Grammar of the Shot, 2nd Edition

Use Short Focal Length Lenses to Hide Camera Movement

The field of view or angle of view that a lens provides depends on its focal length. A wide lens—a lens that is set to a short focal length such as 10 mm—captures a larger field of view and therefore creates an image that shows more of the environment in front of the camera. When you see more of the environment, objects tend to appear smaller. If the camera were to move or shake while recording a shot, as with a handheld camera, the smaller objects in the frame do not travel about very much because of the relative distances they have to traverse in the wider image. The larger distances between objects and their relationship to the horizon line will help them appear more stable if the camera ...