BLOCKING: SPIELBERG STUDY PART 3

Continuing the Spielberg study, the next study will focus on the concept in the shot below:

It’s a concept I call Rack Into Frame. I started looking through more of Spielberg’s work and was surprised how often it’s used:

After studying this concept, I found two functions:

1. Expectations

In the two examples below, the new focal point appears in a focal plane that is, at first, out of focus. This goes against expectations and adds momentary surprise:

2. Visual Interest

The last function of this technique is visual interest. The quick rack Into frame can add energetic visual interest, especially to shot without a place for the eyes to rest on before the focus rack. Below is a shot from Hook without a rack into frame:

However, the rack into frame isn’t for every moment. While it does make shots more dynamic, slower moments work well without the extra visual energy: