1. Media – Life on Mars Essay
In the “Life on Mars” extract that I have watched, it includes a deep focus, a
shallow focus, framing and a focus pull. A deep focus is when the camera is in
focus and you can see everything clearly. Whereas the shallow focus is like
the opposite. A shallow focus is when there is a character in the scene and
the camera is clear on them and all the background is blurred out. Framing is
when it sets the scene and when the characters are in a different place. Focus
pull is when the focus of a shot is changed from one subject to another, such
as from the background to the foreground.
In the first scene, a deep focus is being used. It is used when the camera
turns the whole way around and it is clear and sharp. A shallow focus is also
used in this scene when the police man is talking to Sam. When the camera is
on Sam, everything in the background is blurred out and it is just focusing on
Sam. As this extract is in the past, the policeman is uses to what is around
him so he is just focusing on Sam. On the other hand, when Sam is focusing
on the police man, it changes to a deep focus so that he can see the police
man and also what is surrounding him as he has woke up in the past and he
isn’t used to seeing the things that are surrounding him.
Framing is used in the first scene when he is running as it looks as if there are
two doors moving in towards him as if he is being closed in and can’t find he
is way back out. It is also used when he is in a building that looked like a
church and there is a setting of a dead body as there is a dead body just lying
there. There is also framing used when he is in his bedroom as that is another
setting.
Focus pull is used when Sam is in the café and there is man trying to mess
with his head because it was focused on that subject and then the next thing,
the camera totally changed scenes onto something else.
Holly Gibbons 12.2