BASICS OF LENSES
Basically, there are two types of lenses: the prime lens, which has a fixed focal length, and the zoom lens, which has a variable focal length. Prime lenses are made to do just one job, to maintain a single focal length. For example, an 8 mm prime, or a 27 mm prime, or a 32 mm prime, is each only designed to be one specific focal length. If the director has selected a certain focal length, like 27 mm, and wants to move in a little closer, the camera will have to be physically moved, or the lens will have to be changed to a longer focal length to get a little closer. There are cinematographers who prefer to work with primes because of the size of the lenses, and they prefer to move the camera to accommodate the shot rather than zoom in, because to zoom in will affect what remains in focus in the background. The zoom will compress the space, where the prime will not compress the space unless it is a longer focal length. With a prime lens, the camera can be as close as several inches away from an actor. It puts the audience very close and intimate with the subject, while keeping the background in acceptable focus.
2. Canon EF Primes
2a. ARRI Zeiss primes
There is a selection of “primes” that range from wide angle, normal, and telephoto, also known as long lenses. Canon EF Cinema prime lenses are 14 mm, 24 mm, 35 mm, 50 mm, 85 mm, and 135 mm. Zeiss also makes a beautiful selection of prime lenses.
3a. Canon wide-angle lens
The wide-angle lens creates an exaggerated sense of depth and pulls subjects standing next to each other further apart. The horizontal axis of the frame appears somewhat stretched from the sides. Using this type of lens can distort the subject’s facial features if the camera is placed close to them. If you were trying to achieve a beauty shot the wide-angle lens would not be your first choice since it will pull apart the subjects features in a less flattering way.
Wide-angle lenses and a tremendous depth of field were famously used in the historic Citizen Kane, Touch of Evil, and The Magnificent Ambersons, all directed by Orson Welles, influenced by his mentor John Ford, and photographed by Gregg Toland. The use of wide-angle lenses and extreme depth of field and camera angles are used to underscore the essence of the story in Citizen Kane. The choice of enhancing or eliminating depth of field, what is in focus in the background, is a key factor in the selection of lenses.
Wide-angle lenses are also frequently used by Spike Lee in his film Do the Right Thing. The distorted perspective became a part of the visual language of the film.
3a. Do the Right Thing (1989)
In American Beauty, this use of the wide-angle lens distorts the subject into being smaller and further away, diminishing the strength of his character.
Since more of the background remains in focus with wide-angles lenses, they are often used in moving shots. A shorter lens on the Steadicam not only makes the camera lighter, but it is also easier to maintain focus. Moving through the scene with a wide-angle lens while on the Steadicam, dolly, or handheld requires less focus pulling, because more of the image will remain in focus than if a longer lens were in use, because there is more inherent depth of field with a wide-angle lens than with a telephoto lens. The wide-angle lens will also enhance the forward motion, for example an outstretched hand could seem enormous.
3b. American Beauty (1999), use of wide-angle lens
Going beyond the wide-angle lens is the fisheye lens, which is primarily used for effects because it distorts the horizontal edges of the frame in a semicircular format. The GoPro is a great example of a fisheye lens, you can clearly see the sides of the frame curl upwards.
4. & 4a. Wide-angle lens perspective from Requiem for a Dream. Notice the curve of the walls and the depth of the background; used in close-up, it is not the most flattering shot.
Technically speaking focal length is determined by the distance between the optical center of the lens and the focal plane. It is a measurement in millimeters (mm). The focal length directly affects the size of the image within the frame and the angle of view, which reveals how much of the scene the lens can perceive horizontally. In 35 mm film a “normal” lens, which is the closest approximation of human vision is the 50 mm, the equivalent in S16 or a cropped sensor is a 25 mm. Normal vision means the lens sees closest to the way humans see in terms of peripheral vision, which is about 180 degrees. Objects in the background appear similar to the way our eyes would see them and subjects standing next to each other also share the same field of view, not exaggerated or compressed by the physics of optics. The more objective choice of lenses would be the normal lens, because it doesn’t imply a voyeuristic perspective, nor is it so close that it intimidates or distorts the actors. It is your “normal” lens.
■ Ang Lee has his choices of lenses, usually he will do a master shot with a 27 mm, a 25 is too wide angle, medium shots will be 50 mm, close-ups 75 mm, I tried to propose in a certain part of the story going more with a long lens that was hidden, he liked the idea, but when we were shooting it would always be the same lenses, and that’s just his way of working. He would be the director I’ve worked with who was the most specific about lens choices, but it was because he was comfortable with those lenses.
(Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, Frost interview)
6. A “normal” lens (50 mm)
6a. A normal lens perspective from Something’s Gotta Give, directed by Nancy Meyers and photographed by Michael Ballhaus, ASC. This image shows the characters in their environment with some depth of field.
The “normal” range for the 35 mm full-frame sensor would be 32 mm, 35 mm, 40 mm, 50–55 mm. It is more of an objective perspective because it has a field of view that replicates more of how humans see not focusing on just one area of the frame, but aware of peripheral vision. There is some depth of field, so the subject is in their environment but not as expansive as with a wide-angle lens. There is no distortion with the close-up as with a wide-angle lens, but also not as much compression of the background as with a telephoto lens. The focal length will vary depending on the size of the sensor.
7. Canon EF 85 mm
7.a. Still from Kramer vs. Kramer, soft background from long focal length.
7.b. This image from Requiem for
