kevinbadi Crane Shot Camera Animation
Camera begins at a low angle looking up at the product, then smoothly rises to reveal the full product from above. Creates a dramatic unveiling effect.
When to Use
- User wants a "reveal" or "unveil" shot
- User says "crane", "rise up", "low to high", "dramatic reveal"
- Product on a pedestal or platform
Parameters
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
duration |
5 |
Video length in seconds |
fps |
24 |
Frames per second |
start_height |
-0.2 |
Starting height (below product level) |
end_height |
3.5 |
Ending height (above product) |
start_distance |
3.0 |
Starting distance |
end_distance |
4.0 |
Ending distance (pulls back as it rises) |
Flow
Step 1: Set Up Camera
import bpy, math
bpy.ops.object.empty_add(type='PLAIN_AXES', location=(0, 0, 0.05))
tgt = bpy.context.active_object
tgt.name = 'CraneTarget'
bpy.ops.object.camera_add(location=(1.0, -START_DISTANCE, START_HEIGHT))
cam = bpy.context.active_object
cam.name = 'CraneCam'
cam.data.lens = 45
trk = cam.constraints.new(type='TRACK_TO')
trk.target = tgt
trk.track_axis = 'TRACK_NEGATIVE_Z'
trk.up_axis = 'UP_Y'
bpy.context.scene.camera = cam
Step 2: Animate Crane Movement
TOTAL_FRAMES = DURATION * FPS
scene = bpy.context.scene
scene.frame_start = 1
scene.frame_end = TOTAL_FRAMES
scene.render.fps = FPS
# Start low
cam.location = (1.0, -START_DISTANCE, START_HEIGHT)
cam.keyframe_insert(data_path='location', frame=1)
cam.data.lens = 45
cam.data.keyframe_insert(data_path='lens', frame=1)
# Rise up and pull back
cam.location = (1.5, -END_DISTANCE, END_HEIGHT)
cam.keyframe_insert(data_path='location', frame=TOTAL_FRAMES)
cam.data.lens = 35
cam.data.keyframe_insert(data_path='lens', frame=TOTAL_FRAMES)
# BEZIER for smooth crane motion
Step 3: Render + Encode
Same pipeline — Cycles, PNG sequence, ffmpeg ProRes 4444.
ffmpeg -y -framerate 24 \
-i "~/Desktop/Blender Videos/crane_frames/%04d.png" \
-c:v prores_ks -profile:v 4444 -pix_fmt yuva444p10le \
"~/Desktop/Blender Videos/crane_shot.mov"