My dad, before he became an independent cameraman, was a focus puller. I never really understood what he did as he didn't talk much about his work at home, but he was very proud of his work. Now after watching this video I understand why, thank you.
Why isn't autofocus integrated in these cameras when you're tracking an object or person? I mean haven't they become incredibly fast and accurate? I know that you want too go fully manual in some shots to define the speed at which it's coming into focus. But apart from that?
@@EbonyPope my best guess is that you don't want to rely on a system that might make mistakes, but on a Skilled Focus Puller you trust and who understands what you want to express
@@Scraxxer Yeah I get that absolutely. But why not at least give them the option? I mean some autofocus today is faster than any human being could ever be. So in tracking shots where it just moves too quickly one could use it.
The even more insane part is that for any movie that was shot on film (as in...almost every example you give in this essay), the focus puller wouldn't have even been able to double-check their work on a monitor. Film cameras (at least back then) only had fuzzy, low-resolution monitors on them, making it impossible to judge focus by looking at the image. So not only are they constantly adjusting focus to account for moving subjects and cameras, but they had to do it by literally measuring a few distances with a tape measure and guessing the rest! And they were SHARP, to the DAMN INCH. Legends.
Youd think they have a secondary screen with a focus aid on there. But also looking at whats happening here in this video it seems they mostly rely on the dail position and a learned sense of distance. I wonder if anything at al has changed between then and now.
I just realized that the focus puller is sort of like the IT guy of the cinematography world. If he does his job correctly you don't even notice it. If he messed up you notice right away.
I remember Empire magazine asked a load of big directors who the most important crew member was. Most answers were diplomatic (everyone). James Cameron was the only one to say "the focus puller" cos if it's not in focus everyone's effort has been wasted.
@@HAWXLEADER Even in a composites shot the live action elements need to be in focus enough to blend with the CG. Then you have a whole other crew of digital cameras that need to also mimic reality. So, in that case you would have two equally important people because they need to make them match enough for the compositor to accomplish their goal.
Focus puller here, I can tell you that this can be an extraordinarily difficult job, and one of the most demanding on set as not only are you responsible for prepping the camera, but if you do a mistake while focus pulling and you lose focus, EVERYONE on set will see it and sometimes the only reason a shot is not good is because you were soft on your focus. But it's a great and somehow rewarding job. Good DPs know how to show us appreciation. Thanks for putting light on us!
Focus pullers are indeed one of the most underappreciated film crew members. During my days as an assistant I was in constant awe at some of them who didn't even need a monitor to pull focus. All they'd do is look at the artist in front of the camera and do their job with absolute perfection.
After thousands of hours doing the focus work while looking at a monitor, one is bound to get a pretty intuitive feel for how much you need to adjust the dial based on how fast the camera is getting nearer or farther from the actor. It's almost purely muscle memory, like driving a car.
@@bennemann Done focus pulling myself, only maybe racked up 50 hours worth, it's stressful, when I'm in the zone it's great but when I'm off I'm off.... uhhhggg
When everyone shot 35mm... there was no monitor. You couldn't pull the focus looking in the viewfinder either!... They don't pull it from nothing, they measure everything perfectly and scale the set on their focus pulling gear. I never trust a focus puller relying on as screen only.
To all the Focus Pullers out there. You're unsung heroes. Secret legends.. You deserve our love and respect and a special place in those 15 mins credits in the end of every damn movie. ❤
@@PanDownTiltLeft well, in his credit none of his videos got any views Til his most recent, and he hasn’t posted in a couple months. He probably just does these for fun and doesn’t realize his channel has gotten some traction in his absence.
@@wanderer572 not the guy you replied but i've been part of crews that shot TV Spots. ... they do see the video in a screen, nowdays they have their own screen and the focus pulling is wireless so he's not next to the DP. ... also something this youtuber did not mention is that there's something called focus peaking which is a "tool" that measures focus and it shows in real time in the screen so that the focus puller doesn't have to "trust" his judgment that what he's seeing is in focus. .... it's as hard as a job can get in this industry but it's alot easier today than what it was years ago.
@@wanderer572 Just to add to the above commentary, the focus peaking doesn't tell you if your forward or back focused just that your out of focus. Additionally different lenses "rack" or "ramp" differently, meaning as the subject gets closer to the lens you'll find you need to turn the focus control more rapidly or more linearly depending on manufacturer/type of lens. It's a catch twenty two, you need many hours to get moderately ok with it but conversely film shoots don't have the luxury of multiple takes of a scene to get the focus right (plus the fact that the actors performances change with each take).
@@zbdot73 Candyasses, all of 'em. : ) :) :) In the days before on-camera monitors, focus pullers did it entirely by eye.. Sometimes with a little help from the Camera Operator.
As a part of the Audio Post team, I feel the same way. Your work as a Sound Designer, whether that be in Sound Effects Editing, Foley, ADR, Mixing, mostly goes unnoticed by the regular viewer, unless you get it wrong, which ultimately is a good thing I think! Great video, I have serious admiration for Focus Pullers, they do an incredible job!
i've seen barely a couple of docs about foley... adr has become a pretty regular subject of the BTS and "special features" along the way... *never* seen a bit about the focus pullers. never. but, absolutely 100%, nothing destroys the S.O.D. faster than when an "invisible" crew member fails to deliver... hearing that 'wet grit on concrete' footstep in a dry daytime walking shot gives me nightmares... it's the stuff of refund requests.
Why isn't autofocus integrated in these cameras when you're tracking an object or person? I mean haven't they become incredibly fast and accurate? I know that you want too go fully manual in some shots to define the speed at which it's coming into focus. But apart from that?
@@EbonyPope So I could fill several pages at small font answering this, but the short version is that automated technologies are too unreliable for the creative control required by narrative shooting. An in-camera focus work-around doesn't really work because cinema lenses themselves don't have the internal workings to support it, hence we use third-party, externally- mounted systems. There are autofocusing features on most professional film industry focus systems, however an important distinction to make is that automated systems will always deduce where focus should be rather than know where it should be. The latter has proved to more often yield the desired result. Focus pullers often make snap-second decisions that can make or break a take, decisions that are informed by contextual elements of the scene: what the director/dp are wanting from the shot, variations and improvisations between takes, characteristics of the lens in use, etc. Between all that, and the fact that the focus puller is the master of the camera itself (builds it before the projects, makes most major camera adjustments from shot-to-shot, and insures the safe transport of the camera kit from one location to next) means focus pulling is a fairly secure position on set for years to come.
It’s important to also note that unlike film/narrative work, live broadcast doesn’t have a dedicated person as the focus puller so the camera operators are not only operating the shot but doing their own focus and zoom too, and in some cases, like live Steadicam and Jib operators, also moving the camera through space. A special skill indeed especially in unpredictable situations like sport. Great video!
Thankfully in non narrative styles like this, they’re usually not worried about having a very wide aputure, so most if not all of the camera view will be in focus
I am the one always wondered that how the hell do these movies get the pin point focusing even with the manual setup.. being a Nikon user it's had been even bigger question for me than others 😂😂 so from a long time I always appreciate the focus pulling 🙏❤️
Several years ago while filming a skating competition in a large arena, I was pissed to find that my (older) Nikon DSLR doesn't do autofocus in movie mode but my Samsung Galaxy S5 did. I could tap on the screen on the element I wanted in focus and the phone/camera would follow the focus (and exposure) better than I could. Yes, I know that many, perhaps most of the current cameras do autofocus in movie mode.
@@BryanTorok it's so difficult to film my brother skating with my good old d3300.... The autofocus "exists" but most of the time is worse then trying to pull it off myself. Just use a low exposure and it should work. At least you've got good lighting bc the shutterspeed also needs to be quite high^^
on the focus puller's monitor theres this called focus peaking. it outlines red of whats in focus in that frame, thats when you know if your focusing on your subject or not
Everyone that has used a Nikon DSLR for video appreciates how hard focus pulling is. Although it is true that the big monitors with focus peaking make things a little easier.
Great video. I’m someone just starting his career in camera, and there are few more points I’d add to this - There’s even more finesse than one might think to pulling; the lenses themselves are logarithmic, so that pull of the guard coming closer changes in speed - as he gets closer, the focus puller would have to slow down how fast he turns the wheel as the shorter distances are closer to each other on the ring. Another thing to consider is that focus pullers jobs don’t end with pulling focus. One of the 1st ACs I’m working with was telling me that for him, once he got used to pulling focus, it wasn’t the hardest part of the job. 1st ACs are the primary technicians of the cameras, if something goes wrong, if the camera crashes or looses power, they are the ones everyone looks to. Imagine being on a show, and just before you have a chance to reload, the camera crashes in the middle of a take, and won’t start back up. As well as the lost shot from that take, everyone on set is looking to you to see if everything they’ve done for the last four hours is lost from corruption. That being said, there are interesting things to make pulling itself easier; range finders which help give distance and can be used if needed for basic autofocus, wireless units that vibrate once they hit certain pre set marks on the unit, et cetera, but all that can only help you so much on a wide open 150mm tracking shot. The example animation showed one bird in shot vs the other, but on certain settings it can be the difference of someone’s left eye being out of focus but their right eye is in focus.
As a one-man film crew, I can't appreciate the work of a focus puller enough. The one thing I get wrong most of the time is focus. It's such an important role that no one appreciates.
2nd video I've watched and I just HAD to subscribe. Amazing content dude. This channel is set to blow!! Can't wait for it to blow up in your face Paul. All in your face. Just everywhere. Up your nose too.
Hahaha!! 😂😁 This is the comment I wish I’d made. Not only do I agree on all counts....but your cheerful and sincere desire for Paul to experience a messy mess as a result of imminent channel implosion just killed me!!
Focus Puller a.k.a. 1st AC. Great video. Really nicely explained. Personally I think that focus pulling is one of the hardest things to do and people don’t get enough credit for it. Thanks for making this video for those people. I’m so grateful for every AC I’ve ever worked with, who helped me in getting the shot I wanted.
i'm a photographer and even focusing on still shots can be a pain (bc i tend to stick to a wider aperture for my photos) but i couldn't even imagine doing it so intently for a MOVING VIDEO omfg like props to them
Part of the reason film camera lenses are so expensive is that they are designed for focus pulling, sometimes to the point that every lens in a set of primes and zooms has the exact same focus setup (specifically so that lenses can be changed without changing the marking on the focus dial) And film zoom lenses also need to be fully parfocal, meaning that zooming must not change the focus range at all.
Cheers for this, it’s the one role you can’t cover for in the edit nowadays, and the one the cameraman is most appreciative of. Learn this and you’ll become the best cinematographer you can be.
Professional 1st AC here with credits ranging from high level music videos to commercials and film, loved the video! The art of focus pulling is a ton of fun and one I definitely think is under appreciated on set. Shoot some people don’t know what the hell you do on set. Now a days it has become so much easier with monitors, cinetape, and even new technology’s like light ranger from Preston. I do a ton of gimbal/techno work and people dont even begin to realize what you are doing until you screw it up. When I started I learned the old fashion way with tape and marks. No monitors and all done on camera. Like you see in the wolf of Wall Street shot he was using a cinetape which basically in a nutshell tells you the distance between you and the subject. If you do the proper prep all you have to do is match the distance on your FF and the read out. We used to do it by just judging the distance or on run throughs putting marks on the floor and/or on your follow focus. Shoot I have sharpied distances on my hand telling me what I have to hit in order. It’s so rewarding when you hit that perfect pull or you just don’t screw up when you only have a big artist or talent for 1 take. There is so much pressure but as soon as you did it you feel great. Unless you botch it and then you get everybody looking at you. Like i said great video and thanks for the tiny bit of ego boost haha
Those sports shoots are all done by one guy operating a camera. He's job is framing, zoom and focus. Everything else, like iris, cam settings, matrix is done via optics from a truck. Broadcast cameras are mostly 2/3 inch sensors so it's a lot easier to focus compared a super35mm or full frame cameras. Great video!
Having pulled focus myself i really appreciate this video. Its really difficult in the beginning and you automatically make lots of mistakes and then having to tell the whole crew that we need another take. But damn is it rewarding when you pull of like a really long sequence or a dynamic fight scene with constantly shifting focus.
How are you not loaded with subs yet?? Your film essays are not only informative but hilarious and edited beautifully! Definitely one of my new favorite channels. I hope more people discover you soon!
I consider myself to be pretty well versed with the world of filmmaking generally (while not actually being part of it). This video just taught me that I basically know nothing, because I didn’t know this was an individual person’s job or even heard of this title. Presumed it was all done by one camera operator along with movement. Thank you for sorting me out 🤘🏼
I didn't even like the subject, yet I sat through the whole vide admiring the absolute magnificent level of production of this video, subscribed mate, keep it up.
randomly got recommended this channel and instantly subscribed after only watching your last two videos! im not even into film making but you make it so damn interesting this channel is definitely one of those gems
Ok I saw the mirror video and got intrigued. I saw this and it made me slam that subscribe button. This knowledge is definitely something that movie buffs should know for how important it is.
Thank you! Everybody just thinks it’s normal to have everything in focus. We are just used to it because there are so many talented focus pullers out there.
The best way to recognize those guys is, we don't think about them, when we watch a movie. Because they were so pretty good, we don't see their hard and amazing work.
@@wanderer572 like most drama / feature pullers I know. We use wireless follow focus so not to affect the camera operators movements, With a monitor mounted on camera or on a stand close by. I have marks on the handset to use to get actor to their mark then use a monitor for fine adjustments. Just going off marks is dangerous if it's a really shallow depth of field .
As a 1st AC myself: thank you for this video. Hallway shots are indeed the worst, especially because DP’s shoot wide open 99% of times. Spent a month shooting a TV show. Had to pull from an85mm, 1.2 most of shoot. 12+ hours a day. Sometimes dozens of people looking at the shot and they all know if you fuck up, but rarely praised when we pull a crazy shot out.
1.2 on an 85mm???? Holy mother of Mary. And yeah, doesn't it just suck that your mistake is so blatantly obvious, even to the laymen... Nevertheless, you have my upmost respect, my friend.
That pull imitating how human eyes would get the background how out focus is absolutely freaking next level tho. Like first you have the pull you see, second the pull you don't see because the focus follow the camera movements perfectly, but to actually pull a static shot like that.... just... God damn
It's not just that your videos are well informed and interesting, it's also that they are incredibly well made, and suggest that you have a broad and highly capable skill set. You make it all look easy, but I can only imagine how much work you put in. I hope one day you get to make your own project/s.
I was a focus puller( before there was hi resolution screen to pull focus from ...you had to use your eye ball and tape marks) for 7 years before moving up to camera operator. It is one of the mose difficult under appreciated jobs in the film and tv industry. Thank you Paul for this very kind tribute to the art and craft of focus pulling.
Autofocus has really become advanced recently. I wonder how this has affected the focus puller role. Of course, there are times to use manual focus, but things like subject tracking on full frame cameras is pretty amazing these days.
Full frame cameras like the Sony FX series are different from cinema cameras though. In an FX with responding lenses there is an implemented AI that automatically tracks a face or a focal point. The camera and the lens communicate and the integrated auto focus is “digital” if you will. On a cinema camera with a cinema lens the focus ring on the lens will rotate around 270 degrees going from minimum focus to infinity. It allows a lot more room for adjusting the focus - but manually by using an external motor that will turn the focus ring. So if you want “auto focus” that way you will have to use gadgets like the Preston Light Ranger system. It will scan the area in front of the lens with lasers, providing very accurate dinstance information every second. In this case you can (in smplified terms) tell the system to focus on what these beams are measuring. But still that information will have to be transported to the external motor and then the motor will adjust the focus distance on the lens accordingly. That is if the first AC has done their homework and made sure that the lenses are correctly backfocused - so that when the lens tells you it is sharp at 3’ it really is sharp at exactly 3’.
1:53 The depth of field AND how much light it lets in. Wider open aperture = brigther image if focal length isnt changed (Thats why we usually talk about aperature ratio, where it takes the focal length into account. So F1.4 at 24mm is not as far open as F1.4 at 85mm. They are different in diameter, which is why 85mm at F1.4 have a shallower depth of field than 24mm at F1.4. This automatic adjustment in our lenses is also very useful, because the lighting will not change on zoom lenses if you choose to zoom in or between shots. The wider you can open a lens the more light can be gathered allowing for a brighter/less noisy image. It is very important to understand that the aperature adjusts both depth of field AND lighting. If you wanted to adjust ONLY the lighting, you will have to mess with either the ISO (only on digital cameras, obviously - for film, you will need faster/more sensitive film) or ND-Filters.
7:30 Not exactly. I operated camera in live sports for about 4 years, and we all had broadcast cameras with parfocal lenses. All you do is snap zoom and get focus at max zoom and everything zoomed out from that point is in focus. That trick doesn't work on normal cine lenses, but it saves your ass during sports.
TIL about "focus pullers". Thanks! It is unsung skilled labor like that of "focus puller" that has kept me from buying pirated movies and videos even back in the day when it was "legal" and easy to do so.
Damn i just got this video in my recommendations. And even tho i couldn't take a lot of new informations out of it i still watched till the end. I love the style of this video! The humor, the build up to a short B-Roll montage, the way you present informations... Just everything. Please keep that good work up!
I have a great respect for all the professional 1st ACs, standing beside the camera for hours straight is really exhausting the pulling focus is not easy at all
I like the two videos of yours I stumbled upon - I must watch more! Two groups of people I suggest also don't get their fair share of praise are the scenery/props teams and colourists. I went into a village hall - it was in fact a set in a TV studio - but two things really impressed me when I was inside. One was the set dressing - I had never really paid attention to that before, but as I looked round the hall I realised all of the items on shelves and "littered" round the room had been chosen and purposefully placed - the authenticity was awesome. But maybe even more amazing was the work of the scenery painters. As I walked out of the hall I noticed the paint on the doors was chipped, as you would expect after much use. On closer examination I noticed that the doors had been painted perfectly and then the chips had been painted on afterwards. The attention to that sort of detail was just mind blowing! The other people that are under mentioned are colourists. Yep, their work is maybe more in your face, but when one compares as shot with shots that have been graded then I find what they can do with a picture stunning - the feel that they can create by changes to colour balance etc is awesome. There is a scene in The Mortician that gobsmacked me. It was shown as a clip at a 3D conference. The scene was an inner city apartment. Sunlight was streaming into a somewhat darkly decorated room. Outside you could hear the subway going past. A baby was crying in a near by apartment. The sunshine added a warmth to the scene. As I watched this particular scene I became aware of the work of so many people: the set builders/painters/dressers, lighting, sound and the colourist (emphasising the darkness, deep colours but also the warm tone of the sunlight). Realising just how much had gone into what I was seeing and hearing was awesome! What would be interesting to see is a video where you take a scene and pull it a part and highlight the input from all the different people.
My Friend - I have watched quite a few of your vids since recently finding your channel - this one freakin' blew my mind! You are correct sir, they deserve more recognition - and they are probably not the only ones (behind the scenes).
The thing with autofocus is that if it fails, it fails spectacularly. It has no purpose or deeper understanding of the scene, it is just a machine interpreting numbers. Pulling focus on a fast manual lens (fast meaning shallow depth of field) is a very humbling experience for everyone working with cameras. My entire camera rig is built around focus pulling and monitoring. For exposure you have RAW which saves you if you over- or underexpose quite significantly. Left a Starbucks coffee in the background ? Planar Trackers and removal software has your back. Footage is jittering? Stabilazation tech has your back. Image is out of focus ? Welp, you can schedule a reshoot.
I thought I knew a decent amount about cameras and I had never even considered the skill and art required for this manual focus-pulling. Great work on the writing and editing of this video too!
Love that you chose to talk and highlight this! I'm one of those that actually think about this while watching an intense scene and I always wonder off thinking about how they keep the focus if not for an auto focus feature in their equipment! Now I know that's it's actually a work of art by a professional, make me appreciate those scenes even more now, thanks! 🙏
My dad, before he became an independent cameraman, was a focus puller. I never really understood what he did as he didn't talk much about his work at home, but he was very proud of his work.
Now after watching this video I understand why, thank you.
Why isn't autofocus integrated in these cameras when you're tracking an object or person? I mean haven't they become incredibly fast and accurate? I know that you want too go fully manual in some shots to define the speed at which it's coming into focus. But apart from that?
@@EbonyPope my best guess is that you don't want to rely on a system that might make mistakes, but on a Skilled Focus Puller you trust and who understands what you want to express
@@Scraxxer Yeah I get that absolutely. But why not at least give them the option? I mean some autofocus today is faster than any human being could ever be. So in tracking shots where it just moves too quickly one could use it.
@@EbonyPope That’s why some cameras like the RED Komodo have it.
@@devvielife2968 Ah OK. Good to know.
The even more insane part is that for any movie that was shot on film (as in...almost every example you give in this essay), the focus puller wouldn't have even been able to double-check their work on a monitor. Film cameras (at least back then) only had fuzzy, low-resolution monitors on them, making it impossible to judge focus by looking at the image. So not only are they constantly adjusting focus to account for moving subjects and cameras, but they had to do it by literally measuring a few distances with a tape measure and guessing the rest! And they were SHARP, to the DAMN INCH. Legends.
Youd think they have a secondary screen with a focus aid on there. But also looking at whats happening here in this video it seems they mostly rely on the dail position and a learned sense of distance. I wonder if anything at al has changed between then and now.
Pretty sure they had some sort of laser rangefinders, still very impressive though.
@@samipso focus peaking and other various monitor aids make it alot easier but now even more dynamic
I watched your mirror video essay and I'm here seeing what more interesting contents you have. You're so good!
Same
Yep. Congrats on getting picked up by the algorithm. Subbed. Looking forward to seeing more.
Word!
Same
Same, mirror shot video
I just realized that the focus puller is sort of like the IT guy of the cinematography world. If he does his job correctly you don't even notice it. If he messed up you notice right away.
As an IT guy, I agree.
You mean just about the exact thing mentioned in the video, but you added IT to it?
@@jamesbizs he did and it was okay.
I remember Empire magazine asked a load of big directors who the most important crew member was. Most answers were diplomatic (everyone). James Cameron was the only one to say "the focus puller" cos if it's not in focus everyone's effort has been wasted.
That's why he shot on CG and got rid of the focus puller!
@@HAWXLEADER
Even in a composites shot the live action elements need to be in focus enough to blend with the CG. Then you have a whole other crew of digital cameras that need to also mimic reality. So, in that case you would have two equally important people because they need to make them match enough for the compositor to accomplish their goal.
@@BonaparteBardithion Yeah but you can always shoot in focus and blur in post.
@@HAWXLEADER Snyder kinda did that with Army of the Dead and it sucked.
@@keshetallekaridi708 You need a depth pass for that to be good.
Focus puller here, I can tell you that this can be an extraordinarily difficult job, and one of the most demanding on set as not only are you responsible for prepping the camera, but if you do a mistake while focus pulling and you lose focus, EVERYONE on set will see it and sometimes the only reason a shot is not good is because you were soft on your focus. But it's a great and somehow rewarding job. Good DPs know how to show us appreciation. Thanks for putting light on us!
The sport focus puller thing I really haven't ever thought about and it's insane and something to strive for
Especially in motor sport and golf.
@@canturgan Christ I never thought about the golf shots that is just unbelievable
Focus pullers are indeed one of the most underappreciated film crew members. During my days as an assistant I was in constant awe at some of them who didn't even need a monitor to pull focus. All they'd do is look at the artist in front of the camera and do their job with absolute perfection.
After thousands of hours doing the focus work while looking at a monitor, one is bound to get a pretty intuitive feel for how much you need to adjust the dial based on how fast the camera is getting nearer or farther from the actor. It's almost purely muscle memory, like driving a car.
@@bennemann Done focus pulling myself, only maybe racked up 50 hours worth, it's stressful, when I'm in the zone it's great but when I'm off I'm off.... uhhhggg
When everyone shot 35mm... there was no monitor. You couldn't pull the focus looking in the viewfinder either!...
They don't pull it from nothing, they measure everything perfectly and scale the set on their focus pulling gear. I never trust a focus puller relying on as screen only.
the tape measure.
the tape measure _kills me..._
nothing but a tiny row of numbers etched on a lens ring, and a f'ing tape measure...
Didn't knew a specific person was in charge of this. Figured it was automatic. Thanks for bringing light (or should i say, focus?) on these people.
Couldn't have said it better my self! Good info indeed.
To all the Focus Pullers out there. You're unsung heroes. Secret legends.. You deserve our love and respect and a special place in those 15 mins credits in the end of every damn movie. ❤
there's gotta be a bug, that sub count is missing a couple zeroes at the end
Part of the reason is that the channel author is not very interactive with his viewers.
@@PanDownTiltLeft well, in his credit none of his videos got any views Til his most recent, and he hasn’t posted in a couple months. He probably just does these for fun and doesn’t realize his channel has gotten some traction in his absence.
Was thinking the same. He's producing some banger content only a matter of time before this channel takes off 💥
Yeah 744k sounds about right
This is literally changed how I see film and television. I am 35 years old and I had no idea all of this was done manually. Incredible.
I love your channel
I love yours... Saludos desde Monterrey bro
❤️❤️❤️
@gawx yours is awesome too
Excited to see you reach that 100,000 mark in no time if you keep up this quality!
Surprised he doesn't already have 500k subscribers
@@Peculiar2 such an underrated channel
@@Nurutomo actually I see why, it's cause he doesn't upload that often
oh shit! channel is new! didn't notice :))
edit:
oh shit! channel isn't new, videos are few.
1yr later approx 250K
Please TH-cam algorithm! Give this channel more views.
popped up for me, so the digibots must be listening
Amen
Working
It did. Just saw his mirror vid recommended
Ex focus puller here. “Prince of Sharpness” I LOVED it
Does the focus puller see the video in a monitor while focus pulling or does he just pulls in estimation?
@@wanderer572 not the guy you replied but i've been part of crews that shot TV Spots. ... they do see the video in a screen, nowdays they have their own screen and the focus pulling is wireless so he's not next to the DP. ... also something this youtuber did not mention is that there's something called focus peaking which is a "tool" that measures focus and it shows in real time in the screen so that the focus puller doesn't have to "trust" his judgment that what he's seeing is in focus. .... it's as hard as a job can get in this industry but it's alot easier today than what it was years ago.
@@DionisFerizi Thank you so much for the information. Really appreciate it.
@@wanderer572 Just to add to the above commentary, the focus peaking doesn't tell you if your forward or back focused just that your out of focus. Additionally different lenses "rack" or "ramp" differently, meaning as the subject gets closer to the lens you'll find you need to turn the focus control more rapidly or more linearly depending on manufacturer/type of lens. It's a catch twenty two, you need many hours to get moderately ok with it but conversely film shoots don't have the luxury of multiple takes of a scene to get the focus right (plus the fact that the actors performances change with each take).
@@zbdot73 Candyasses, all of 'em. : ) :) :)
In the days before on-camera monitors, focus pullers did it entirely by eye.. Sometimes with a little help from the Camera Operator.
This video had my complete focus
Thankfully it’s in focus too.
As a part of the Audio Post team, I feel the same way. Your work as a Sound Designer, whether that be in Sound Effects Editing, Foley, ADR, Mixing, mostly goes unnoticed by the regular viewer, unless you get it wrong, which ultimately is a good thing I think! Great video, I have serious admiration for Focus Pullers, they do an incredible job!
Absolutely. Even less people talk about the boom operator.
@@Looserkid13 Thanks!
i've seen barely a couple of docs about foley... adr has become a pretty regular subject of the BTS and "special features" along the way...
*never* seen a bit about the focus pullers. never.
but, absolutely 100%, nothing destroys the S.O.D. faster than when an "invisible" crew member fails to deliver...
hearing that 'wet grit on concrete' footstep in a dry daytime walking shot gives me nightmares... it's the stuff of refund requests.
Why isn't autofocus integrated in these cameras when you're tracking an object or person? I mean haven't they become incredibly fast and accurate? I know that you want too go fully manual in some shots to define the speed at which it's coming into focus. But apart from that?
@@EbonyPope So I could fill several pages at small font answering this, but the short version is that automated technologies are too unreliable for the creative control required by narrative shooting. An in-camera focus work-around doesn't really work because cinema lenses themselves don't have the internal workings to support it, hence we use third-party, externally- mounted systems. There are autofocusing features on most professional film industry focus systems, however an important distinction to make is that automated systems will always deduce where focus should be rather than know where it should be. The latter has proved to more often yield the desired result. Focus pullers often make snap-second decisions that can make or break a take, decisions that are informed by contextual elements of the scene: what the director/dp are wanting from the shot, variations and improvisations between takes, characteristics of the lens in use, etc. Between all that, and the fact that the focus puller is the master of the camera itself (builds it before the projects, makes most major camera adjustments from shot-to-shot, and insures the safe transport of the camera kit from one location to next) means focus pulling is a fairly secure position on set for years to come.
Just glad YT recommended me this video/channel just 6 months later and not 6 years later.
Same here
Incredibly well made. Also appreciate the humor 👌🏼
Ohh old times working with a 50m 1.8 handheld, constantly changing focus.. it feels so good!
"What is it?"
"Leeeenns" ...... "a bicycle"
😂😂
Hahaha...
You can always find someone used to be like that person word different, when told to call out together.
i cant stop laughing on that one
This one broke me 🤣
i laughed way too hard on this, my humour is clearly broken
It’s important to also note that unlike film/narrative work, live broadcast doesn’t have a dedicated person as the focus puller so the camera operators are not only operating the shot but doing their own focus and zoom too, and in some cases, like live Steadicam and Jib operators, also moving the camera through space. A special skill indeed especially in unpredictable situations like sport. Great video!
Thankfully in non narrative styles like this, they’re usually not worried about having a very wide aputure, so most if not all of the camera view will be in focus
You’ve been picked by the algorithm and what a special find you are. Subscribed.
Addicted to this freakin channel 🔥💪🏾🔥
Omg yess
I am the one always wondered that how the hell do these movies get the pin point focusing even with the manual setup.. being a Nikon user it's had been even bigger question for me than others 😂😂 so from a long time I always appreciate the focus pulling 🙏❤️
Several years ago while filming a skating competition in a large arena, I was pissed to find that my (older) Nikon DSLR doesn't do autofocus in movie mode but my Samsung Galaxy S5 did. I could tap on the screen on the element I wanted in focus and the phone/camera would follow the focus (and exposure) better than I could. Yes, I know that many, perhaps most of the current cameras do autofocus in movie mode.
@@BryanTorok it's so difficult to film my brother skating with my good old d3300.... The autofocus "exists" but most of the time is worse then trying to pull it off myself. Just use a low exposure and it should work. At least you've got good lighting bc the shutterspeed also needs to be quite high^^
on the focus puller's monitor theres this called focus peaking. it outlines red of whats in focus in that frame, thats when you know if your focusing on your subject or not
Everyone that has used a Nikon DSLR for video appreciates how hard focus pulling is. Although it is true that the big monitors with focus peaking make things a little easier.
Great video.
I’m someone just starting his career in camera, and there are few more points I’d add to this -
There’s even more finesse than one might think to pulling; the lenses themselves are logarithmic, so that pull of the guard coming closer changes in speed - as he gets closer, the focus puller would have to slow down how fast he turns the wheel as the shorter distances are closer to each other on the ring.
Another thing to consider is that focus pullers jobs don’t end with pulling focus. One of the 1st ACs I’m working with was telling me that for him, once he got used to pulling focus, it wasn’t the hardest part of the job. 1st ACs are the primary technicians of the cameras, if something goes wrong, if the camera crashes or looses power, they are the ones everyone looks to. Imagine being on a show, and just before you have a chance to reload, the camera crashes in the middle of a take, and won’t start back up. As well as the lost shot from that take, everyone on set is looking to you to see if everything they’ve done for the last four hours is lost from corruption.
That being said, there are interesting things to make pulling itself easier; range finders which help give distance and can be used if needed for basic autofocus, wireless units that vibrate once they hit certain pre set marks on the unit, et cetera, but all that can only help you so much on a wide open 150mm tracking shot. The example animation showed one bird in shot vs the other, but on certain settings it can be the difference of someone’s left eye being out of focus but their right eye is in focus.
Makes me wanna cry thinking of all the unrecognised focus pullers 😢. Hats off to you guys.
*I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YEARSSSS!!! finaly someone who knows, who respects, who thinks about it.. Amazing...*
Yeah
Same
As a one-man film crew, I can't appreciate the work of a focus puller enough. The one thing I get wrong most of the time is focus. It's such an important role that no one appreciates.
hands down my favourite TH-cam channel. hands down. king. head and shoulders above and beyond
There should be an award for the best Focus puller.
2nd video I've watched and I just HAD to subscribe. Amazing content dude. This channel is set to blow!! Can't wait for it to blow up in your face Paul. All in your face. Just everywhere. Up your nose too.
Hahaha!! 😂😁 This is the comment I wish I’d made.
Not only do I agree on all counts....but your cheerful and sincere desire for Paul to experience a messy mess as a result of imminent channel implosion just killed me!!
Oh Jesus lmao
Explaining ‘What i do’ are much harder then pulling focus😅 Paul thank you for making my life easier bro….
Focus Puller a.k.a. 1st AC. Great video. Really nicely explained. Personally I think that focus pulling is one of the hardest things to do and people don’t get enough credit for it. Thanks for making this video for those people. I’m so grateful for every AC I’ve ever worked with, who helped me in getting the shot I wanted.
What does AC stand for?
@@Thenoobestgirl Assistant Camera person.
i'm a photographer and even focusing on still shots can be a pain (bc i tend to stick to a wider aperture for my photos) but i couldn't even imagine doing it so intently for a MOVING VIDEO omfg like props to them
Part of the reason film camera lenses are so expensive is that they are designed for focus pulling, sometimes to the point that every lens in a set of primes and zooms has the exact same focus setup (specifically so that lenses can be changed without changing the marking on the focus dial)
And film zoom lenses also need to be fully parfocal, meaning that zooming must not change the focus range at all.
You definitely deserve more subs dude. Underrated.
Cheers for this, it’s the one role you can’t cover for in the edit nowadays, and the one the cameraman is most appreciative of. Learn this and you’ll become the best cinematographer you can be.
Who else came here from the mirror video? who else finds him super good at his job? both me btw
Professional 1st AC here with credits ranging from high level music videos to commercials and film, loved the video! The art of focus pulling is a ton of fun and one I definitely think is under appreciated on set. Shoot some people don’t know what the hell you do on set. Now a days it has become so much easier with monitors, cinetape, and even new technology’s like light ranger from Preston. I do a ton of gimbal/techno work and people dont even begin to realize what you are doing until you screw it up. When I started I learned the old fashion way with tape and marks. No monitors and all done on camera. Like you see in the wolf of Wall Street shot he was using a cinetape which basically in a nutshell tells you the distance between you and the subject. If you do the proper prep all you have to do is match the distance on your FF and the read out. We used to do it by just judging the distance or on run throughs putting marks on the floor and/or on your follow focus. Shoot I have sharpied distances on my hand telling me what I have to hit in order. It’s so rewarding when you hit that perfect pull or you just don’t screw up when you only have a big artist or talent for 1 take. There is so much pressure but as soon as you did it you feel great. Unless you botch it and then you get everybody looking at you. Like i said great video and thanks for the tiny bit of ego boost haha
The bicycle shout did it. Subbed.
Those sports shoots are all done by one guy operating a camera. He's job is framing, zoom and focus. Everything else, like iris, cam settings, matrix is done via optics from a truck. Broadcast cameras are mostly 2/3 inch sensors so it's a lot easier to focus compared a super35mm or full frame cameras. Great video!
Having pulled focus myself i really appreciate this video. Its really difficult in the beginning and you automatically make lots of mistakes and then having to tell the whole crew that we need another take. But damn is it rewarding when you pull of like a really long sequence or a dynamic fight scene with constantly shifting focus.
How are you not loaded with subs yet?? Your film essays are not only informative but hilarious and edited beautifully! Definitely one of my new favorite channels. I hope more people discover you soon!
so basically they're there to be unnoticed, props to them.
Buddy, this is amazing work. Sooner or later with this quality you will reach millions of subs. The bgm, script, editing, concept are in pure sync.
*Finally, someone's talking about the bicycle operator!*
I knew focus pulling existed, but never realised how much they worked on shots until this video. This blew my mind well done!!
I consider myself to be pretty well versed with the world of filmmaking generally (while not actually being part of it). This video just taught me that I basically know nothing, because I didn’t know this was an individual person’s job or even heard of this title. Presumed it was all done by one camera operator along with movement. Thank you for sorting me out 🤘🏼
1:37 I am subscribing, mainly for the "bycicle" in the background. Best thing ever
I didn't even like the subject, yet I sat through the whole vide admiring the absolute magnificent level of production of this video, subscribed mate, keep it up.
My dad was a focus puller in the 90s, worked on loads of Hollywood films.. so this video is amazing for me
randomly got recommended this channel and instantly subscribed after only watching your last two videos! im not even into film making but you make it so damn interesting this channel is definitely one of those gems
Ok I saw the mirror video and got intrigued. I saw this and it made me slam that subscribe button. This knowledge is definitely something that movie buffs should know for how important it is.
1:36 something about the accent makes the “a bicycle” much funnier to me.
Thank you! Everybody just thinks it’s normal to have everything in focus. We are just used to it because there are so many talented focus pullers out there.
The best way to recognize those guys is,
we don't think about them, when we watch a movie. Because they were so pretty good, we don't see their hard and amazing work.
This man took me on a whole journey and opened my eyes to a whole new world of my addiction to film and its making. Thank you so much, immensely
being a focus puller myself, i just wanted to say thanks 🙏💥. most people are surprised that its a job when i telll them. also, deakins is the man!
Does the focus puller see the video in a monitor while focus pulling or does he just pulls in estimation?
@@wanderer572 like most drama / feature pullers I know. We use wireless follow focus so not to affect the camera operators movements, With a monitor mounted on camera or on a stand close by. I have marks on the handset to use to get actor to their mark then use a monitor for fine adjustments. Just going off marks is dangerous if it's a really shallow depth of field .
As a 1st AC myself: thank you for this video. Hallway shots are indeed the worst, especially because DP’s shoot wide open 99% of times. Spent a month shooting a TV show. Had to pull from an85mm, 1.2 most of shoot. 12+ hours a day. Sometimes dozens of people looking at the shot and they all know if you fuck up, but rarely praised when we pull a crazy shot out.
1.2 on an 85mm???? Holy mother of Mary. And yeah, doesn't it just suck that your mistake is so blatantly obvious, even to the laymen... Nevertheless, you have my upmost respect, my friend.
i love when someone pulls my attention onto these unspoken heroes, thank you for that. just what happened when i learned about the foley artists :)
That pull imitating how human eyes would get the background how out focus is absolutely freaking next level tho. Like first you have the pull you see, second the pull you don't see because the focus follow the camera movements perfectly, but to actually pull a static shot like that.... just... God damn
Your type of content and overall channel is so refreshing I find it very hard to believe your channel does not have millions of subscribers
It's not just that your videos are well informed and interesting, it's also that they are incredibly well made, and suggest that you have a broad and highly capable skill set. You make it all look easy, but I can only imagine how much work you put in. I hope one day you get to make your own project/s.
Okay... what. The quality of these videos are so good. Is the youtube algorithm broken or something?
I was a focus puller( before there was hi resolution screen to pull focus from ...you had to use your eye ball and tape marks) for 7 years before moving up to camera operator. It is one of the mose difficult under appreciated jobs in the film and tv industry. Thank you Paul for this very kind tribute to the art and craft of focus pulling.
Your style of making a yt movie is super sick man, congrats 😊
That is actually what it feels like: like a TH-cam movie! so well done
Thank you so much for mentioning someone who didn't notice.
Everyone in the movie crew has a value
Mirror 'pulled' me in and I'm here to stay.
*Chuckles*
This guy pullin' focus in the moment is nothing short of a master pianist
Autofocus has really become advanced recently. I wonder how this has affected the focus puller role. Of course, there are times to use manual focus, but things like subject tracking on full frame cameras is pretty amazing these days.
Full frame cameras like the Sony FX series are different from cinema cameras though.
In an FX with responding lenses there is an implemented AI that automatically tracks a face or a focal point. The camera and the lens communicate and the integrated auto focus is “digital” if you will.
On a cinema camera with a cinema lens the focus ring on the lens will rotate around 270 degrees going from minimum focus to infinity. It allows a lot more room for adjusting the focus - but manually by using an external motor that will turn the focus ring.
So if you want “auto focus” that way you will have to use gadgets like the Preston Light Ranger system. It will scan the area in front of the lens with lasers, providing very accurate dinstance information every second. In this case you can (in smplified terms) tell the system to focus on what these beams are measuring. But still that information will have to be transported to the external motor and then the motor will adjust the focus distance on the lens accordingly.
That is if the first AC has done their homework and made sure that the lenses are correctly backfocused - so that when the lens tells you it is sharp at 3’ it really is sharp at exactly 3’.
1:53 The depth of field AND how much light it lets in. Wider open aperture = brigther image if focal length isnt changed (Thats why we usually talk about aperature ratio, where it takes the focal length into account. So F1.4 at 24mm is not as far open as F1.4 at 85mm. They are different in diameter, which is why 85mm at F1.4 have a shallower depth of field than 24mm at F1.4. This automatic adjustment in our lenses is also very useful, because the lighting will not change on zoom lenses if you choose to zoom in or between shots. The wider you can open a lens the more light can be gathered allowing for a brighter/less noisy image. It is very important to understand that the aperature adjusts both depth of field AND lighting. If you wanted to adjust ONLY the lighting, you will have to mess with either the ISO (only on digital cameras, obviously - for film, you will need faster/more sensitive film) or ND-Filters.
7:30 Not exactly. I operated camera in live sports for about 4 years, and we all had broadcast cameras with parfocal lenses. All you do is snap zoom and get focus at max zoom and everything zoomed out from that point is in focus. That trick doesn't work on normal cine lenses, but it saves your ass during sports.
Yep, I was thinking the same. It's kinda misleading in a way 😅
I agree, sports are different from cinema films
I can't believe you make these videos about seemingly mundane and specific things so interesting and hilarious. great work!
Imagine how fast and accurate turntablist DJs would be at this. Thank me later.
Or not. To be a good focus puller, you have to be primarily good at visually evaluating distances. It's a very specific skill.
yeah, no.
it has absolutely no skillset overlap... the cues and instincts couldn't be more different.
i've done both.
TIL about "focus pullers". Thanks!
It is unsung skilled labor like that of "focus puller" that has kept me from buying pirated movies and videos even back in the day when it was "legal" and easy to do so.
Damn i just got this video in my recommendations. And even tho i couldn't take a lot of new informations out of it i still watched till the end. I love the style of this video! The humor, the build up to a short B-Roll montage, the way you present informations... Just everything. Please keep that good work up!
I have a great respect for all the professional 1st ACs, standing beside the camera for hours straight is really exhausting the pulling focus is not easy at all
I love when a new channel comes out of nowhere and just blows me away. Everything I've seen so far is 10/10, instant sub.
I'm so happy TH-cam recommended me your channel. And wow my life will never be the same after knowing that there is the focus puller
This is awesome of you to point out those that work in areas most would not be aware, hope you do more. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful day
I like the two videos of yours I stumbled upon - I must watch more! Two groups of people I suggest also don't get their fair share of praise are the scenery/props teams and colourists.
I went into a village hall - it was in fact a set in a TV studio - but two things really impressed me when I was inside. One was the set dressing - I had never really paid attention to that before, but as I looked round the hall I realised all of the items on shelves and "littered" round the room had been chosen and purposefully placed - the authenticity was awesome. But maybe even more amazing was the work of the scenery painters. As I walked out of the hall I noticed the paint on the doors was chipped, as you would expect after much use. On closer examination I noticed that the doors had been painted perfectly and then the chips had been painted on afterwards. The attention to that sort of detail was just mind blowing!
The other people that are under mentioned are colourists. Yep, their work is maybe more in your face, but when one compares as shot with shots that have been graded then I find what they can do with a picture stunning - the feel that they can create by changes to colour balance etc is awesome.
There is a scene in The Mortician that gobsmacked me. It was shown as a clip at a 3D conference. The scene was an inner city apartment. Sunlight was streaming into a somewhat darkly decorated room. Outside you could hear the subway going past. A baby was crying in a near by apartment. The sunshine added a warmth to the scene. As I watched this particular scene I became aware of the work of so many people: the set builders/painters/dressers, lighting, sound and the colourist (emphasising the darkness, deep colours but also the warm tone of the sunlight). Realising just how much had gone into what I was seeing and hearing was awesome!
What would be interesting to see is a video where you take a scene and pull it a part and highlight the input from all the different people.
yess i love when the camera pulls a rack focus
An invaluable artist who creates not just a focal point, but how a story looks.
My Friend - I have watched quite a few of your vids since recently finding your channel - this one freakin' blew my mind! You are correct sir, they deserve more recognition - and they are probably not the only ones (behind the scenes).
Even I knew who is focus puller for couple of decades I watched you video with a great pleasure. Thanks.
The thing with autofocus is that if it fails, it fails spectacularly. It has no purpose or deeper understanding of the scene, it is just a machine interpreting numbers. Pulling focus on a fast manual lens (fast meaning shallow depth of field) is a very humbling experience for everyone working with cameras. My entire camera rig is built around focus pulling and monitoring.
For exposure you have RAW which saves you if you over- or underexpose quite significantly. Left a Starbucks coffee in the background ? Planar Trackers and removal software has your back. Footage is jittering? Stabilazation tech has your back.
Image is out of focus ? Welp, you can schedule a reshoot.
I subbed because of your mirror topic and now this focus puller. Amazing. Your talent sir in presenting is enviable.
Wow, I appreciate all the hard work from every focus puller.
You did an amazing job finding relevant clips! Especially the Oscar clip at the end... I'm impressed by your planning and research for this video!
It is freaking good! Mind blown Paul. You pulled my focus. Nailed it.
This is like the Holy grail of camera work! Absolutely amazing! You have a new fan!
Some TH-camrs are obsessed with autofocus and yet manual focus is the king. 🤘🏽
I thought I knew a decent amount about cameras and I had never even considered the skill and art required for this manual focus-pulling. Great work on the writing and editing of this video too!
How he is not bumping the camera while focusing is fricking magic.
Love that you chose to talk and highlight this! I'm one of those that actually think about this while watching an intense scene and I always wonder off thinking about how they keep the focus if not for an auto focus feature in their equipment! Now I know that's it's actually a work of art by a professional, make me appreciate those scenes even more now, thanks! 🙏
Certainly one of my favorite filmmaker TH-camrs keep up the good work
This is dope !! Thanks for shinning light on a underrated role !!
🔥🔥🔥
Okay I was so sad to see that you don't have more stuff on your channel. I can't wait to see what else you're gonna bring out man!! 🙌🏼
I'm only 2 videos into your catalog and I don't think I've laughed this hard in a long time. I'm so glad I found you!