cutting between two focal lengths

Hans Moleman

Hans Moleman

Carbonite Member
I had an idea for how to shoot a conversation in a short Im making.

On one side of the conversation is the main character we want to identify with, so I thought to shoot him with a 50mm lens (on my 35 adapter). very natural and easy.

On the other side of the table sits a cold, ascetic, hitman. I thought to emphasize separation and distance from him and his emotions, a shorter lens was to be used. Something like a 35 or 28.

My question is, will cutting between these focal lengths cause uneasiness or sense of unnaturalness with the audience? I dont want to get all done with shooting to find that the cuts between dislogue make the viewer physically ill.
 
That's an interesting question that I don't have an answer to for you, but I would ask another question. Are you refferring to a 50mm on Character A from the same distance as a 35/28mm on Character B, or would you push in the 35/28mm lens to have the same shot size with different optical qualities? The first (different shot sizes) I think would be jarring or at the very least annoying, though I think the second optoin could really give an air of uneasiness to the "bad guy," if that's in fact what you're looking for. Hope others will chime in.
Peace,

-Harry
 
I would most definitley keep the same framing and change camera positions. My goal would be to unnerve the casual viewer when they see the villain by affecting their subconscious with the choice of focal length, but absolutely avoid them thinking "That guy is framed weird."
 
Yeah man...I think that'd be groovy. <---Hmm, Well that was really hippie of me, and I was only born a whole generation later, but never mind that. You know what I'm talking about. Good idea though... I dig it ;-)
Peace,

-Harry
 
Why not do a test? Shoot the scene with some friends and cut it togethor. It will take you only a few hours, and will save you lots of trouble later.
 
Do some testing before you shoot. Shoot some stand-ins with approximatley the same lighting, see if it seems jumpy. Post the example on here and i'm sure you would get some good feedback.

(Also test the heights of the shots-that can add a lot of weight/emotion to the shots.)
 
you generally want to cut back and forth between lenses with the same focal length, but it can work...theres also other ways to get the effect you want im sure...especially when it comes to lighting what if the good guy has a nice warm source of light on him...sitting next to a lamp or something w/e fits the scene and the hitman is in the dark or just getting hit on the side or back third with some cold daylight....theres a lot you can do...test shots are also a good call for sure. also your probably going to want more coverage then 2 shots so maybe in a third shot you can shoot the guy wider and then get some shots with the 50 to...lots of possibilities.
 
Depending on how tight the framing is, you might want to use a telephoto (85mm or so) on the main character and the 50mm on the hitman. I'm thinking this because the if the wide it too close to the hitman the lens may distort his face a little too much (big nose, small ears kind of thing)... unless of course you want that too. Anyway, sounds like a great idea to try out. :thumbup:
 
Chekc this :

http://www.desperatecomfort.com/phpwcms/index.php?id=20,54,0,0,1,0

Wait till it loads. FF to the end. i go from a 200mm lens to a 17mm wide. in one cut. IT works fine. it totally changes the way you interact with what the charachters are saying. the long lens gives distance, the wide makes it feel personal.

Ive gone as close as a 24mm. Good 24's dont distort too much. IT lends that Thierry Arbogast intense look. its funny. wides up close invade personal space.
 
If you frame the same with the 50mm and the 35mm most people won't notice anything other than it's obviously a different shot. The facial distortion off a 35mm at close range will largely depend on the lense you use (some will have none, some will have more), but even that will mostly go unnoticed.

Framing, lighting and performance will contribute far more than switching 15mm over two shots of similar framing.

Thanks.
 
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