wide focus

[Luke Lenoir]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this but figured it was at least lens related...

 

...What is it called (in cinema) when a lens is stopped down enough for the b.g. and f.g. to both retain sharp focus and two or more focal points can be achieved. You see this a lot in Leone films, with one actor's face taking up half the frame and in the b.g. is another actor, also in focus.

 

Is there a "term" for this technique?

[Luke Lenoir]

Like this...

 

[John Salim]

Sergio Leone shot a lot of Techniscope ( 35mm 2 perf ) i.e... spaghetti westerns

and using this smaller frame film format with wide angle lenses stopped down gave

a very deep depth of field or 'deep focus'

 

John S :rolleyes:

[Ron Dylewski]

Yea, deep focus is the term. Often done with a small stop, but also done with effects when time/lighting/whatever makes

doing it in-camera impractical. Not my fav movie of all time, but Gregg Toland did this a lot on "Citizen Kane." One famous

scene has someone watching Kane on a dias giving speech, while high up in the "cheap seats" someone s watching.

Both are in focus. It was a combination of two separate shots....

[John Salim]

.....and there's the occasional use of split dioptre close-up lenses too !

 

John S

[Luke Lenoir]

Great...thanks!