonement, in which it is used to
slow the pace down, this clip actually keep the paced relatively quick by using
a variation of CU's, MS's and LS's.
Common sub-genres are psychological thrillers, crime thrillers, erotic thrillers and mystery thrillers and spy thrillers. Alfred Hitchock was the known as the 'Master of Suspense' who overlapped other genres like horror and action with thriller. An early example of one of Hitchcock's early films was 'The 39 Steps' (1935) - a Crime/Mystery film that gave some early elements of thrillers. The film is now a Comedy performance in London, Criterion Theatre. 
