Motorized compact dolly with remote control — tight footprint, precision movement. Standard for confined spaces and rapid takes.
The Lola — often also called the Lola Dolly — is one of the most practical inventions in the modern grip arsenal. You unpack it, set it up, operate it remotely. Done. No tracking, no physical exertion, no visible track in the shot. Perfect for shots where a real dolly is too large or where you need to switch in seconds.
The machine itself — a flat, compact chassis with four driven wheels, usually between 60 and 100 centimeters wide — is operated by the grip via radio or cable. The key thing is: you control the direction, speed, and often the pan of the head directly from the position where you see the monitor. This makes the Lola the ideal tool for conversations in narrow hallways, for chase scenes through apartments, or for low-angle moves under furniture. Where a Chapman or a standard dolly wouldn't even fit, the Lola still drives precisely.
In practice, you need a stable rig and a level surface — Lolas are not made for outdoor unevenness. The surface must be smooth: wooden floors, concrete, PVC sheeting. On grass or gravel, you lose control and damage the wheels. With a tracking dolly, the precision is even higher — you then drive with millimeter accuracy, for example, for close-ups or complex camera choreography with multiple moves in succession.
A common mistake: underestimating how fast the Lola can go. Those who don't meter the speed finely enough create jerky movements that remain visible in the final footage. Start slowly, maintain a constant speed, brake gently — that's the rule. With modern radio systems, you can also make corrections during the shot without them being visible in the image. This makes it the standard solution for documentaries and for sets where flexibility counts more than maximum image quality.
The Lola doesn't replace a manual dolly for very long or very slow moves — for that, the pusher needs skill and feel. But for anything between 2 and 15 meters of travel, for precision timing, and for saving space: it's unbeatable.