Chapter 4 Storytelling with Light 141Frank Borzage, characters stand in sharp focus while backgrounds register in
less detail, occasionally shimmering in a striking light. In certain sequences, the
settings—whether beside a river, a snow-covered train station, or cobblestone
Paris streets—provide a painterly backdrop to stories that have been described
as depicting “souls made great through love and adversity.”
Razor sharp focus in depth has been another stylistic tool of cinematography.
In the 1930s and 1940s , cinematographer Gregg Toland developed a style
that capitalized on the possibilities of increased depth of fi eld. Th rough his
innovative use of fi lm stocks, lighting, and pre-production work, Toland’s
cinematography enhanced the narrative force and visual impact of many
fi lms, including Citizen Kane, directed by Orson Welles, and Little Foxes,
directed by William Wyler. In key sequences in these fi lms, characters in
both the foreground and background are seen in sharp focus, providing a
striking visual feel to the fi lm and allowing a dramatic approach that fed off
this high depth of fi eld.
Cinematographers have employed various tools to extend their abilities
to manipulate focus. For example, a device that is designed like a fi lter but
functions as a lens element to allow for close focus is a diopter. A diopter that
is cut so that it does not stand in front of the entire lens is called a split diopter.
Describing his work on the fi lm All the President’s Men, cinematographer
Gordon Willis explains, “If you have someone very close to the camera and
somebody who is way upstage of the camera, by using a diopter it enables
you to carry the focus from this very close subject to a subject that is further
upstage...Th ere’s one shot of [actor Robert] Redford on the telephone, a
zoom shot actually, that took place over a two- or three-minute period.”
Th e fi lmmakers wanted Redford’s character—Bob Woodward—talking onVIEWFINDER
“Most directors from my
observation take much too
much time looking into
the camera for the framing
and forget the essential
part which is the lighting.”–Jacques Tourneur–
(Director of dozens of features,
including Cat People (1942), I
Walked with a Zombie (1943),
and Out of the Past (1947))Figure 4-23 Gregg Toland’s
groundbreaking use of
deep focus for Citizen Kane,
directed by Orson Welles (at
left). (Courtesy RKO Pictures/
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