How do they focus the handheld shots in 24?

Do they have the first assistant walking around with the cameraman, or do they have the cameraman handles the focus as well? It seems to me just a bit too much for one person to handle everything...
 
Right but if there is a focus puller does he move around with camera? For example when the camera needs to move through a door handheld where would the focus puller stand?
 
case by case bases in terms of doors and stuff
One thing, they use a flexible whip to change the focus so as to not jiggle the camera and to be able to stand a few feat away.
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worked on a faux cop documentary with a Varicam, the camera had a monitor mounted so it faced out perpendicular to the camera. The focus puller stood to the camera man's right and walked with him, eyes glued to the monitor like a kid to a back seat DVD player on a road trip.

one gag was that the camera man was shot, so the camera man layed down and set the camera down. She followed him down to adjust focus for the "camera laying on it's side shot". When the wounded camera man got to his feat to run for cover, she let go of the whip so she wouldn't jerk the camera while he stood and then grabbed it again.

My guess would be that doorway might be handled that way as well, but with an 18" whip she may be able to hang on to it and let the camera go just in front of her though.
 
bigger production use wireless focus pullers

bigger production use wireless focus pullers

Productions that can afford it use wireless focus puller devices. They practice the shot and the focus puller marks the information down so he knows when to pull focus.
 
I would think wireless focus pullers are the easiest way for those kind of shots.

like cameratime said..just run through the scene a few times. Set your beginning focus distance and then measure out the end distance and just run through it.
 
I shoot bts on the set of 24, they definitely have wireless focus controls. Most setups are one camera handheld and one on a dolly.

Dan
 
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