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How does a camera pan differ from a camera tilt?

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Director Steven Spielberg and camera operator Michael Chapman film next to a large mechanical shark on the set of the 1975 movie Jaws. — motion-picture technology Director Steven Spielberg holding the movie camera, assisted by camera operator Michael Chapman, during the filming of *Jaws* (1975).

In filmmaking, both panning and tilting are methods of moving the camera to change the viewer's perspective, but they differ in their direction of rotation:

Pan: Derived from the word "panorama," a pan involves rotating the camera horizontally to sweep across a scene or follow a subject moving laterally.12
Tilt: A tilt involves rotating the camera vertically, moving it up or down to follow action—such as an actor climbing a stairway—or to reveal different elements of a scene.1

While a standard pan is horizontal, the term is sometimes used broadly to describe vertical or diagonal movements as well. Both techniques are fundamental tools for cinematographers to explore a scene, reveal significant details, or animate a conversation by shifting focus between speakers.1