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Filmmaking Camera, lighting, sound, editing and the crew roles behind every shot.

Out of Focus: Meaning & Definition in Film

'Out of focus' describes an image, or part of an image, that is not rendered with sharp, clear detail by the camera lens.

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The Control of Sharpness

In photography and cinematography, ‘focus’ is the point at which light rays converge through a lens to form a sharp, clearly defined image on the camera’s sensor or film. Anything that is not on this precise ‘plane of focus’ will be rendered as blurry, soft, or ‘out of focus.’ The control of focus is one of the most fundamental and powerful tools a filmmaker has to guide the audience’s attention and convey a story. The state of being ‘out of focus’ can either be a critical technical error or a deliberate and meaningful artistic choice.

A Mistake vs. A Creative Tool

  • As a Technical Error: A shot that is unintentionally out of focus (often called ‘soft’) is typically unusable. The responsibility for maintaining focus lies with the First Assistant Camera (1st AC), also known as the ‘focus puller.’ Their highly skilled job is to continuously adjust the lens’s focus ring to keep the subject sharp as either the camera or the subject moves. A missed focus pull at a critical moment can ruin a perfect performance.
  • As a Creative Tool: The deliberate use of out-of-focus elements is essential to cinematic language. By using a wide aperture on the lens, a cinematographer can create a ‘shallow depth of field,’ where only a very narrow plane is in focus. This technique is used to isolate a character from their background, forcing the audience to focus on their expression. The aesthetic quality of this out-of-focus blur is known as ‘bokeh.‘

Storytelling Through Focus

Focus can also be used to tell a story directly. A ‘rack focus’ is the act of changing the plane of focus from one subject to another within a single shot, effectively shifting the audience’s attention and signaling a change in the scene’s power dynamic or point of interest. A shot can also be thrown completely out of focus to visually represent a character’s subjective state, such as dizziness, intoxication, confusion, or a dream. A shot that slowly comes into focus can be used to signify a character waking up or a gradual dawning of a difficult realization.

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More Filmmaking Terms

Entries filed on the same shelf as Out of Focus, each with the one-line answer first. They are the words that usually come up in the same conversation.

All 913 terms

  • Load-In

    The 'load-in' is the process of unloading all the production trucks and bringing the camera, lighting, sound, and other equipment into the filming location to set up for the shoot.

  • Lifehack Video

    A lifehack video showcases a clever trick for everyday tasks, a concept that translates into the world of resourceful, low-budget filmmaking techniques.

  • Music Editor

    A music editor is a technical and creative specialist responsible for managing and seamlessly integrating all musical elements into a film's soundtrack.

  • Silver Retention

    A film processing technique that preserves metallic silver to enhance image density and contrast.

  • CUE

    A cue is a signal or instruction in a screenplay or on set that prompts an action, a line of dialogue, or a technical effect like sound or music.