Focus puller
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In cinematography, a focus puller or first assistant camera (1st AC) is a member of a film crew's camera department who is responsible for keeping the camera properly focused during a shoot.
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[edit] Focus Pulling
Sharp focus is elemental to reproducing a realistic, appealing image, and a viewer's attention is automatically drawn to sharper areas. When done right, good pulling goes mostly unnoticeable by the audience, but soft focus is distracting, nearly impossible to repair after the fact, and can ruin a take. Focus pullers are therefore expected to perform flawlessly every time.
To prepare for a take, the focus puller first measures the distances during rehearsals, sets reference marks with the help of the 2nd AC, compares them with the distance markers on the particular lens being used, and marks them on his/her follow focus ring. During a take, he/she modifies the focus based on the dialog, action, the DP's directions, and compensates on the fly for actors missing their marks or any unforeseen movement. In some situations, an actor's head moving even a few millimeters may require instantaneous focus correction.
Traditionally, the focus puller does not look at the recorded image to do his/her job; using the marks instead of just looking through the viewfinder produces far more reliable and repeatable results. With his/her position besides the camera he/she can see his off-frame marks, and also gain a three-dimensional view of the scene, critical for judging distances. This method evolved with film cameras, which have only one sharp viewing apparatus - taken by the camera operator. With the advent of digital video cameras and increasingly reliable LCD monitors, focus pullers do sometimes check their work on the screen.
Besides his/her eyes, the puller's main tools are a follow focus device and a distance measuring tool - usually with a tape measure[1] or, more recently, with electronic tape measures using lasers (some discourage the use of lasers due to a potential liability resulting from damage that the light might inflict on an actor[2]).
Professional 1st ACs have many tricks for pulling focus in difficult situations or when accurate measurement is impossible. Often, before a scene is even rehearsed or established, the 1st AC will take surveying measurements of the general environment in order to have a good idea of the distance between reference points, such as patterns on the floor or walls, furniture, and whatever else might be around. These reference measurements can be used to quickly establish rough distances between the camera and the subject in chaotic shooting circumstances when it is impossible to accurately measure the distance.
[edit] First Assistant Camera Duties
As the head camera assistant, the 1st AC is also responsible for the maintenance and organization of all camera equipment, applying or removing any accessories (lenses, filters, matte boxes and external viewing monitors), and reloading the camera with fresh recording media. The 1st AC reports to the director of photography, works alongside the camera operator, and oversees the 2nd assistant camera (also known as the "clapper loader") and any other members of the camera department.
[edit] References
- ^ "Focus puller & clapper loader training module intro". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9-i_L3Gu_Q. Retrieved on 2008-08-30.
- ^ a b Paul Wheeler (2005). Practical Cinematography. Focal Press. ISBN 0240519620, 9780240519623.
- ^ Douglas C. Hart (1995). The camera assistant: a complete professional handbook. Focal Press. ISBN 0240800427, 9780240800424.
[edit] Links
- video of a focus puller at work: http://www.freshdv.com/2007/09/freshdv-film-school-the-art-of-pulling-focus-part-3.html
[edit] Further reading
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