how to learn to be a focus puller?

Abdul Rahman Jamous · December 23, 2019

Do I really need to get myself more familiar with determining the distance between myself and the subjects around me? Do I really need to understand "depth of field" deeply? do you guys think that measuring the distance between the camera and the subject that the DP is shooting is really recommended?

Stuart Brereton · December 23, 2019

Those three things are all integral to being a focus puller, so the answer is YES.

Robin R Probyn · December 23, 2019

Hardest job on the set .. made me a nervous wreck.. I recommend going straight to operating .. its easier .. 🙂

Bruce Greene · December 24, 2019

Yes. You must do all those things and... these days, you must also be able to pull focus by eye looking at a display.

That you are asking this question of "do I really need to...?" suggests to me, that focus pulling might not be the job for you.

So, maybe take Robin's advice and become an operator instead?

For me, my professional focus pulling career lasted a total of about ... 10 days I think. It was not the job for me and I went into the Steadicam business instead 🙂 🙂 🙂

Rolands Zelders · December 28, 2019

any job on film set is hard but pulling focus would be one of the hardest. always have to be two steps ahead of dop to pull it off.

stress and sweat, for several years to be good at it 😁

David Ishida · February 14, 2020

Practice Practice Practice. Judging distances is key. Especially when your monitor dies on you haha.

The main exercise I use is to get my rangefinder (Leica D1, https://www.amazon.com/Leica-DISTO-Distance-Measure-Bluetooth/dp/B01M5CW7CT). Sit on my couch and pick random points or object in my living room and dining room. I guess the distance and then check it against the rangefinder. Take 5min a day to it.

Max Field · February 14, 2020

To me what's an even bigger pain than focus pulling is calibrating the shims in the lens so the measurements are honest.

Gregory Irwin · February 14, 2020

Focus pulling is story telling. You need to get beyond the mechanics and academics of it in order to see past the nerve racking job. Once you achieve not having to concentrate on the technical aspects of the craft, it all comes down to story telling and determining where and when to direct the audience’s attention.

G

Justin Hayward · February 15, 2020

4 hours ago, Gregory Irwin said:

Focus pulling is story telling. You need to get beyond the mechanics and academics of it in order to see past the nerve racking job. Once you achieve not having to concentrate on the technical aspects of the craft, it all comes down to story telling and determining where and when to direct the audience’s attention.

I was just having this conversation with an AC I was working with yesterday and how some people can do it and some people, just can't for whatever reason. I mean, they can to an extent, but once you move past the pure technical stuff, and you're into instinct and hand-eye coordination, they buzz one out of five takes (and that's being generous). It reminds me a lot of sports like pool or golf, where there is objective knowledge of the history combined with practice, but only mastered by a person with great hand-eye coordination and a overall talent that unfortunately most of us don't have. It's a skill, and at Gregory's level, it's an art.

Frank Hegyi · February 16, 2020

There are out of focus shots in big budget movies and tv shows all the time. Remember that whenever the pressure starts to get to you. Also: (somewhat counter-intuitively) jobs get easier with bigger budgets, so if you can nail focus by eye on a stills lens with a 3 inch monitor, you can do pretty much anything.

Gregory Irwin · February 17, 2020

42 minutes ago, Frank Hegyi said:

Also: (somewhat counter-intuitively) jobs get easier with bigger budgets, so if you can nail focus by eye on a stills lens with a 3 inch monitor, you can do pretty much anything.

How in the world did you conclude this??? Bigger budget pictures have higher stakes and many more complex challenges. Any yes, there are always budget constraints!

G

Edited February 17, 2020 by Gregory Irwin

Kyryll Sobolev · February 17, 2020

59 minutes ago, Frank Hegyi said:

There are out of focus shots in big budget movies and tv shows all the time. Remember that whenever the pressure starts to get to you. Also: (somewhat counter-intuitively) jobs get easier with bigger budgets, so if you can nail focus by eye on a stills lens with a 3 inch monitor, you can do pretty much anything.

last two statements are not true.

the relative ease of a job varies with each project, but in no way does it get easier for a 1st AC (especially A cam) as the budget increases.

also, no, you can't learn focus pulling by eye on a stills lens on a 3-inch screen. how does that even make sense

Frank Hegyi · February 17, 2020

I didn't mean to offend or be controversial. The intention of my comment was to encourage the original poster, not be dismissive of others.

The point I'm trying to make is that (in my own personal experience), big budget productions are much less stressful than low budget ones. Of course the stakes, complexity, and accompanying knowledge-barrier-to-entry are much higher on big budget stuff. But you generally have the necessary equipment and (even more importantly) the support of other professionals which allows you to concentrate on your individual job.

By contrast, when I'm shooting indie docs by myself, I'm operating, running audio, story producing, getting location releases, AND focus pulling all at the same time. It's damn near impossible. I guess you could argue that I'm comparing apples and oranges...

Justin Hayward · February 17, 2020

Quote

if you can nail focus by eye on a stills lens with a 3 inch monitor, you can do pretty much anything.

I guess you could argue that I'm comparing apples and oranges...

If you're comparing getting focus on an apple hanging from a tree... to holding focus on an orange that falls from a tree and lands on the ground... then you are, by definition, rightly using the term "apples to oranges" in this comparison.😉😁

Frank Hegyi · February 17, 2020

What's our stop?

Justin Hayward · February 17, 2020

7 minutes ago, Frank Hegyi said:

What's our stop?

Low... very low... 😆

Gregory Irwin · February 17, 2020

12 hours ago, Frank Hegyi said:

I didn't mean to offend or be controversial. The intention of my comment was to encourage the original poster, not be dismissive of others.

The point I'm trying to make is that (in my own personal experience), big budget productions are much less stressful than low budget ones. Of course the stakes, complexity, and accompanying knowledge-barrier-to-entry are much higher on big budget stuff. But you generally have the necessary equipment and (even more importantly) the support of other professionals which allows you to concentrate on your individual job.

By contrast, when I'm shooting indie docs by myself, I'm operating, running audio, story producing, getting location releases, AND focus pulling all at the same time. It's damn near impossible. I guess you could argue that I'm comparing apples and oranges...

I understand what you are saying. A one man show is challenging. This is a very different situation from what I’m accustomed to. Even with the complexities of big budget filmmaking, I have a team of support. In fact, since my heart surgery last year, my team will absolutely not let me do anything but pull focus and run the business of the camera department. They do everything else! I am very blessed. There is no way I could have done or do what you do Frank. Cheers!

G

J Phillips · February 10, 2021

On 2/14/2020 at 11:11 AM, David Ishida said:

Practice Practice Practice. Judging distances is key. Especially when your monitor dies on you haha.

The main exercise I use is to get my rangefinder (Leica D1, https://www.amazon.com/Leica-DISTO-Distance-Measure-Bluetooth/dp/B01M5CW7CT). Sit on my couch and pick random points or object in my living room and dining room. I guess the distance and then check it against the rangefinder. Take 5min a day to it.

What is your opinion of the Leica? I have an older model of the Hilti and I'm looking to upgrade to either the newer Hilti or a Leica. Outdoor functionality in particular is something I'm looking at. For instance car jobs or working in the snow.

J Phillips · February 10, 2021

On 2/14/2020 at 6:42 PM, Justin Hayward said:

I was just having this conversation with an AC I was working with yesterday and how some people can do it and some people, just can't for whatever reason. I mean, they can to an extent, but once you move past the pure technical stuff, and you're into instinct and hand-eye coordination, they buzz one out of five takes (and that's being generous). It reminds me a lot of sports like pool or golf, where there is objective knowledge of the history combined with practice, but only mastered by a person with great hand-eye coordination and a overall talent that unfortunately most of us don't have. It's a skill, and at Gregory's level, it's an art.

I was recently having a conversation with a respected peer about the simile of being a Focus Puller to a Professional Golfer. A professional golfer can step up and hit most shots at will. But when the pressure is on and everyone is watching.. can they deliver? Not always, but generally better than most and the great ones more. It's really about knowing everything within the camera system, understanding the intangibles of the shot and after that trust and confidence that you can hit the shot. It does take time and experience but even the best ones have "off" days. It's not just focus on the barrel but also focus within your mind and subconscious.

Gregory Irwin · February 16, 2021

On 2/9/2021 at 10:24 PM, J Phillips said:

I was recently having a conversation with a respected peer about the simile of being a Focus Puller to a Professional Golfer. A professional golfer can step up and hit most shots at will. But when the pressure is on and everyone is watching.. can they deliver? Not always, but generally better than most and the great ones more. It's really about knowing everything within the camera system, understanding the intangibles of the shot and after that trust and confidence that you can hit the shot. It does take time and experience but even the best ones have "off" days. It's not just focus on the barrel but also focus within your mind and subconscious.

It's fun to read all of the above. I've been focus pulling for so long (42 years) that I've forgotten much of what it takes to be good and instinctive for the job. Like I have stated before, it takes many years of struggling and practice to achieve a proficiency for the craft. Only after you can get beyond the academics and mechanics of focus pulling can your mind be free to concentrate on the creative aspects of the art. It's very liberating once that happens and enjoyable! At this stage of my career, I really don't even touch the cameras anymore. My extremely talented and qualified team takes care of that these days. This allows me to fully commit myself to servicing the cinematography to the best of my ability via focus and running the business side of the camera department with the cinematographer, the producers and the studio. I wish you all the best as you develop into superstar focus pullers!

G

David Ishida · February 18, 2021

On 2/9/2021 at 9:09 PM, J Phillips said:

What is your opinion of the Leica? I have an older model of the Hilti and I'm looking to upgrade to either the newer Hilti or a Leica. Outdoor functionality in particular is something I'm looking at. For instance car jobs or working in the snow.

I like the D1 a lot, but it is no good outside. One of the higher end Lecia's or Hiltis that have a range finder or camera would be better for outdoor work.