Camera movement added in post—digital pan, zoom, or tracking over locked-off footage. Saves shoot days, demands precise motion tracking.
You shoot statically, adding camera movement only in post-production — that's postmove. The appearance of a panning or zooming camera is created entirely digitally through motion tracking and keyframe animation. Sounds lazy, but it's a deliberate production strategy: you save on expensive camera cranes, dolly shots, and repeated takes. Instead, you need precise, stable footage and a VFX supervisor who already considers the later moves during the shoot.
The practice on set is different from what you're used to. You no longer reposition the camera — instead, you center it so that everything you want to move later is within the frame. This means: composing wider, more open than usual. The focal length remains constant during the shot; any change would lead to distortions or tracking errors afterward. A marker set in the room — gaffer tape on walls, small targets — greatly helps the motion analysis later. Instead of classic boom operators, you need a VFX PA who documents exactly where the lenses were and which spatial anchor points are matchable later.
In post, you work with tracking software — Mocha, Blender, or proprietary tools in DaVinci. The system analyzes pixel movement, calculates the 3D depth position, and builds a virtual camera path. You then keyframe the desired moves as in any other VFX composition. The advantage: infinite control. The disadvantage: tracking errors lead to ghosting, to distortions in corners — and you only see a broken postmove in the final cut when time and money are tight.
Postmove works brilliantly for establishing shots, intro sequences, or when you're later unsure which movement fits. Horror scenes often benefit from it — for example, you could decide in the edit whether the camera slowly approaches or drifts sideways. However, for action with parallax or extreme close-ups, you need real camera movement; a pure postmove looks flat and synthetic there. The trick: think hybrid. Real camera for emotional, intimate moments — postmove for the big, controlled, thoughtful moves. Time savings during shooting often don't pay off in the post VFX budget; calculate that realistically.