A Dolly is a wheeled platform or cart on which a camera and camera operator are mounted, allowing the camera to move smoothly through space along a defined path. It is one of the most fundamental pieces of camera movement equipment in professional filmmaking, used to create tracking shots, push-ins, pull-outs, and any camera motion that requires stable, controlled translation through three-dimensional space.

Dollies range from simple wheeled platforms that can be pushed across smooth surfaces to sophisticated systems that run on dedicated track for precision movement and repeatable motion paths. Professional dollies include features such as hydraulic arms for vertical movement, rotating platforms for combining lateral and rotational motion, and precise speed control for complex choreographed camera moves. The smoothness and intentionality of dolly movement gives footage a polished, cinematic quality that distinguishes it from handheld or static shots, and dolly shots are a hallmark of high-production-value filmmaking.

In AI video generation, dolly-style camera movement can be requested through prompts that specify the direction and quality of motion desired. Terms such as dolly in, dolly out, tracking shot, and push in all reference this foundational piece of equipment and help communicate the type of controlled, grounded camera motion that characterizes professional cinematography.