A day in the life of a focus puller
Posted 04-18-2010 at 08:53 AM by usedfilm
Tags film industry
A focus puller is another term for 1st camera assistant. The actual term means adjusting the lens focus to keep the subject matter sharp. 1st AC (assistant camera) is the American term for a focus puller. The focus puller sets the camera up at the beginning of the day, preparing the camera for every shot, changing lenses, filters, the camera speed and so on. The DOP (Director of Photography) is the head of the camera department, but the focus puller is in charge of all things technical, and delegates to the clapper loader and video split operator. The focus puller is also considered to be the operator's assistant, and the clapper loader assists the focus puller. A focus puller rarely leaves the camera, and is responsible for the technical side of things, leaving the operator to look through the camera and frame the shot. That's it in a nutshell!
You are responsible to the camera operator and all those above! The job of all the assistants and the operator is to ensure that the DOP is happy, and the DOP is ultimately working for the director. Occasionally the DOP is also the operator, but on bigger jobs they are usually separate roles. The DOP is also in charge of the lighting, so having an operator to frame the shots is an advantage and lightens the load of the DOP. In my job I have to ensure that the focus remains sharp (or soft, depending on the shot), that the stop (aperture) and frame speed is correctly set, and that the camera is rolling! This is very important!
It is, although they are very different roles. I believe that the more experience you have as a clapper loader, the better equipped you are to be a focus puller. A clapper loader learns the ropes from the focus puller they are assisting. Sometimes a situation will arise when a loader has to step up and pull focus, say if the focus puller goes home sick. Or an extra camera may be required, and the loader might be given the opportunity to pull focus. I have often been thrown in the deep end as a loader, but this is the only way to learn. The transition from loader to focus puller can be a tricky one. It's hard to turn down loading work, but necessary if you want to be taken seriously as a focus puller.
These days most jobs have two cameras, and therefore two focus pullers. The camera department includes the DOP, two focus pullers, one or two loaders (depending on the budget), and sometimes the video split operator falls under the camera umbrella - on big budget films this is a separate department. I worked as a loader on many low budget Aussie TV dramas, most of the time loading on my own for two cameras. My working day was extremely busy! But it is very important to have a focus puller for every camera, not just for the focus, but to make sure that the camera is technically ready for every shot - if the stop or frame speed is not checked and set correctly then the shot will be unusable.
I'm not sure, but I think that the exciting nature of the film industry attracts people to it. The Australian industry is relatively small compared with, for example, the American film industry, so the fewer number of jobs creates competition. I found being on set exhilarating when I first started out, but this has changed over time, even though I still love what I do. In the beginning I had no real personal responsibilities, and therefore the long hours and occasional scarcity of work didn't bother me. But things are different now that I have started a family.
I won't know until I'm doing it! There is a part of me that's itching to get back to work. However I've been at home with my son for fourteen months now, so leaving him is going to be a struggle for me I'm sure. It's difficult too because my husband also works in the industry. Due to the long hours we can't both be working at the same time unless we have full time care arranged for our baby. My priorities have changed since becoming a mum, and they ultimately lie with my son. There's a possibility of work for me in May, which I may consider if my family can help us out with some babysitting. We'll see. It's hard to commit to a long job because I'm not sure how much my husband will be working.
I have always been a freelancer you can pick and choose when you work (provided there is work to pick and choose from!). You can have a great working year, earn quite a bit of money and still have four months out of the twelve off. This beats the four weeks of holidays that most people get. But with the good times come the bad, the quiet periods, which can be a bit scary financially. I think most people in the industry are really aware of this, as it fluctuates all the time. It's a life style that takes a bit of time getting used to. And you can never be certain that a job will go ahead until the camera's rolling, that's the other funny thing about it. Jobs fall over at the very last minute; they get postponed, as we have seen recently as a result of the writers strike inUSA
You are responsible to the camera operator and all those above! The job of all the assistants and the operator is to ensure that the DOP is happy, and the DOP is ultimately working for the director. Occasionally the DOP is also the operator, but on bigger jobs they are usually separate roles. The DOP is also in charge of the lighting, so having an operator to frame the shots is an advantage and lightens the load of the DOP. In my job I have to ensure that the focus remains sharp (or soft, depending on the shot), that the stop (aperture) and frame speed is correctly set, and that the camera is rolling! This is very important!
It is, although they are very different roles. I believe that the more experience you have as a clapper loader, the better equipped you are to be a focus puller. A clapper loader learns the ropes from the focus puller they are assisting. Sometimes a situation will arise when a loader has to step up and pull focus, say if the focus puller goes home sick. Or an extra camera may be required, and the loader might be given the opportunity to pull focus. I have often been thrown in the deep end as a loader, but this is the only way to learn. The transition from loader to focus puller can be a tricky one. It's hard to turn down loading work, but necessary if you want to be taken seriously as a focus puller.
These days most jobs have two cameras, and therefore two focus pullers. The camera department includes the DOP, two focus pullers, one or two loaders (depending on the budget), and sometimes the video split operator falls under the camera umbrella - on big budget films this is a separate department. I worked as a loader on many low budget Aussie TV dramas, most of the time loading on my own for two cameras. My working day was extremely busy! But it is very important to have a focus puller for every camera, not just for the focus, but to make sure that the camera is technically ready for every shot - if the stop or frame speed is not checked and set correctly then the shot will be unusable.
I'm not sure, but I think that the exciting nature of the film industry attracts people to it. The Australian industry is relatively small compared with, for example, the American film industry, so the fewer number of jobs creates competition. I found being on set exhilarating when I first started out, but this has changed over time, even though I still love what I do. In the beginning I had no real personal responsibilities, and therefore the long hours and occasional scarcity of work didn't bother me. But things are different now that I have started a family.
I won't know until I'm doing it! There is a part of me that's itching to get back to work. However I've been at home with my son for fourteen months now, so leaving him is going to be a struggle for me I'm sure. It's difficult too because my husband also works in the industry. Due to the long hours we can't both be working at the same time unless we have full time care arranged for our baby. My priorities have changed since becoming a mum, and they ultimately lie with my son. There's a possibility of work for me in May, which I may consider if my family can help us out with some babysitting. We'll see. It's hard to commit to a long job because I'm not sure how much my husband will be working.
I have always been a freelancer you can pick and choose when you work (provided there is work to pick and choose from!). You can have a great working year, earn quite a bit of money and still have four months out of the twelve off. This beats the four weeks of holidays that most people get. But with the good times come the bad, the quiet periods, which can be a bit scary financially. I think most people in the industry are really aware of this, as it fluctuates all the time. It's a life style that takes a bit of time getting used to. And you can never be certain that a job will go ahead until the camera's rolling, that's the other funny thing about it. Jobs fall over at the very last minute; they get postponed, as we have seen recently as a result of the writers strike in
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Very interesting piece.Posted 04-19-2010 at 08:41 PM by JDArt
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