What the buyer feels
As the camera advances, near things move past faster than far things — parallax — and the room reads as three-dimensional. That is the difference between a dolly and a zoom, and it is why a dolly of a modest room feels like a place.
Making one from photos
Stand in the doorway and shoot; step forward and shoot; walk to the feature and shoot. Same height, same light. The clip opens on the first photo and lands on the last. The dolly guide has the shot map.
Its relatives
The dolly out pulls back; the dolly zoom pushes in while the lens zooms out; the low glide is a dolly at knee height. All are on the camera moves page.
Questions
Which rooms suit a dolly?
Any room with a feature at the far end — a kitchen island, a fireplace, a window. It is the safe default for a first clip.
How is it different from a tracking shot?
A dolly travels a straight line toward a feature; a tracking shot follows a path through the space, often turning. The tracking guide covers it.
Read next
- How to Make a Dolly Real Estate VideoA dolly copies the first thing a buyer does at a showing: walk in. Everything grows as the camera moves forward, so the room feels like a place you enter rather than a picture you look at.
- What Is the Best Camera Move for Each Room in a House?A room-by-room guide to camera moves for listing video: kitchen, living room, primary bedroom, bathroom, staircase, exterior, backyard and pool — which move suits each and why.
- What Is a Drone Orbit in Real Estate Video?The drone orbit explained: the aerial circles the property at a fixed height, what it shows a buyer, what photos it needs, the licence question, and its relatives — the fly-over, the aerial pass and the rise over roof.