Deep focus in Citizen Kane.
Tom Powell
How exactly does one accomplish deep focus as Orson Welles did in
Citizen Kane? What are the f-stop settings and lighting constraints?
Thanks.
--
Tom Powell
Tufts University
tpo...@emerald.tufts.edu
mack twamley
Tom Powell <tpo...@emerald.tufts.edu> wrote in article
<3447BD2C...@emerald.tufts.edu>...
*******************************************8
I don't know whether the Garutso "balanced" lens was in existence at the
time of Kane, that would be a possible solution. In isolated shots, such
as the huge glass with spoon and medicine bottle next to Susan's bed, when
she 'accidentally' overdoses, I saw Kane four or five times before
realizing that the bottle and stuff in the foreground was shot in sharp
focus, and so was the faraway doorway, but the doorway was on a process
screen, so it wasn't really deep focus at all. For the long focus in the
newsroom conversation between Kane and Leland, I don't have a clue.
>
>
Sean Weitzel
the amount of light on the set must have been nearly unbearable..
I recall discussions about the amount of light needed for "The Wizard of
Oz".. It was said that the amount of light needed was as if the
filmstock(s) had an effective asa of about 10..
-sean
In article <19971019212...@ladder02.news.aol.com>,
helm...@aol.com (Helmbelly) wrote:
> Kane was shot at an f16 and had lenses specially made with drilled fixed
> apertures to limit refraction within the lens.
>
> don't try it at home.
>
> Happy shooting-
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Scott Norwood
In article <ANTISPAMsweitzel...@sweitzel.vip.best.com>,
Sean Weitzel <ANTISPAM...@best.com> wrote:
>
>the amount of light on the set must have been nearly unbearable..
>
>I recall discussions about the amount of light needed for "The Wizard of
>Oz".. It was said that the amount of light needed was as if the
>filmstock(s) had an effective asa of about 10..
Wow! Would this have been a result of the filters and prisms necessary
for the 3-strip Technicolor process? There's a 3-strip Technicolor
camera in great condition on display at the Smithsonian's Museum of
American History in DC. Anyone know if that's the same model used for
"Wizard of Oz"?
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Cool Home Page: http://www.redballoon.net/
Lame Quote: Penguins? In Snack Canyon?
David Mullen
>I don't know whether the Garutso "balanced" lens was in existence at the
>time of Kane, that would be a possible solution. In isolated shots, such
>as the huge glass with spoon and medicine bottle next to Susan's bed, when
>she 'accidentally' overdoses, I saw Kane four or five times before
>realizing that the bottle and stuff in the foreground was shot in sharp
>focus, and so was the faraway doorway, but the doorway was on a process
>screen, so it wasn't really deep focus at all. For the long focus in the
>newsroom conversation between Kane and Leland, I don't have a clue.
No, the spoon shot was an optical effect; that's why the spoon is in focus and
the bed in mid-ground is out-of-focus.
The Kane at typewriter/Leland & Bernstein in mid-ground and far background was
done by stopping the 25mm lens done to f/16 (and using a ton of lighting).
The deep-focus photography of Kane was made possible by the recent
introduction of three items: a high-speed b&w film stock (Super-XX, 160 ASA),
anti-reflection coating on lenses, and the stronger Duarc arc lights made for
Technicolor photography. This combined with lighting some shots to an f/16
(sometimes using a "Waterhouse stop" instead of an iris - a pre-drilled hole
designed to minimize diffraction problems), although the average f/stop was
probably an f/8. There are even a few normal or shallow focus shots in the
movie.
David M.
>
>>
>>
FilmGene
<<I don't know whether the Garutso "balanced" lens was in existence at the
time of Kane, that would be a possible solution.>>
I have always wanted to know what the "Garutso balanced lens" was since I saw
it in the credits of "Member of the Wedding". Can anyone explain?
Gene Stavis, School of Visual Arts - NYC
David Mullen
>I have always wanted to know what the "Garutso balanced lens" was since I saw
> it in the credits of "Member of the Wedding". Can anyone explain?
>Gene Stavis, School of Visual Arts - NYC
My guess is that he is describing a "swing-tilt" mounted lens like the ones
that have started to appear again in the past few years. In Salt's "Film
Style & Technology", he describes such a lens being used by Hal Mohr in the
mid 1930's. By tilting or pivoting the lens at its mount, the plane of focus
will fall diagonally instead of at one distance from the lens - so the focus
on the left might be only 2', falling farther away across the frame until the
right side might be in focus at 30' (for example.) The illusion of deep focus
is achieved, just as if a split-diopter filter had been used (in other words,
it's not a true deep focus).
A recent example would be in "L.A.Confidential" - there is a scene with the
police chief, district attorney, and commissioner all lined up in a row - all
in focus - as they sit behind a desk interviewing witnesses regarding the jail
beatings. In another scene, Lt. Exley gets a phone call while on duty - with
the tilt lens, both the phone on the wall and Exley in the background are in
focus.
David M.
Frank Wylie
eri...@ucla.edu (David Mullen) wrote:
>My guess is that he is describing a "swing-tilt" mounted lens like the ones
>that have started to appear again in the past few years. In Salt's "Film
>Style & Technology", he describes such a lens being used by Hal Mohr in the
>mid 1930's. By tilting or pivoting the lens at its mount, the plane of focus
>will fall diagonally instead of at one distance from the lens - so the focus
Also...
The Mitchell Standard had provision for raising or lowering the lens
turret about a half and inch to give limited "view-camera" type
effects with any lens that would mount on the turret.
JJMcF
>>the amount of light on the set must have been nearly unbearable..
>>
>>I recall discussions about the amount of light needed for "The Wizard of
>>Oz".. It was said that the amount of light needed was as if the
>>filmstock(s) had an effective asa of about 10..
>
>
An effective asa of 10 is not all that remarkaable. The original Kodachrome
had an effective asa of 10, and my uncle shot his regular Christmas home movie
every year in the 1930s, getting plenty of light out of one of those old home
movie light bars with 4 floodlamps. On the pictures, only the old folks are
squinting--one of them is visibly cursing the photographer out for the bright
lights--but nobody else seems to mind.
Steve Weber
It was a common practice for Technicolor cameramen to inscribe the name
of the movie
inside the camera in which it was used.
The 3 Strip camera which my friend owns shows the name "Moby Dick", but
AFTER being
utilized on several hundred Technicolor picures
before that I'm sure.
It's unlikely that Technicolor Corp. would have retained a listing of
camera serial numbers and the pictures they had been used on. But.. then
again you could check with them and see.
Maybe the Motion Picture Academy Library in
Los Angeles might have some information.
Cheers,
Steve Weber
David Richards
In article <ericusc.58...@ucla.edu> eri...@ucla.edu (David Mullen) writes:
>
>>I have always wanted to know what the "Garutso balanced lens" was since I saw
>> it in the credits of "Member of the Wedding". Can anyone explain?
>
>that have started to appear again in the past few years.
Clairmont Camera recently developed one of these, that has been somewhat
successful. I was present at a paper and demonstration on the lens presented
by Denny Clairmont last Spring in LA. He related an interesting story...
they developed it with the idea of being able to do the split focus thing,
to provide optimum image sharpness across the frame. Of course, cinematog-
raphers, being the contrary cusses that they are, have used it more for the
opposite effect, that is, throwing portions of the frame out of focus that
would normally be within the depth of field. This has been used in some
commercials and music videos.
Dave
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D. L. Ayrton
On 18 Oct 1997, mack twamley wrote:
> > How exactly does one accomplish deep focus as Orson Welles did in
> > Citizen Kane? What are the f-stop settings and lighting constraints?
> > Thanks.
Ah, that would be Greg Tolland's photography, not Welles'. Lots of
light is a good place to start.
> I don't know whether the Garutso "balanced" lens was in existence at the
> time of Kane, that would be a possible solution. In isolated shots, such
> as the huge glass with spoon and medicine bottle next to Susan's bed, when
> she 'accidentally' overdoses, I saw Kane four or five times before
> realizing that the bottle and stuff in the foreground was shot in sharp
> focus, and so was the faraway doorway, but the doorway was on a process
> screen, so it wasn't really deep focus at all. For the long focus in the
Nope. The glass/spoon/Kane bursting in shot was an in-camera matte.
Tolland lit the foreground elements, left the background dark. Rolled
film, back-wound, let the foreground go dark (creating its own hold-out
matte) lit, focused and shot the distant action of Kane bursting in
through the door. The doorway is not a process screen. (see "The Making
of Citizen Kane" Robert L. Carringer, Univerity of CAilf. Press, 1982,
page 82 for documentation.)
Djsherlock
film...@aol.com (FilmGene) previously said:
>I have always wanted to know what the "Garutso balanced lens" was
>since I saw it in the credits of "Member of the Wedding". Can anyone
>explain?
>
>Gene Stavis, School of Visual Arts - NYC
Garutso Balanced Lenses achieved remarkable depth of focus by using an
additional optical element consisting of an annular ring lens that focused at
a slightly different distance than the center part of the lens. (Kind of like
a split diopter where the split is a circle.)
-Dan