With autofocus reaching superhuman heights in recent years, its possibilities seem limitless. But when it comes to narrative filmmaking, nothing beats human emotion.
First things first. I like the autofocus. As someone with vision problems at best, the idea of manual focus has always been something I’d rather avoid. Sure, I can focus. And sure enough, it looked me straight in the eye. But do I really trust my own eyes?
Thankfully, when it comes to stills photography, autofocus has reached such a level of precision that I feel confident that, with the right starting point, my camera will keep my images intact. I’m sharp in most cases. Many camera manufacturers have also become adept at shipping this focus accuracy to their video products. If you’re running and shooting or setting up a simple interview, leaving your camera in autofocus is usually the best option. Depending on your audience, it may be the only option. And chances are you’ll get great results. So why would you want to use manual focus?
If you’ve ever found yourself in a polite conversation with a professional videographer and made the fatal mistake of using the word “autofocus” in a sentence, chances are you’ve faced a cold stare. He lives in the boundary of shame and contempt. The truth is that the more advanced you are on your production budget, the less likely you are to rely on autofocus. The best industry-standard cinema cameras don’t even have autofocus, and being able to focus your image manually is a prerequisite.
There are many reasons for this. One, at the higher levels of filmmaking, you very rarely run and shoot. Sure, you might be moving at a superhuman speed to get through the day. And maybe you steal a shot here or there. But, as they say, movies are pre-produced. Not only do you capture the endless scroll B, but hopefully you can later edit it into a story. You are taking well thought out shots that will set a very purposeful tone and feel to your film. In that context, choosing where and when you focus is just as important as being able to stay focused in the first place.
Take a simple scene as an example. A man entered the room looking for a watch. The clock is on the table in front of it buried under a pair of socks. The man went to his desk to take a look. He walked over to the window sill to have a look. He checked under the bed. Invariably, his amused wife was sitting in the background silently chuckling to herself when she knew where the clock was and had decided not to tell him in order to teach him a lesson for having to forget everywhere. So you have multiple points of interest in that one shot. You may want to start focusing on the man entering, then twist forward to see the clock under his socks. Then go back to the man as he makes his way to the desk and the window. Then, drop under the bed to see the man looking under the bed (the front doesn’t need to be near the bed). Then back to the man. Then focus on the smiling wife in the deep background. No autofocus system on Earth can figure this out on its own. It can track the man across the room fairly consistently, but you’ll lose a lot of story beats in the process.
Even in simpler cases, autofocus isn’t always the best option. Ask yourself how many times have you filmed an interview on a subject and for seemingly no reason, the camera’s autofocus momentarily switches to something else. Even if it quickly regains focus, that small change in focus can cause major editing headaches. Or let’s say you finally get Tom Cruise to work on your passion project. He delivers a fifteen-minute monologue that refreshes his soul. And he will only show you once. Would you really trust your autofocus for such a once in a lifetime moment? Can you imagine having to go to Tom Cruise after the best performance of his career and tell him he has to do it again because your autofocus jumped during the shoot? ?
Of course, wanting to focus manually and being able to focus manually are two different things. With experience, you will be able to focus on many situations. Documentary filmmakers have been doing that for decades. This is far from easy. But it can happen for less complicated camera movements. As your budget grows, so does your team. Soon you’ll have your first AC, its job is to make sure your camera is always in focus. Generally, this is done through the use of tracking focus.
Even if you’re not a professional filmmaker, you may have seen the round wheels attached to the bottom of a camera lens and wondered about their purpose. Made simple, follow focus is a device that allows the operator or focus puller to adjust the focus of the lens without having to touch the lens itself. Sometimes, touching the barrel of the lens will cause frame shake. Sometimes the camera is mounted in such a position that it is impractical to reach the lens. Sometimes there’s simply not enough real estate on the body for both the operator and the focus puller to be able to handle the rig simultaneously. This is where having something like a tracking focus comes in handy.
The next focal point connects to the lens’ focus ring via a gear. If you’ve seen a true cinema lens, you’ll notice that one of the main differences is that cinema lenses have wider barrels with tooth rings around them. Usually there are two grooved rings. One focus adjustment and one aperture adjustment. Sometimes there’s a third if it’s a zoom lens. The gears on the next focus align with the gears on the lens. So when you rotate the outer ring on the back focus, it rotates the gears. This, in turn, shifts the focus forward and backward. The focus puller may rotate the outer ring manually or will sometimes use an extended handle called a whip to give the operator more space to operate.
Of course, what I have described so far is still a very manual process. What if the camera is mounted on a gimbal or replaced? What if it was a crash cam mounted in front of a speeding car? What if it was raised to the top of the tallest tree in the village to see from the air? There are a million and one reasons why it might not be practical to place the focus puller next to the camera. But the photo still needs focus. This is where the wireless tracking focus system comes into play.
The principle remains the same as the hard-wired type. However, instead of a focus puller right next to the camera, they can focus from a distance. They may not even need to be in the same room. Instead, the cameras will wirelessly relay video through a transmitter. Focus pullers will have their own screen that receives images from the camera. The focus puller then has a remote focus wheel in the hand that communicates with a wireless tracking system that is attached to the camera lens. As the focus puller adjusts the remote wheel, the gears on the camera lens move to achieve focus. This allows the focus puller to achieve the desired points with the least amount of noise to the operator and allows the operator to simply focus on keeping the image properly composed.
As you probably know if you’ve ever bought something as basic as a combo stand, filmmaking gear is expensive. Very expensive. Some might say it’s unnecessarily expensive. And the wireless tracking focus system is no exception. A solid system will easily get you into five numbers. For an independent filmmaker, even the cost of renting can be very expensive. So what is an indie filmmaker supposed to do?
Thankfully, we now live in a world where less expensive options are on the market. One such example is SmallRig MagicFIZ Wireless Tracking Focus. As one of those filmmakers with no unlimited budget, I recently picked up two sets of engines. These systems are generally of three types. FIZ stands for focus, iris and zoom. So a basic set of motors will control the focus. The set of two motors can control focus and iris. And the trio of motors will control focus, iris and zoom. My dual-motor kit means I can simultaneously focus and aperture if needed. The motors mount to standard rails. I have my own dual rail system. But the set I received comes with a rail as well as mounting hardware to attach it to the cage should I choose to do so. The motors attach to the lens through the teeth present on your cinema lens barrel. If you’re using a photo lens without teeth, this set includes a detachable collar, allowing you to attach the system to your lens.
It takes very little time to get up and running. I’m one of those people who get confused easily when reading manuals. But I was quickly up and running with the system with no headaches. It comes with the option to add a handle to the focus wheel. So if you want to attach the grip to a handheld and have access to the focus wheel within arm’s reach, this is a solid choice. My favorite option is to connect the grip and focus wheel to an external monitor. In this setup, I was able to place my camera in a place with the motor attached. Then I was able to leave all areas with the remote focus wheel attached to the display handle and I was able to focus via the remote feed. This is obviously more useful if you have a separate focus puller that does this for you. But there are many cases, such as when the camera is mounted on a gimbal, for example, when the operator can manually adjust the focus without having to put his hand in front of the lens to the benefit of the operator.
The system proved a valuable addition to my kit. The problem with video equipment is that it is extremely inconsistent. The tools you need vary widely depending on a given project. But having something like this in your kit allows you to be ready to tell your story the way you want to tell it, even if the requirements of the footage prevent you from making physical contact with your device. . And thanks for new kits like this one from SmallRigRemote focusing for your camera is easier and more affordable than ever.
