Filming & Production

Crash zoom

Also called: snap zoom, zoom punch

Snap the zoom ring hard and the frame lunges at the subject over a few frames. It reads as emphasis, comic timing or shock depending on what it lands on, and it has been a staple of vlogs and comedy edits for years.

Doing it in camera and faking it in post are different things. A real crash zoom changes focal length, so perspective shifts and the background compresses as the frame closes in on whatever you pointed it at. A post punch-in only scales the picture up, losing resolution unless you shot with room spare. Filming at 4K and delivering at 1080p buys that room, which is how most creators do it now.

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