In the oil industry, the solids control step is of fundamental importance, as it aims to recover the drilling fluid for reuse in the process and adapt the solid material for an environmentally correct disposal. The vibrating screen is the first equipment used in solids control and its function is to reduce as much as possible the fluid content in the solid destined for the next stages of solids control. Thus, it can be seen that the optimal functioning of the vibrating screen benefits the entire solids control stage. The format of the movement performed by the machine is one of the design elements that interfere in the separation result. In view of the above, this work aims to characterize the movement and evaluate the effect of operational variables on the movement of a vibrating sieve. Results show that the equipment presents progressive elliptical movement, corroborating information provided by the manufacturer, and that the movement is greatly influenced by the presence or absence of fluid on the screen, however, once filled with fluid, variations in operating conditions do not significantly affect the movement.