Pan (panoramic) shots are used in films to establish the setting for the action. They can either be taken from a specific point (see first clip below, by John Ford), where the camera basically pivots on an fixed vertical axis, or simply scrolls along parallel to the action being described (second example, by New Yorker Jim Jarmusch)
mh
mh
John Ford, Stageboach (1939)
Jim Jarmusch, Down By Law (1986)