Skip to main content

Pull Focus

 What is Pull Focus?

The pull focus is a camera technique in which you change the focus of the shot whilst shooting. Usually you use this technique to adjust the focus from one subject to another. The pull focus is a good technique to help you direct the viewers attention at something of interest. It can also create a disorienting affect as the focus changes (The Media College). In order to achieve this effect you will need to create a shallow depth of field by using a low aperture of around f/2.8-4. It can be hard to capture a correctly exposed shot with a low aperture taking into consideration that the shutter speed should be at 1/50, the image will appear very bright, by making the ISO very low (around 100). Your focus must be set on manual in order to use the focus ring on the lens to change the focus. Place something in the foreground of your shot and something in background. Have the subject in the foreground in focus and twist the focus ring in order to change the point of focus (Jennings). There are many reasons to use the pull focus technique, they are used to transition between scenes, add drama to a shot, draw the audiences eye to a specific detail, to connect elements and characters, to combine multiple shots into one, to follow a character's train of thought, to reveal something hidden in the frame (Studio Binder). 
In the movie "Young Victoria", the use of a pull focus allows the director to establish the relationship between the characters. The focus is set on the glass closest to Victoria showing a connection and then the focus shifts across all the glasses towards the last glass at the end of the table placed next to the man at the end. This shows that there is a connection between the two characters, it is a subtle way to infer meaning to the audience. 

My Example of a Pull Focus Shot

This is my example of a pull focus shot, as you can see in the video, I have my character in the foreground in focus, and I have slowly pulled my focus ring in order to make the foreground out of focus and the background in focus. I believe the video could be improved by using a tripod to shoot as the shutter speed is set to 1/50 therefore, the shot is very shaky which can create motion blur. In post-production I could use a warp stabiliser in order to stabilise the footage.

References

The Media College, The Pull Focus (Online)
Available at : https://www.mediacollege.com/video/camera/focus/pull.html
Jennings, A., 2018, How and When to Use Pull Focus When Filming Video (Online)
Available at : https://camerajabber.com/how-and-when-to-use-pull-focus-when-filming-video/
Studio Binder, n.d., 2020. The Rack Focus: Creative Examples of Camera Movement and Angles (Online)
Available at : https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/rack-focus-shot-camera-movement-angles/
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Scheduling

 Gannt Chart  I have created a Gannt chart in order to plan out my the production/planning/editing/evaluating of the production. I have made sure to space everything out and give myself realistic timescales to finish each and every task. The tasks have been split into different sections in order to keep it organised and to show a better visual representation of which tasks should be started first. The first section is planning, I have put this first as you must plan a video before you can produce it, the planning section contains all the tasks which I believe relate to planning for example, analysing music videos, researching music videos theories, analysing the song I want to produce and create all relevant documents such as storyboards. The next section is productions, the sections contains all actions I must take in relation to shooting the video for example, finding equipment, actors and props needed, shooting the video, watching footage back and shooting more footage if n...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lighting Setups and Techniques

High Key Lighting  This is where there is a strong key light in the scene and the fill light is very intense causing softer shadows and less contrast. High Key lighting is used to create a very well lit scene usually with multiple light sources. This form of lighting is created when there are soft shadows and very little contrast therefore, the use of soft boxes and diffusers can help create a well lit scene which doesn't contain too many shadows. If the light source you used is very small this will create more contrast and shadows therefore, it is best to use large lights which will cover you entire scene. As well as being able to physically alter your lighting you can also change your brightness and contrast levels in post-production in order to make the shot exactly how you want it. High key lighting is used most commonly in commercials and interviews where you don't need shadows and contrast for dramatic effect (Adobe). It can also be used other situations for example in fi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Editing My Music Video Together

 Throughout the editing process of the music video I have kept a log detailing the different editing techniques I have implemented throughout the music video. This log references what I have done and where, why I have used the specific editing technique, what issues I found whilst editing the footage together and finally how I believed I could have improved upon.  Jump Cut When the lyrics "when you've had a few" plays a jump cut is used in which bottles appear to help illustrate the lyrics for the audience whilst adding some comedic effect by amplifying the idea of drinking by exaggerating how much alcohol the character has drank. I believe the jump cut works well here and links to Vernallis' theory on music videos in which she suggests conventionally jump cuts are used in videos as a short way of transferring information to the audience in a fashion which is both engaging and clear.  Cutting With The Lyrics Throughout the video I have made sure the frames in the vide...
Post a Comment
Read more