How to Use Follow Focus Like a Pro Supposedly, a big important shoot is coming to your way and you've already promised to your folks you're going to take some spectacular shots. But, you don't even know how to operate a follow focus. Then, what are you going to do? Well, nobody wants to look like a loser in term of the whole group. That's why, in this post, we'll talk about how you can use follow focus like a pro so you can flaunt your photography skills to the fullest. Understanding the Working of a Follow Focus When it comes to working of a follow focus, everyone has different perspectives. While there are many exceptions, nearly all follow focuses rely on a number of gears manipulated by a circular knob. If you’re working with stills lenses, then you can look out for gears that you can attach to your lenses, allowing you to get the same thing. When you line up the gears on the follow focus with the gears on the lens, make sure you turn the knob on the follow focus and you’ve got yourself smooth focus pulls. Tips for a Follow Focusing Following are the tips that would help you focus more effectively so your audience can keep their attention on the story. 1. Set Marks Around the knob itself, you’ll notice that there’s an outer circle of white plastic. That’s for setting focus marks, which is considered as a common practice on narrative sets. hence, it is important for you to get your hands on some dry-erase markers, because it’s time to draw. If you’re working on a project where there are multiple rehearsals, you can use your dry-erase markers in order to set focus.
2. Muscle Memory No matter how you’re interacting with your follow focus, it is important for you to practice your pull a few times. Firstly, get your hand and wrist used to where closefocus and infinity are. Always keep this in mind that pulling focus is a skill and the more muscle memory you have the more successful you will be.
3. Don't Fidget If you watch movies carefully, you’d be surprised how many times you see a shot that’s out of focus most of the time. This is what it calls Fidget. Make sure you avoid it as if you’re constantly fidgeting with the focus, you could end up looking an amateur. 4. Avoid Tracking Every Single Move If you’re doing a talking head interview, it can be tempting to use your fancy follow focus to keep up with every tiny movement that your subject makes. But, make sure you don't use it often as tracking every single move can ruin the entire shoot.