Lately we here at FreshDV have been focusing a lot (har har) on Follow Focus systems and how to best utilize them on set. I thought I would combine all our recent follow focus related articles into one big roundup post for easier reference.

*Career First AC Bob Sanchez spent a day with the FreshDV crew and provided a unique insight into the role and techniques of pulling focus. That is available as a three-part video series entitled The Art of Pulling Focus:
The Art of Pulling Focus (Part 1) – Kendal Miller interviews Bob Sanchez on what it takes to be a First A/C on a production set.
The Art of Pulling Focus (Part 2) – A continuation of Part 1, Bob explains the tools and techniques he uses on a daily basis.
The Art of Pulling Focus (Part 3) – Go behind the lens as we block out scenes and Bob demonstrates his technique on a handheld camera rig.
*FreshDV’s review of five popular follow focus units appears in the October print issue of DV Magazine. You can read it online here.
*We have posted video reviews of those same five follow focus systems here at FreshDV, get a more detailed look at each unit.

*UPDATE: We have added a 720p HD Quicktime H.264 version of The Art of Pulling Focus Part 3 Demonstration. It is packaged up in a 450MB ZIP archive. Simply download, unpack, and play. FYI, the actual resolution of the clip is 1280×1440, as the Part 3 demo stacks two HD clips in a split-screen.