suggestions to compare/contrast deep and shallow d.o.f. movies?

[Tim O'Connor]

"Citizen Kane" comes to mind as the most famous great depth of field movie (maybe the most

famous movie?)

 

Can anybody suggest some movies that are as extensively shallow depth of field throughout

and also some other, particularly more contemporay, great depth of field movies?

 

I'm working with some students and think that this might make for interesting viewing and

discussion.

 

Thanks.

[David Mullen ASC]

Because of changes in focal lengths and shot sizes, it's very hard to find movies that are consistently either shallow or deep-focus even if they are shot at wide-open or stopped-down lens apertures. It may be easier to find particular deep-focus or shallow-focus scenes to compare than whole movies.

 

An anamorphic movie shot in low light levels like "Blade Runner" or "Heat" would have plenty of interesting shallow-focus shots. Michael Mann movies often have odd use of selective focus, like in "The Insider".

 

Deep-focus movies were more prevalent in the b&w era, since deep-focus is less attractive in color -- we use shallow focus partly to make details in the background less distracting, and partly it's the colors back there that are distracting. In monochrome, often you have the opposite problem, getting important details to pop out of the frame.

 

Besides "Citizen Kane", there are other Toland-shot movies like "Ball of Fire" (a fun comedy to boot), "Best Years of Our Lives", "Little Foxes", and the film right before "Citizen Kane", "The Long Voyage Home".

 

A more recent example would be "Paper Moon", shot in b&w almost entirely on a wide-angle lens at f/16.

 

"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" has some interior scenes shot in anamorphic at fairly deep stops -- the dialogue scene between Jones and the rich industrialist about the Holy Grail in his high-rise apartment has fairly deep framing and focus.

 

There are a lot of trick deep focus shots in "The Quick and the Dead".

[A. Whitehouse]

"Citizen Kane" comes to mind as the most famous great depth of field movie (maybe the most

famous movie?)

 

Can anybody suggest some movies that are as extensively shallow depth of field throughout

and also some other, particularly more contemporay, great depth of field movies?

 

I'm working with some students and think that this might make for interesting viewing and

discussion.

 

Thanks.

 

Umm, just off the top of my head, have you seen "Songs from the Second Floor"? This might be a slightly extreme example of what you are looking for but a great film and truly stunning sets and photography.

 

Sasha

[Tim O'Connor]

Umm, just off the top of my head, have you seen "Songs from the Second Floor"? This might be a slightly extreme example of what you are looking for but a great film and truly stunning sets and photography.

 

Sasha

 

 

No, I haven't seen it but I'm going to look it up. Thanks, Sasha.

 

I saw the first couple of scenes of "Paper Moon" on t.v. as I was going out the door

the other day and I made a note to see it again but now I definitely will and that

note about it being shot almost completely wide at f/16 is great. Thanks also for

some great recommendations, David. I've read about Greg Toland but still have

to see his earlier films and the others you suggested I wouldn't have thought

of (and haven't even seen "The Quick and the Dead" so it'll be fun to see that on a

a couple of levels.)

 

Also, your mentioning "Paper Moon" reminds me that Tatum O'Neil became the

youngest person I believe to win an Academy Award. Speakig of film acting!

[Leo Anthony Vale]

John Frankenheimer used deep focus quite a lot. Even in color.

 

'Andersonville and 'Ronin' use it alot. 'I Walk the Line' was panavision & frequently used split dioptres to simulate deep focus.

 

In B/W, 'the Train', 'Seconds' & "The Manchurian Candidate'.

 

Terry Gilliam uses deep focus and extreme wides alot. 'The Brothers Grimm'.

[Tim O'Connor]

John Frankenheimer used deep focus quite a lot. Even in color.

 

'Andersonville and 'Ronin' use it alot. 'I Walk the Line' was panavision & frequently used split dioptres to simulate deep focus.

 

In B/W, 'the Train', 'Seconds' & "The Manchurian Candidate'.

 

Terry Gilliam uses deep focus and extreme wides alot. 'The Brothers Grimm'.

 

 

Thanks Leo, those are good suggestions especially for looking at the possibilities simulating

deep focus.

[Jan Weis]

There a scene in Paper Moon that resembles Citizen Kane.

 

The scene in Paper Moon takes place at the railway station. A ticket

is being bought for the protagonist and we see children playing a game

in the background through the window. Very deep focus in other words.

In Citizen Kane, there is a scene where we a see young Charles Foster

Kane (in the background and also through a window) playing around and

throwing snowballs as the adults discuss the future of Kane.

 

I cant help to think that Orson Welles had some influence in transtation

scene in Paper Moon, since he had already sugested to his close

friend Peter Bogdonovich to shoot only using red filters.

 

/Jan

[Tim O'Connor]

There a scene in Paper Moon that resembles Citizen Kane.

 

The scene in Paper Moon takes place at the railway station. A ticket

is being bought for the protagonist and we see children playing a game

in the background through the window. Very deep focus in other words.

In Citizen Kane, there is a scene where we a see young Charles Foster

Kane (in the background and also through a window) playing around and

throwing snowballs as the adults discuss the future of Kane.

 

I cant help to think that Orson Welles had some influence in transtation

scene in Paper Moon, since he had already sugested to his close

friend Peter Bogdonovich to shoot only using red filters.

 

/Jan

 

That is so cool. Thanks, Jan!