N.18 | "The Host" (focus racking example), don’t give out more information than needed plus more

JOURNAL ENTRY

Dec 15, 2024: I had my last class of film school this week before the Christmas break. We first had some theory on cinematography, and then worked on practicing with lights. We did a lot of tests with key light, fill light, back light, top light etc. Although this is stuff I knew already, it was a great refresher on important concepts.

I had the chance to operate the camera again. We shot a few minor scenes with no dialogue to practice with lighting one or more subjects.

I’m working on two scripts at the moment. One for film school, the other for my personal project. I’m planning to do as many tests and rehearsal sessions as I can in the coming weeks.

FILM STORYTELLING

The Host (focus racking example)

Racking focus means transitioning a shallow depth of field between different points of focus within a shot. It’s a powerful technique that changes its focus within the shot.

You can use the rack focus when you want to direct the audience’s attention with the utmost precision. This technique helps you play out a full scene without having to shoot the extra coverage — because there’s no cut.

In the film The Host, director Bong Joon Ho uses a number of incredibly coordinated rack focuses.

In one particular scene, the characters are trying to escape from the hospital (watch 20-second clip here).

Here’s how the director used focus racking to direct our attention without cutting:

First: we start with a shallow focus that follows Gang-Doo.

Second: we move to his siblings behind him.

Third: our attention shifts to the nurse in the background. The shallow focus moves on here because she spots them and calls out.

Fourth: we rack focus one last time back to Gang-Doo — now in a closeup. This last rack focus is the fastest in the scene. The speed serves to amplify the surprise and panic as the characters attempt to sneak out of the hospital.

Use the rack focus when you want to reveal elements in a shot or create a connection between them without cutting.

TIDBIT I’M PONDERING

Don’t give out more information than needed

In the book On Directing Film, David Mamet goes through the exercise of building a scene. He’s in a class with some students of film.

In the scene, we have one young man waiting for an older man. The young man wants to pay homage to the older man.

Therefore, the goal of the scene is giving the idea of homage.

Mamet suggests doing this in two shots. One long shot of the older man’s feet coming down the corridor and then a shot of the young man standing up.

At this point in the book, one of Mamet’s students asks if it’d be better to have the young man “stand up in a humble way” — such as in the act of bowing his head.

Mamet replies that the young man needs only to stand up. He doesn’t need to stand up in any way at all. Having the young man do more while standing up doesn’t really tell any more. If you were to add something like that, you’d simply make a more inflected shot — which means making the shot worse for filmmaking.

Mamet concludes by saying:

Source: From On Directing Film by David Mamet (paraphrased and/or quoted).

FILM STORYTELLING

The Shining (medium closeup example)

The medium closeup (MCU) is a shot that frames the subject from mid chest to just above their head (watch 1-minute clip example).

Use it when you want to minimize distraction and prioritize the character's emotions and facial expressions — that is, to capture the actor's performance.