Focus is one of the most powerful tools in cinematography. It can draw attention, create depth, and convey emotions. But it can also be used to create a disorienting effect, making the audience feel confused, uneasy, or lost. In this article, you will learn how to use focus to create a disorienting effect in your cinematography, and why you might want to do so.
Sometimes, you want to create a sense of disorientation in your film, to match the mood, theme, or character of the story. For example, you might want to show that a character is drunk, hallucinating, or mentally unstable. Or you might want to create a contrast between reality and fantasy, or between different perspectives. Disorienting focus can help you achieve these effects, by making the audience question what they are seeing, and how they should interpret it.
You can use something known as a "Split Diopter" which keeps both the foreground and background subjects in focus at the same time.
One way to create a disorienting effect is to use shallow focus, which means that only a small part of the image is in focus, while the rest is blurred. This can make the audience feel like they are seeing through the eyes of the character, who might have impaired vision or perception. It can also create a sense of isolation, intimacy, or vulnerability, as the character is separated from the background. Shallow focus can be achieved by using a large aperture, a long focal length, or a close distance to the subject.
Another way to create a disorienting effect is to use deep focus, which means that everything in the image is in focus, from the foreground to the background. This can make the audience feel overwhelmed, as they have to process a lot of information at once. It can also create a sense of realism, ambiguity, or complexity, as the character is integrated with the environment. Deep focus can be achieved by using a small aperture, a short focal length, or a wide angle lens.
A third way to create a disorienting effect is to use rack focus, which means that you change the focus from one part of the image to another during the shot. This can make the audience feel surprised, curious, or confused, as they have to follow the shift of attention. It can also create a sense of tension, suspense, or revelation, as the character discovers something new or important. Rack focus can be achieved by using a manual focus ring, or by using an autofocus system.
A fourth way to create a disorienting effect is to use soft focus, which means that the whole image is slightly blurred, without a clear distinction between what is in focus and what is not. This can make the audience feel dreamy, nostalgic, or romantic, as they are seeing a filtered version of reality. It can also create a sense of mystery, fantasy, or illusion, as the character is detached from the truth. Soft focus can be achieved by using a diffusion filter, a low contrast lens, or by adding some fog or smoke.
A fifth way to create a disorienting effect is to use out of focus, which means that the whole image is completely blurred, without any recognizable details. This can make the audience feel frustrated, anxious, or scared, as they are unable to see what is happening. It can also create a sense of chaos, danger, or uncertainty, as the character is facing a threat or a challenge. Out of focus can be achieved by using a very large aperture, a very long focal length, or by moving the camera away from the subject.
Digital Storyteller - Composer, Creative Producer & DOP for Short Film and Digital
Lens whacking (detaching the lens from it’s mount and holding it over the sensor, angling it and moving it around) will throw patches of the image out of focus in really interesting ways. Combined with the interesting light leaks that bounce around the sensor and optics, the effect can be really interesting and disorienting.