Seeing Eye Lenses?

D

Demosthenes X

I have an idea for a shot (part of a commercial) that's supposed to mimic the effect of looking through one of those machines they have at the Eye Doctor, with all the different lenses...

The basic premise is that it goes through several of these "lenses" and by the end you can see the background image. If possible, I'd like to be able to see part of the machine itself.

Would it be best simply to apply different levels of blur to the image? Or shoot the scene going through several different levels of focus on the camera? Or is there another method that might work even better (especcially trying to see the machine itself?).
 
Are you shooting 16mm? If so, use an old bolex 3 lens turret camera, and put 3 of the same lenses on the camera, all at a different focus. Change the turret position as the film is running. If you need more than 3 positions you can just keep turning and altering the focus. :-)
 
Buy one of those machines on ebay, and shoot throught it. I think it'd be more fun to shoot with a bolex ;)
 
I'm not sure I entirely understand what you are trying to achieve. You want to have varying levels of focus to emulate looking through several different lenses?
 
Composite.

Using rough numbers, just for example.

Take a 10 second video of your subject way out of focus. Then another 10 at better focus. Then another 10 at better, etc, til in focus.

Then in Photoshop make a mask. You can do it similar to the "pair of binoculars" effect (but with a single hole instead), or something more elaborate than dark edges. Maybe a metallic ring or something around the hole to make it appear to be a real lens of some kind.

Then (this can be done in Premiere or AFX; it's more precise in AFX... other editing platforms likely too, but I don't know them...)... Layer the mask into position. In Premiere you can use Motion Control to make the mask move in an arc to stop in place, wait a bit, then continue on its arc to be replaced by "next" arc. (This would involved several razor-edits... go for AFX)

Meanwhile, as each "lens" swings through an arc to be replaced by the next, synchronise the video to be at "more in focus" in time for the arrival of the next "lens".
 
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