When pulling focus, the first thing to
remember is to adjust slowly and smoothly.
It may seem obvious,
but when we're in the middle of
the action and the subject is moving quickly,
especially coming toward the camera.
The instinct is to try and
regain focus as quick as possible.
But if you don't adjust the focus steadily,
there's two problems that we'll encounter.
We could miss the mark and have to readjust,
causing the subject to go in and out-of-focus,
which is extremely distracting
and can easily ruin the shot.
The second problem if we're filming
hand-held is there's likely to be some camera shake.
If it's very subtle,
the shape can sometimes be fixed in editing.
But to save time and to get the best shot possible.
It's best to avoid camera shake while filming,
unless it's a stylistic choice
that you're intentionally making.
Perhaps for an action scene
to help really make your focus pull smooth,
I highly recommend getting a Follow Focus.
It will act as a side handle,
which also helps to stabilize the shot.
And it provides a more comfortable and natural movement,
making it easier to pull focus.
Another option if you're using
a gimbal is to have a remote follow focus.
This way, the point of contact of our hands
is on the camera rig and not the camera itself.
Of course, this depends on what we're filming.
But when it's possible,
a little bit of rehearsing can save lots of time onset,
and especially in the editing room.
A quick rehearsal allows us to find our focus marks.
If there's movement in the shot of rehearsal also allows
us to make sure the subject
stays within the range of focus.
If they don't, it's a chance to
practice the focus pole and get
the right timing by creating
markers for ourselves and for the subject.
Essentially, running a quick rehearsal saves time while
filming and stops us from filming multiple bad takes,
meaning less footage to go through in the editing room.
Again, saving us time.
What if we're filming a live event
and rehearsing isn't an option.
What do we do then?
These circumstances, we want to
find reference points that are the
same or close to
the same distance from
the camera that our subject will be.
In this shot here,
I used the two light posts as reference points.
So instead of trying to pull
focus on the wrestlers while they're moving,
I knew that by simply
focusing back on those two light posts,
I would also have them in focus as they approach.
First, if we're using a zoom lens,
we can zoom in,
making it easier to set our focus and then zoom back out.
Some cameras and lenses have this feature
built-in and will digitally zoom in for us.
Second, get a monitor.
It doesn't have to be a big one.
Something like this works
perfect and command straight to your rig.
The screen on our cameras can be deceiving.
On such a small screen,
the shop may look in focus.
But when viewed on your computer or larger screens,
if it's out-of-focus, even just a little bit,
it will be very noticeable.
I made this mistake a lot early in my career because one,
I was too cheap to get the monitor.
And two, I thought my vision was perfect,
only to find out after that some of my shots
were still a little bit soft. So don't do it.
I did get yourself a monitor.
Third and last, like
all other camera movements and
so many other things we learn about.
You need to get out there and
practice using manual focus.
It is a skill you need to learn and develop.
And it takes time to do this because
autofocus cannot do everything for you.