8 minute read
FOCUS ON FOCUS PULLING • MAGIC RINGS
MAGIC RINGS
By Tiffany Aug and Ambar B Capoor
If you’re interested in getting into the camera team and working as a 1stAC/focus puller, this Q&A with leading members of Focus Puller At Work (FPAW) gives you great insight into what’s needed.
WHAT DOES THE FOCUS PULLER DO?
Ambar: The focus puller chooses where to direct the viewer’s attention by making certain things on the screen appear in focus, so your eye and attention are directed to that part of the picture. Oftentimes you can push the viewer to look at something that may be behind the main actor, or action, because that is more relevant to the storyline or script.
Beyond that, the focus puller, or 1st AC as they are referred to in North America, is responsible for running the camera department. This means everything from finding the right crew for the job, prepping all the equipment beforehand, making sure you understand the camera technically, as well as being able to assemble all the various accessories that might been needed, and making everything works together seamlessly.
In Asia, a focus puller and a 1st AC are actually two different people and the jobs are
delineated along very strict line – the focus puller only pulls focus and the 1st AC deals with setting up the camera, etc.
Camera systems are getting more and more sophisticated, but human focus pullers are here to stay!
get to use as a focus puller these days. The elephant in the room, of course, is the camera itself. Outside of that, there’s a lot of neat accessories, like remote lens control systems (LCS). These are starting to become much more than that though, which makes right now an exciting time to be pulling focus. Systems now include not just the ability to control the lens remotely, but you also get some camera control as well, which is something that didn’t really exist until recently. There’s lots of speciality equipment too, like gimbals, remote heads and housings, you can play with too, depending on the project and what interests you, plus all sorts of apps that will help with the mathematics that go into being a focus puller.
There are laser tape measures too, and at least three different kinds of range-finding technology being used on the camera these days. You can still find some 3D rigs working and will definitely find XR (eXtended reality) stages that you can learn the way your cinema camera will work in tandem a live-tracking virtual world for actors to move through.
WHAT EXACTLY IS FPAW?
Tiffany: FPAW is an acronym for the website FocusPullerAtWork.com. It’s an international collective of focus pullers and other industry professionals, providing a global resource for all-things about camera assisting. Being global means FPAW is a near 24/7 sounding-board for ACs to troubleshoot, brainstorm and share ideas. We’ve also recently partnered with some manufacturers like ARRI, Sony, and Teradek, in the form of manufacturerbased groups to give these companies direct access to the people working with their gear, and vice versa. There are a ton of great ideas floating around on the site. Anything from .STL files through to 30 JULY 2022 EURO CINE EXPO SHOWGUIDE random asks about accessories, and opinion pieces about a focus puller’s life. There’s used equipment for sale, threads on common problems with equipment combinations and how to solve them. There’s even a focus puller podcast and a file-sharing area for charts, info sheets, and lens files.
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO WORK IN A CAMERA TEAM?
Tiffany: There’s a lot of teamwork involved in making a show of feature film – the words ‘crew’ and ‘team’ are synonyms, make no mistake. It is so important to have good communication and good teamwork on multiple levels on-set. You have to, of course, work well as a team – including dolly grip, camera operator, 1stAC and 2ndAC – but you also have to have the mentality to make sure everyone is OK, and has what they need to keep the ball rolling, so that you never hear those dreaded words “Waiting on camera!”. Working well doesn’t just mean everyone is capable of doing their individual jobs, it means they get along and contribute to the group in ways that blend well and bring out the best in the other members of the team. It’s a beautiful thing when you have a team that can anticipate each other and adjust and assist before it’s needed.
INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF SET WHAT KIND OF COLLABORATING DO YOU DO?
Ambar: Inside the set, it’s essential that the focus puller, operator, DP and director all understand what the scene is about and where we want the focus to be. Most of the times it’s fairly obvious from reading the script, but once in a while it may be ambiguous and it’s better to have the conversation prior to rolling the camera. There are times that you may see something during the first take where you feel
Both pages: a selection of shots of 1st ACs Tiffany Aug and Ambar Kapoor at work on-set
a focus throw or focus rack might tell the story better, and I will quietly mention it to the DP or director. 90% of the time they ask me to go ahead and do it, and 10% of the time they decline. It’s nice to be a part of the creative process and have an input. Off the set, I have built relationships with all the camera houses and some of the major manufacturers of cameras and lenses. This means that I am regularly invited to be a part of the prototype design, the testing process and the pre-launch of new products. I get to play with gear and give my input as a 1st AC before the product ever hits the market. Some of the things I have had the opportunity to play with before they ever got released are the ARRI 235 and 435ES, ARRI Alexa Mini and Mini LF cameras, Signature prime lenses, WCU-4 wireless lens controller, and more.
Then there are all the resources that we have built for ourselves as a community like FPAW, discord groups, Reddit groups, and more. These are especially useful to be able to troubleshoot and brainstorm when you are stuck, having an on-set problem that requires an immediate solution, or just need some ideas on what kind of gear might solve a certain shot the DP wants to achieve. I’m especially proud of the ARRI ECS group I built on Facebook, one of the biggest memberonly groups, that was officially-recognised by ARRI for having contributed to the community as the premier resource for people with questions about the WCU-4.
HOW WOULD YOU SAY FOCUS PULLERS HELP TELL THE VISUAL STORY?
Ambar: As I mentioned, we are in charge of where the focus lands and also how long it takes for the focus to get there. Oftentimes we are placed in a situation where we have to nail a shot with no rehearsals and no marks. Sometimes we may only get one take or two. I do not use any focus assist devices like the focus bug, lightranger, etc., so for me it’s a matter of being absolutely 100% in-tune with the camera movement, relying on my years of experience and the gods of focus.
But there is also a tremendous amount of satisfaction when you make a creative call to rack focus and you hear the director or DP come up to you and say, “Amazing! That was amazing!”
Currently camera systems are getting more and more sophisticated with focus assist devices, but until the AI can make creative decisions, based on what they are seeing on the screen, what the script says (if there is a script) and what the mood is, human focus pullers are here to stay!
WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF THE USE OF FOCUS IN STORYTELLING THAT INSPIRED YOU?
Tiffany: A recent use of focus I found interesting (mostly because it was very intentional) was in Joker (2019, Dir. Todd Phillips, DP Lawrence Sher ASC). Specifically, a shot that stayed with me was not the iconic stairwell shot used on all the promotions, but the interior stairwell shot when Arthur Fleck gets fired from his job and is leaving after punching a timeclock. He walks down a flight of stairs, stops at a sign that says, “Don’t forget to smile”, crosses out some of the words and dances down the rest of the stairs and out the door. The shot (at 38:39 into the film) is interesting to me because they kept the focus on the sign the entire time. I think another creative team would have chosen to follow focus to the bottom of the stairs and return to the sign to nail the idea home.
But I liked it that this team let the symbolism speak for itself. The sign as well as the character dancing into the soft-focus mush of the background really is a metaphor for the character’s break from reality. Tiffany Aug, is a 1st AC and has been pulling focus for 17 years. Her recent credits include: Curb Your Enthusiasm S9-11, Better Things S2-5 and Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show.
Ambar B Capoor has been a camera technician for 16 years. His recent credits include Adele Las Vegas, Post Malone Launch, Prisoner’s Daughter and Liger.
