depth of field and lenses

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Depth and Texture Cinema is a 2-D format which results in many amateur and student films looking very flat. Today’s session will involve creating depth within the frame. We will achieve this in two ways: Camera position and depth of field Creative lighting

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Page 1: Depth of field and lenses

Depth and Texture

Cinema is a 2-D format which results in many amateur and student films looking very flat.

Today’s session will involve creating depth within the frame. We will achieve this in two ways:

Camera position and depth of fieldCreative lighting

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Depth and Texture

• Cinema is a 2-D format which results in many amateur and student films looking very flat.

• Today’s session will involve creating depth within the frame. We will achieve this in two ways:

• Camera position

• Depth of field

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Depth of Field

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What is depth of field?

• Depth of field refers to how much of the frame is in focus.

• If everything in the frame is in focus this is known as a deep depth of field.

• If only part of the frame is in focus this is called a shallow depth of field.

• Deep and shallow depth of fields have their own uses and connotations.

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Shallow Depth of Field

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Advantages

• Being aware of and using depth of field has many advantages:

• You can reveal or withhold information.

• Guide the viewers eyes around the frame.

• Create a more three dimensional composition.

• Suggest emotions, relationships, state of mind etc.

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Wide angle/Telephoto

• The zoom button on a camcorder has two letters, W and T which stand for wide angle and telephoto.

• When a camera is zoomed out fully the lens is “wide” and when zoomed in it is “Telephoto”.

• These two types of lenses have very different looks and effects on the subject.

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Wide Angle

• Wide-angle lenses have a wider view than that of the human eye. They make things appear further apart and make them appear to move faster than normal.

• They exaggerate and distort depth and perspective and have a gritty, realistic feel.

• When a camera is set to a wide angle, everything in the shot is in focus (Deep depth of field)

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• Avoid using wide angles for shooting close-ups or conversations as they will make faces look distorted and peculiar.

• Of course if this is the effect you want then wide angles are perfect. Terry Gilliam is a director who is famous for using wide angle lenses to emphasis unusual and quirky situations. (Watch 12 Monkeys and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas)

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Telephoto

• Telephoto lenses compress and offer a magnified view of the world. Images created with telephoto lenses have a dreamy, detached, lyrical feel.

• Telephoto lenses create a shallow depth of field making them ideal for portraits/fashion/close ups since they create a soft background and attractively flatten facial features.

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Creating depth with focal length

• The two shots on the next slide are both medium shots.

• One is taken with a telephoto lens and the other with a wide angle lens.

• Notice the difference in depth of field, compression and how the subjects relationship to the background.

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Depth of Field and POV

• With depth of field, certain aspects of the frame can be thrown in or out of focus. Using depth of field in a creative way is one of the most powerful ways of enhancing the emotion/mood of a scene.

• This example shows how putting either the foreground or background out of focus dramatically changes the POV of the scene

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Pull focus

• Pull focus is achieved when the area of the frame that is in focus shifts.

• This has the effect of changing the perspective of the shot or subtly drawing the audiences attention towards part of the frame.

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Where’s my Close-Ups!?!?

• Apart from depth of field and lenses the best way to create an emotional impact on your audience is to use close-ups.

• For some strange reason students are afraid to use close-ups.

• With a limited budget and no access to extravagant sets or actors, close-ups are your biggest friend.

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• Often student’s storyboards and sketches consist largely of long shots and medium shots.

• The further away we are from the subject/characters the less we identify.

• Close-up help the audience to connect to and identify with whoever or whatever you have filmed.

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• You only need one or two long/medium shots to establish a location. Once that location has been established you could use close-ups without causing any confusion.

• Perhaps you could establish a location just using close-ups? What are the most visual and dramatic parts of your location?

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Close-Ups and Performance

• Watch any dramatic scene in a film and you will see that it consists of mainly close-ups.

• Close-ups amplify tiny gestures and expressions meaning a very minimal performance can be made more dramatic.

• This helps to prevent exaggerated performances and overacting.

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Different uses

• Close-ups can be used for different purposes.

• Enhance emotions.

• Give things importance.

• Create atmosphere (dripping taps, a spider crawling across a floor).

• With hold information and create enigmas.

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Research

• Adverts are excellent texts to watch as the are short, efficient and rely on all the techniques mentioned in this powerpoint to sell their product.

• Adverts are shot in many different styles/genres.

• Notice how close-ups are used. To create impact, give information, enhance emotion?

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Examples

• http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zff9hVH3ptY&feature=related

• http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=TH_fFzU2E08• http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=byEmdbLo1PA• http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gTSIUlKupD8• http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ILPCDMIcjuA&fe

ature=related

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Conclusion

• Unless you consider and use good framing, composition and depth of field your image with look very flat and 2D.

• To create a perfect shot every time utilise the following:• The rule of thirds• Three quarter angle• No head space• Wide angle/telephoto lens• Depth of field• Layered composition• The remember the many uses of close-ups and use

them!!!