HOW DO YOU USE THE MEASURING TAPE TO MEASURE YOUR FOCAL PLANE.

[Gabriel Garcia Rosa]

 

[ericyoung]

On professional cameras, and most SLRs, there is a small symbol on the camera body which looks like a circle crossed by a vertical line. The line marks the focal plane of the sensor or film in the camera.

A lot of movie cameras will also have a focus hook somewhere on the body, on the same plane, where you can attach the loop or hook of a tape measure. If not, just get someone to hold the end there. Then extend the tape to the desired subject to be in focus.

A wide metal tape is useful to extend to places you can't physically reach easily, but avoid extending it towards actors' faces/eyes for obvious safety reasons - use a soft fabric tape instead, but again hold it to the side rather than at an actor's eyes.

 

[Stephen Strangways]

And you need to be using lenses with good focus distance markings on them, and the lenses and camera lens mount need to be properly collimated so the markings match the actual real-world distances.

 

[Gabriel Garcia Rosa]

what i mean though is how does that corresponds to your lens when pulling focus? does the number in the tape measure add up to the number on the lens?

 

[Martin Weiss]

Gabriel,

Typing in only capital letters comes accross as SHOUTING. Typing in only small typeface comes across as lazy.

You measure the distance from the camera's focal plane to the subject you want in focus - for example with the tape measure. The distance you measure is the distance that you'll set on the lens — no mathematics involved at that stage. (This becomes a different story if you are planning a split focus, or want to use the depth of field in a creative way, but that is another lesson.)

 

[Gabriel Garcia Rosa]

lol i didn't know that there was rules in expressing yourself in forums when it comes to typing.

i'm pulling focus to an actor who moves from starting position to another position, now how would i measure that using a tape measure and how will it correspond to the lens?

 

[Brad Webb]

 

[Gabriel Garcia Rosa]

thank you brad for explain that and showing me. much respect good sir.

 

[ericyoung]

lol i didn't know that there was rules in expressing yourself in forums when it comes to typing.

...

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1152990/forum_netiquette_for_newbies.html?cat=15

 

[Gabriel Garcia Rosa]

Forgive me I didn't know you guys were so sensitive when it comes to Netiquette. I apologize.

I can't change my name now because you all assume I'm screaming it out to you all. Good greif .

 

[ericyoung]

...

i'm pulling focus to an actor who moves from starting position to another position, now how would i measure that using a tape measure and how will it correspond to the lens?

You measure the distance to both positions and note the corresponding distances on the focus ring of the lens and pull focus between them, estimating the positions in between - this is a bit of an art/feel thing rather than an absolute science.
To make things easier you can put tape around the lens barrel and mark those distances. But serious focus pullers generally use a follow focus mechanism which allows you to mark the distances on a dry wipeable white ring. Follow focuses put the marks in a more visible position, and the rotation of the follow focus wheel is generally in a more comfortable and controllable direction than pulling focus on the lens barrel.

 

[Mark Collins]

Forgive me I didn't know you guys were so sensitive when it comes to Netiquette. I apologize.

I can't change my name now because you all assume I'm screaming it out to you all. Good greif .

You'll find etiquette is a massive part of this industry. You can't join a union without doing a set etiquette course of some kind, and most of your bosses on set will go over it with you the first time they work with you if they have time.

 

[Gabriel Garcia Rosa]

i'm a gaffer set etiquette is my job. netiquette is just someone being a little to anal.

writing in caps and in lower case has nothing to do with the set at all. i asked a question and i thank you all for answering it.

 

[ericyoung]

i'm a gaffer set etiquette is my job. netiquette is just someone being a little to anal.

writing in caps and in lower case has nothing to do with the set at all. i asked a question and i thank you all for answering it.

You might think so, but ignoring it won't endear you as a newbie to a forum! :smile: See my emoticon to indicate that this is meant as a light warning and not to be taken as being a little too anal.

 

[Gabriel Garcia Rosa]

i'm sorry good sir.
let this be all in the past.
i just wanted my question to be answered.
not to be judge on how i type something. forgive.

 

[Adam Bricker]

Gabriel -- If the actor starts 20ft away from camera and walks forward to the 8ft, pull from the 20' marker on the lens to the 8' marker on the lens. Good thing to keep in mind, is that the amount you'll have to physically rotate the lens isn't consistent, it gradually increases. So, the distance on the lens between 3' and 2' is greater than the distance between 10' and 9'. Thus, on longer pulls when the actor walks a greater distance it's sometimes important to grab a middle mark. On the 20' to 8' example it might be helpful to lay a piece of paper tape down at 12' according to the tape measure. Also, position yourself so that you can see both the actor and the marks on the lens. If the actors misses his/her mark and winds up at 7' instead of 8' you need to seamlessly make the adjustment on the lens. If the actor continually misses their mark, type an aggressive note in ALL CAPS and leave it in the Actor's dressing room . . . Kidding . . . I have no idea why everyone got worked up.

 

[Liam Hall]

i'm a gaffer set etiquette is my job. netiquette is just someone being a little to anal.

That should be TOO anal.

J/K

Seriously, everyone should stop beating up the new guy - even if he is a gaffer...

 

[Mark Collins]

i'm a gaffer set etiquette is my job. netiquette is just someone being a little to anal.

writing in caps and in lower case has nothing to do with the set at all. i asked a question and i thank you all for answering it.

I'm also a gaffer on smaller jobs...I know how it is. Still, etiquette is important everywhere in this business.

 

[Tim Hole]

Very simple etiquette is important for intentions and tone to be crystal clear. It is too easy for things to get unnecessarily inflamed if a remark is misinterpreted. Which is why emoticons can be very useful. I've only ever spent any time on this and Scarletuser but we all have seen it far too many times where things have got unnecessarily out of control. A few simple rules just help everybody - especially when expletive attributives or profanity are strongly discouraged.

As a slight anecdote to comments here is something funny, posted by Granty on Scarletuser. It features Adam Buxton from a British Comedy duo Adam and Joe reads out Youtube comments to a Mac Video. (Does feature some bad language so might not be SFW)

 

[Gary Paul Walker]

Very simple etiquette is important for intentions and tone to be crystal clear. It is too easy for things to get unnecessarily inflamed if a remark is misinterpreted. Which is why emoticons can be very useful. I've only ever spent any time on this and Scarletuser but we all have seen it far too many times where things have got unnecessarily out of control. A few simple rules just help everybody - especially when expletive attributives or profanity are strongly discouraged.

As a slight anecdote to comments here is something funny, posted by Granty on Scarletuser. It features Adam Buxton from a British Comedy duo Adam and Joe reads out Youtube comments to a Mac Video. (Does feature some bad language so might not be SFW)

Nothing like Adam Buxton to brighten a day!