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Have you ever noticed that in some films, the scenes are shot with crystal clarity while in others only one person or object is sharp? In these cases, the filmmaker used different depths of field. Depth of field refers to the amount of information in a shot that remains in focus rather than blurry. Filmmakers use different depths of field during filming to in order to provide different visual effects.

A small depth of field (shallow focus) can be used to highlight a character in a crowd, blurring out everything but that person.Confused? Here ‘s a little help . Imagine the hero of a film standing in a crowded room; the heroin enters the room on the opposite side and when he sees her, everything and everyone around her blurs and only she is in focus. A large depth of field (deep focus) presents all of the information on the screen to the viewer in the same crispness regardless of where it is. Orson Welles was known for his use of deep focus throughout his films.

Light and aperture play major roles in determining depth of field. Different lenses provide different results. Wide-angle lenses allow for a larger depth of field because they let more light into the shot through a smaller aperture. But lenses are not the only component. For deep focus lighting and the proper camera lens may not be enough. Because of their composition, some shots cannot be filmed in deep focus. Deep focus can still be achieved, but through other means such as an optical printer.

Using camera lenses and other techniques, filmmakers are able to direct the focus of their audiences. Whether they want our focus to be drawn to a single character, or every character and object within a shot, they can do so by playing with depth of field.