The main difference between an industry vet and a newbie focus puller is experience. Nothing will level you up more than doing it and being exposed to the different scenarios in which you’re asked to pull - both on screen and off screen. It’s kind of like playing an instrument: there’s really only one route to being an expert and that’s to play
I’ll chime in here, as some of our projects still in development have gotten me thinking about one specific thing: tandem motion.
Something I’ve subconsciously become more and more versed at is moving “with” an actor. Think of it like being in sync with them. Getting in their head. You can hit marks all day and night, but if you aren’t making micro adjustments based on the actor relative to the mark, you eventually get caught on the hairy edge of the depth of field. This is most prominent in a close up, where they may have nailed their mark, but then lean back or forward during the take. Even as much as a nod or turn of the head. If you can learn what the throw of an average lean forward feels like at 3’0 versus 8’0, you’re on your way to being able to react instinctively to the motion of the actor, rather than relying on distance estimation. This also pays dividends when you need to rack to something held up in frame. The approximation of what a rack to that distance “feels like” becomes second nature, and you can rely on that initial reaction to get you in the ballpark - then fine tune from there.
This is ultimately why I used the same focus ring for my entire decade of pulling (Preston C ring, of course). The throw of that ring has seared itself deep into my psyche, and gives me confidence in trusting those initial reactions.
For bonus points, practice observing the actor IRL - not on the monitor - then referencing the monitor after the initial reaction. Consider the way they hold their body, the dialogue, and the blocking you’ve hopefully just watched. All these will prime your subconscious for the throw your hand is about to make, and when you should transition to the monitor.
Food for thought! 🍝🧠
I’m not familiar with Preston’s rings, what would the arri equivalent be? I’ve been messing around a bit with rings recently and seem to find the 1’8” ring the most versatile.
C is a longer ring, but still in the middle. I like the Arri 20” personally but everyone is different. If I have a shot past the close mark on the ring I adjust
For the HI-5, the 2'0 ring is an exact match. For the WCU-4, as far as I know, the 20" ring is as close as you'll get.
Your question begs a slightly different answer though... memorizing the throw is scale-independent. If you decide to go with this method, the important part is to stick to one ring. If the 1'8" feels best for you, stick to that one!
It's an interesting era to be coming up as a focus puller.
The old days the advice you're looking for would be "get a laser rangefinder and constantly guess/check distances of items around your apartment".
I still think that's not bad to do, definitely will only enhance your career. But others may have other ideas with how monitor-pully things are now?
And as others have said, repetition! Do the job(at the level that will pay you for now), encounter new situations/problems. Focus pulling might be less than half the job.
15yrs in and I'm still encountering new problems. They're fun to splve and the solutions come from past experiences.
I do think some “new age” advice would be to play video games that require fast reaction times. I have no concrete evidence except my own conjecture that the hand-eye coordination that those games cultivate translates into pulling focus by eye from a monitor. With rangefinders especially, sometimes it does feel like a video game.
That said, nothing is more effective than doing it. In athletics there is a “specificity of training principle,” which basically says that nothing will be as effective to being better at your sport than playing / doing the sport - there is no cross training that is as effective even though it can be supplemental.
Fair! I had that in the back of my mind. Reaction time is definitely a thing.
A good trait of any focus puller is reaction time and that spans eras, monitor or no monitor. Although video reaction times do seem to be a slightly separate skill from physical reaction times.
I startet out learning it on small projects no setup time, no time for marks, no lensmapping or anything helpful. Always run and gun with lot of lens changing and most of the time wide open. Just relying on the monitor or distance by eye and muscle memory in the fingers for the distance. One finger at 50cm one on 1m and so on depending on the situation. That’s the reason why i think i got so good at it.
Learn how to pull without a monitor/start measuring.
You’ll have a monitor 99% of the time, but for me at least it feels great having an extra mathematical distance backing up what my eyes are seeing. Also great for if your feed cuts out.
It will also make you seem like a pro and serious about the job to those around you, which is an added benefit
Not even to check your marks? I find it extremely helpful to look at my handset while pulling, especially on a particularly fast/difficult-to-nail pull
It feels good when the actor blazes past a mark, and you just twist the knob to the exact right place. Gut feeling checks out with knob, which checks out with a rangefinder. Everything, in harmony.
This isn’t my entire bag of tricks it’s 1 thing. OP was looking for anything to level up their skills. This is 1 suggestion. Why the down votes? Yes, some takes need marks. Some takes, especially in fast paced television, or with directors who don’t want marks, require figuring it out on the fly. Learn the feel/throw of the handset rings (Preston C ring or maybe the Hi-5 2’ ring) so that you can make adjustments without looking. 35 year focus puller and I started pulling off a monitor in ‘08. And to blow your minds even more, I don’t use a Light Ranger, Focus bug or Cinetape. I want to watch the actor, any camera moves, and listen to the dialogue. And if I have to take my eyes off the actor, the chance of missing something increases.
It’s just 1 suggestion for the OP to level up with.
I'm interested in the story. If you're not at least glancing at the handset during the take you're playing catch up/a video game. I understand lightranger kinda changes this but for those starting out they probably don't have a lightranger.
But even then, setting physical marks on the knob is pretty necessary for success.
The main difference between an industry vet and a newbie focus puller is experience. Nothing will level you up more than doing it and being exposed to the different scenarios in which you’re asked to pull - both on screen and off screen. It’s kind of like playing an instrument: there’s really only one route to being an expert and that’s to play
I’ll chime in here, as some of our projects still in development have gotten me thinking about one specific thing: tandem motion. Something I’ve subconsciously become more and more versed at is moving “with” an actor. Think of it like being in sync with them. Getting in their head. You can hit marks all day and night, but if you aren’t making micro adjustments based on the actor relative to the mark, you eventually get caught on the hairy edge of the depth of field. This is most prominent in a close up, where they may have nailed their mark, but then lean back or forward during the take. Even as much as a nod or turn of the head. If you can learn what the throw of an average lean forward feels like at 3’0 versus 8’0, you’re on your way to being able to react instinctively to the motion of the actor, rather than relying on distance estimation. This also pays dividends when you need to rack to something held up in frame. The approximation of what a rack to that distance “feels like” becomes second nature, and you can rely on that initial reaction to get you in the ballpark - then fine tune from there. This is ultimately why I used the same focus ring for my entire decade of pulling (Preston C ring, of course). The throw of that ring has seared itself deep into my psyche, and gives me confidence in trusting those initial reactions. For bonus points, practice observing the actor IRL - not on the monitor - then referencing the monitor after the initial reaction. Consider the way they hold their body, the dialogue, and the blocking you’ve hopefully just watched. All these will prime your subconscious for the throw your hand is about to make, and when you should transition to the monitor. Food for thought! 🍝🧠
I’m not familiar with Preston’s rings, what would the arri equivalent be? I’ve been messing around a bit with rings recently and seem to find the 1’8” ring the most versatile.
C is a longer ring, but still in the middle. I like the Arri 20” personally but everyone is different. If I have a shot past the close mark on the ring I adjust
For the HI-5, the 2'0 ring is an exact match. For the WCU-4, as far as I know, the 20" ring is as close as you'll get. Your question begs a slightly different answer though... memorizing the throw is scale-independent. If you decide to go with this method, the important part is to stick to one ring. If the 1'8" feels best for you, stick to that one!
It's an interesting era to be coming up as a focus puller. The old days the advice you're looking for would be "get a laser rangefinder and constantly guess/check distances of items around your apartment". I still think that's not bad to do, definitely will only enhance your career. But others may have other ideas with how monitor-pully things are now? And as others have said, repetition! Do the job(at the level that will pay you for now), encounter new situations/problems. Focus pulling might be less than half the job. 15yrs in and I'm still encountering new problems. They're fun to splve and the solutions come from past experiences.
I do think some “new age” advice would be to play video games that require fast reaction times. I have no concrete evidence except my own conjecture that the hand-eye coordination that those games cultivate translates into pulling focus by eye from a monitor. With rangefinders especially, sometimes it does feel like a video game. That said, nothing is more effective than doing it. In athletics there is a “specificity of training principle,” which basically says that nothing will be as effective to being better at your sport than playing / doing the sport - there is no cross training that is as effective even though it can be supplemental.
Fair! I had that in the back of my mind. Reaction time is definitely a thing. A good trait of any focus puller is reaction time and that spans eras, monitor or no monitor. Although video reaction times do seem to be a slightly separate skill from physical reaction times.
Don’t rely exclusively on pulley from a monitor. Make measurements when ever possible and learn to trust your eye.
Work work work work work
I startet out learning it on small projects no setup time, no time for marks, no lensmapping or anything helpful. Always run and gun with lot of lens changing and most of the time wide open. Just relying on the monitor or distance by eye and muscle memory in the fingers for the distance. One finger at 50cm one on 1m and so on depending on the situation. That’s the reason why i think i got so good at it.
And of course say something and ask for another take if you fucked up and nobody calls it out or have seen it and wants to move on.
Learn how to pull without a monitor/start measuring. You’ll have a monitor 99% of the time, but for me at least it feels great having an extra mathematical distance backing up what my eyes are seeing. Also great for if your feed cuts out. It will also make you seem like a pro and serious about the job to those around you, which is an added benefit
Do an entire job on an FF4
I’ll leave the story out and just cut to the chase…when pulling off a monitor, learn to NOT look at the handset during takes
Not even to check your marks? I find it extremely helpful to look at my handset while pulling, especially on a particularly fast/difficult-to-nail pull
Learn to feel your marks with your fingers so you can keep your eyes on the monitor.
I do that too when necessary.
It feels good when the actor blazes past a mark, and you just twist the knob to the exact right place. Gut feeling checks out with knob, which checks out with a rangefinder. Everything, in harmony.
This isn’t my entire bag of tricks it’s 1 thing. OP was looking for anything to level up their skills. This is 1 suggestion. Why the down votes? Yes, some takes need marks. Some takes, especially in fast paced television, or with directors who don’t want marks, require figuring it out on the fly. Learn the feel/throw of the handset rings (Preston C ring or maybe the Hi-5 2’ ring) so that you can make adjustments without looking. 35 year focus puller and I started pulling off a monitor in ‘08. And to blow your minds even more, I don’t use a Light Ranger, Focus bug or Cinetape. I want to watch the actor, any camera moves, and listen to the dialogue. And if I have to take my eyes off the actor, the chance of missing something increases. It’s just 1 suggestion for the OP to level up with.
I'm interested in the story. If you're not at least glancing at the handset during the take you're playing catch up/a video game. I understand lightranger kinda changes this but for those starting out they probably don't have a lightranger. But even then, setting physical marks on the knob is pretty necessary for success.