In order to add visual interest and assist the narrative flow, the camera would often be panned (tracked) across the picture during filming. Imagine a documentary programme about a famous painting. As the narrator explains various facets of its history and creation, the camera shows those parts of the painting that best illustrate the points being made.
Traditionally, the term Rostrum Camera refers to a specially adapted camera and mounting mechanism designed to allow precisely controlled, stable movement.
However, now that scanners and high quality digital still cameras are available, it is often more convenient to generate tracking shots using software. The source image is first scanned or photographed at high resolution. The Rostrum Camera application then sequentially extracts sections (frames) from this image according to user settings.
