Automatic camera control for creating special effects in motion picture photography

An automated motion picture camera control system comprising:

• camera servo controls for positioning said camera according to co-ordinates along a plurality of spatial axes,
• a film transport servocontrol,
• electronic input terminal means for manually entering axial co-ordinates for each of a plurality of frame locations within said film,
• memory means for storing axial co-ordinates entered in association with sequential film frames,
• transducer means for receiving axial co-ordinates from said memory means in association with sequential film frames and driving said film transport to advance said film, frame by frame, past a camera lens and driving said camera servocontrols to positions corresponding to axial co-ordinates as the film frame associated therewith is in registration with said camera lens.

An automated video camera control system comprising:

• camera positioning means for positioning and holding a video camera independently along a plurality of position axes,
• memory means for storing electronically encoded desired co-ordinates of said positioning means for each of said position axes for each of a plurality of separated and enumerated sequential running time intervals,
• operator input means connected to said memory means for manually providing co-ordinates and for designating an associated running time interval by number,
• means connected to said memory means for deriving position co-ordinates for each position axis for each running time interval between sequential designated running time intervals,
• actuating means for cycling said means for deriving sequentially through running time intervals between sequential designated ones thereof, and for coupling said memory means and said means for deriving to said camera positioning means to direct said camera positioning means to the co-ordinate positions of running time intervals.