Why Steven Spielberg Avoids a Wide Open Aperture

Comments · 895

• WO

  @wolfcrow · 2 years ago · pinned

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• ZA

  @ZacharyWillFilms · 2 years ago

  I think when you have a beautiful background or spend millions on beautiful sets, why blur it all out.

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• GR

  @greenmedic88 · 2 years ago

  New appreciation for Spielberg. Don&apos;t think I&apos;ll be able to view his films in the same manner again. Great analysis.

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• AV

  @avx111 · 2 years ago

  1. Nobody shot wide open back then, Spielberg was doing exactly the same thing as the rest of the industry. Still today few movies are shot below f/2.8 in Hollywood, unless they&apos;re going for a documentary look. <br>2. The two main variables that determine depth of field are focal distance and distance to the subject. At 21mm, everything that is more than 3 feet away from the camera to infinity will be in focus. I doubt you can find a movie shot mostly at 21mm that doesn&apos;t use &quot;deep focus&quot;.

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• KI

  @kip388 · 2 years ago

  Deep focus is an awesome technique that needs a resurgence. Ditto hard lighting

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• RO

  @robertobuatti7226 · 2 years ago

  Spielberg really has an eye for cinema and knows how to frame shots with perfect composition, camera movement, lighting, and know which camera techniques to utilize to tell the most effective story possible and they all feel organic and not artificial, that is why he is one of my most favorite Filmmakers ever.

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• AR

  @arghjayem · 2 years ago

  I think Spielberg himself has said that when it comes to the cinematography the reason he avoids those kind of apertures and really shallow depth of field in his shots is that that isn’t how you as a person see the world- at least not unless you’re shortsighted or longsightedness and not wearing contacts or glasses. He doesn’t want the cinematography to be like that because it lets you know it’s a film, whereas having everything in focus is how you as a person see it. It’s meant to draw you in as if you are the camera observing this all rather than being a film you watch.

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• PA

  @Pantalaimon467 · 9 months ago

  “Steven Spielberg is a visually strong director”. Understatement of all time. <br><br>No one in cinema history has understood visual storytelling, blocking, and shot placement like Spielberg.

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• TY

  @typebrilliant · 2 years ago

  I think shallow depth of field became so exciting bc all of a sudden young filmmakers had access to fast glass and big sensors via DSLR, and we went from camcorders to something much closer to Super 35 w cinema lenses. It gave us a new aesthetic that wasn’t previously explored unless at a massive budget level. I do love to shoot deep depth of field as well, however I believe this is the reason for the shallow craze!

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• GU

  @gururaja_udupa_baikady · 2 years ago

  With this idea of avoiding shallow depth of field, even a smartphone camera without post Bokeh, but with camera moving skills, can create a good involving storytelling.

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• SA

  @sandras-p1r · 1 year ago

  Spielberg shoots all his films with a Super 35mm camera which means his 21mm lens is the equivalent of a 30mm lens on a full-frame camera. Many people don’t realize this.

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• PH

  @PhilmBlog · 2 years ago

  Loving the nerdy detail of this. I’m all here for it. Spielberg is a master.

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