Episode 014 - 35mm Adapters, Depth of Field & First Promo

Ryan goes deeper into 35mm adapters, depth of field and he goes out to promote Film Riot in South Florida.

Episode Run-time: 08:32

35mm Adapter
"A 35mm adapter is a device that allows you to put photographic lenses in front of your camcorder to help it achieve a shallow depth of field." -Ryan

On Camera DOF vs. Photographic Lens DOF
Ryan uses a Letus35 Elite 35mm adapter on his Canon XL H1 to achieve shallow depth of field.

The advantage of having shallow depth of field is to focus your audience's attention to exactly where you want it.

How to Install the Letus35 Elite 35mm Adapter

 * 1) Screw on the connection ring to the camcorder.
 * 2) Connect the Letus35 Elite's body to the connection ring, making sure that the ground glass's plane is level with your camcorder.
 * 3) Tighten down the thumscrew that will hold the Letus35 Elite to the connection ring. And done!

Setting Up Your Shot
You will need to zoom into the ground glass inside of the Letus35 Elite to fill the frame. Once you do that, you will also need to adjust the focus on your camcorder until the pattern on the ground glass is sharp.

Ground Glass Explained
The light going through your photographic lens hits what's known as a "ground glass" screen inside of the 35mm adapter, much like how a movie is projected onto a large screen in the theater. The ground glass gives your camcorder something to focus on as light comes in from your photographic lens. Without it, the image will be a total blur.

Other ways to get Shallow DOF
The first method is one Ryan has already explained in episode 9, where you place your camera far away from your actor, then zoom in on them.

The second method is to move your subject as close to the camera as you can. Then move the focus ring nearest to you to get your subject in focus. This method will vary depending on your camera. Most consumer camcorders will have either a dedicated focus wheel by its lens or, more commonly a focus control menu.

Cheat Shallow Depth of Field
Finally, there is always the option to get shallow DOF through software. Your actor cannot cross into the part of the frame you seperated as the mask will affect them too. Just make sure to keep that in mind while you're shooting your footage.
 * 1) First, lock down your camera on a tripod and set up the scene to somewhere you know you can cut later, such as the edge of a wall. Now get your actor to play out the scene.
 * 2) Import your footage into After Effects or any other editing suite. Mask out the area you want to blur out of focus.
 * 3) Add a lens blur to the area you masked. To make things interesting, you can also add color correction to this area.

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