Rack Focus Technique: 3 Ways to Use Rack Focus Film Shots

Rack focus, also known as pulling focus or racking focus, is a camera-based filmmaking technique in which the focus changes over the course of the shot from one focal plane to another. This effect can be subtle or overt, slow or rapid. Filmmakers use this technique for stylistic and visual storytelling purposes.

The rack focus technique shifts the focus of the scene to provide clarification, new information, or an inner experience of a character.

1. 1. To change the emphasis of a scene. At the beginning of a shot featuring two characters, the audience might believe the scene is going to be about these characters speaking. By shifting the focus to highlight that another character, who was previously out of focus, is listening in, the emphasis changes.
2. 2. To provide new story information to the audience. With a focus shift, the audience can see what wasn’t previously apparent: a better view of the setting, or an object that was indistinct before but is now sharply in focus. In this way, filmmakers can guide the attention of the viewers.
3. 3. To convey the inner experience of a character. Often, during a rack focus, a character’s facial expressions come into focus, providing critical emotional information. For instance, we might see a look of fear on their face, or a smile of satisfaction that underscores the emotional significance of the moment. This might also show a character’s understanding without resorting to dialogue. Rapidly pulling focus to a close-up of a character’s face can illustrate a dawning comprehension.

Rack focus is a cinematography technique. On a professional film set, the focus puller, a camera assistant, executes rack focus shots. Before trying a rack focus shot, consider the following points, which make for a rough tutorial of this focus technique:

• Know how a camera lens functions. To understand how rack focusing works, it helps to have some basic knowledge of how a camera lens functions. By capturing and directing light, a lens transmits an image of three-dimensional space onto a flat medium—either a frame of film or a digital sensor, such as with a DSLR.
• Choose a depth of field. A rack focus can occur with a lens that has a shallow or deep depth of field. The depth of field is the range of space in a shot that is in focus simultaneously. Usually, more noticeable rack focus effects occur in a shallow depth of field shot, since the shift from blurry to sharp is much more dramatic. A shot with a deeper depth of field will make for a more subtle effect. Here, the transition from one focal plane to another won’t be as easily perceived by the audience.
• Plan out your shot. Rack focusing requires a high degree of precision, so it is helpful to plan a rack focus shot. Usually, the director and the cinematographer collaborate to determine how best to achieve the effect and for what purpose. You can create a shot list with all the camera shots in a scene, then rehearse the shots.
• Coordinate with the camera crew. A successful rack focus effect requires careful coordination between the whole camera crew. On most film sets, the camera operator is responsible for making sure the required frame is maintained. When the time comes, the focus puller uses a handheld follow focus tool to adjust the focus ring on the lens. The focus puller can use a monitor to follow the focus or track it using distance measurements on-set.
• Use a camera with autofocus. Autofocus capabilities were available on some early digital cameras, but it was imprecise compared to manual focus and didn’t allow for the kind of selectivity that rack focus shots require. Increasingly, in the age of ultra-high-definition digital cinematography, autofocus is making a comeback, and sophisticated tools are allowing for a more automated version of focus pulling.
• Simulate rack focus in post-production. You can create a rack focus using post-production software. Take a shot with a deep depth of field, and then, in post-production, digitally simulate a narrow depth of field to change the plane of focus over the course of the shot.

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