Motivated camera movement is a concept I wasn't familiar with per se prior to this class. It's something that you should be aware of as you watch movies, but it doesn't always have a clever name. In my projects, I have been making a more conscious effort to add movement in ways that elevate the visual "story" of the shot. Below are some examples of camera movement that I like:
This clip from The Shining follows the little boy as he rides through the hotel on his trike. It mirrors the opening of the film where we followed the family's car to the hotel via helicopter shots. This long steadicam shot also feels like we are flying over the surface of the ground, gliding after the boy like a malevolent spirit. It would be creepy, even if it were set in a nice Holiday Inn. I think this is a perfect example of movement contributing to the "gift" of the shot.
http://youtu.be/tSpbZiTx724
This next shot from Scream is an example of movement that fringes on being un-motivated. While I like it from a technical standpoint, I don't feel like it adds much to the story. We come down on Sydney's high school and then move in via steadicam to medium shots of various characters. Like I said, I love the creativity of the camera movement (I think in the commentary it says the operator came down standing on a platform of a crane or something), but I've watched it with several people and they never really notice r appreciate it. It might as well have been static shots, because we as the audience don't feel a particular connection to this point of view. As contrasted to the clip from The Shining, where the movement mimics an omniscient being, here we just glide down from the sky and into Sydney's face for no apparent reason.
The shot starts at 16:45.
http://youtu.be/F4YDz4-H924
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