Dolly
dolly shotdoorway dollyFisher dollyChapman dolly
A dolly shot places the camera on a wheeled platform so the body translates through space: doorway dolly, Fisher, Chapman. Because the nodal point moves, foreground, mid-ground, and background change in parallax, which a zoom cannot do.
Narrative function
Walk the camera. Change geography.
In, out, or beside: the point is that the support rolls, so space is proven by relative motion. A face can grow because you approached, not because the glass got longer.
A zoom is the wrong cousin when you need the room to be real. If you only need a tighter crop from sticks, zoom.
If the floor cannot take track, say so and use a vest or a crane instead of faking wheels.
How it works
Lay level track or dance the wheels on a floor. Height is set by the column (often eye or chest).
In and out ride the lens axis; a lateral truck is still a dolly. Keep the horizon honest.
Prompt: Dolly toward or beside [Subject], camera body traveling on a smooth path, true parallax, not a zoom.
When to use it
Use it when the camera must walk: approach a face, leave a room, slide a corridor. Do not call a zoom a dolly.
Compared with similar shots
Dolly In and Dolly Out name the axis along the lens. Tracking Shot follows a moving subject.
A Zoom changes focal length with the body still, so there is no parallax. A Push In is often a vest or a looser approach; a dolly is wheels and a path.
In film
The Shining rolls the camera through hotel geometry until space feels like a trap. Goodfellas uses wheeled and vest travel as continuous geography.
Grammar: the body moves, the room shears.
Prompt it
Say the body travels. Still: Dolly toward or beside [Subject], camera body traveling on a smooth path, true parallax, not a zoom.
Video: The camera dollies, physically traveling, parallax shifting around [Subject]. Name in, out, or beside.
Ban the word zoom unless you mean a compound.
What usually goes wrong
The usual wrong cousin is a zoom. The tell: near and far enlarge together, no shear of a lamp or a door frame.
The fix: write physical travel and true parallax, and name the path.
Questions
What is Dolly in film?
A dolly shot is a camera on a wheeled platform that translates through space, producing parallax. It is a physical path, not a zoom.
Dolly vs Zoom
A zoom changes focal length from a locked body, so space flattens or opens without parallax. A dolly moves the camera, so near objects shear against far ones.
When should I use Dolly?
Use it when geography must change by walking the camera. Do not use the word dolly for a zoom from sticks.
How do I prompt Dolly for AI image or video?
Write a traveling camera body and true parallax. Example: Dolly toward or beside [Subject], camera body traveling on a smooth path, true parallax, not a zoom.