What Is a Focus Chart? Definition & Examples Of This Important Concept

A focus chart is a tool used in film production that allows for the focus of a camera lens to be adjusted remotely.

A focus chart is a specific size, usually 4×3 feet, that has been designed to show an actor’s face from all possible distances.

There are different types of charts depending on what size the shot is and if it is in color or black and white.

What Is a Focus Chart In Film?

Focus charts are assembled from multiple photographs of the actor, shot from a number of distances, with each photograph including a graphic element that allows for precise placement.

The most common graphic element used is a chessboard pattern, which allows for the camera to be focused within one-sixteenth of an inch.

Focus charts have been used in filmmaking since the earliest days of motion pictures and continue to be used today. They are especially popular in productions where there are many quick cuts between shots such as music videos or television advertisements.

Focus Chart – What Causes a Blurry Image?

Focus charts are printed on glossy paper, with a series of fine, parallel lines running from the bottom of the page to the top.

When you view a chart through your camera and zoom in as if you were taking a picture, you will see that lines that are near to each other appear to be out of focus.

First of all, there are different types of blurring:

Focus Blur

This is what you get when your lens isn’t focused on the subject. The most common cause of this is not being close enough to your subject.

Tonal/Color Blur

This is caused by using a shutter speed that’s too slow. A shutter speed that’s too slow can also result in motion blur.

Noise

This is caused by high ISO settings or high temperatures. If you’re shooting in low light, you may need to boost your ISO to get a fast enough shutter speed. Keeping your camera cool will help keep noise down.

Chromatic Aberration

Chromatic aberration refers to an issue with lens focusing. You’ll see this as fringes of color around the edge of an image or areas where there is no detail at all.

Camera Shake

The last thing that can cause a blurry image is camera shake. To combat this, use a tripod, hold the camera steady, or if you’re hand-holding, try using image stabilization technology built into your camera or lens.

A blurry image is never a good experience for anyone. You can avoid it by knowing what causes a blurry image and how to fix it.

There are several things that can cause a blurry image – none of which are ever fun. The most common cause is when the lens is not focused on the correct object, be it an object in the scene or on an object in the foreground or background.

This can easily happen if you have trouble seeing or if you have an eye condition like nearsightedness that makes it difficult for you to see detail clearly.

Another common cause is when there is erratic movement in the scene, such as moving trees or water, but even slight movement in the subject can make a sharp photo impossible.

This problem is even worse when photographing children who tend to be more active than adults who generally stand still for photos.

Adjusting Autofocus on Your Camera Without a Back Focus Chart

A lot of people run into autofocus problems when they are trying to take pictures. They try to focus on something and the camera focuses on something else. This is a very common problem, although it is easy to fix. Here are some tips that can help you get the right focus on your camera without a back focus chart.

Troubleshooting Tips for Autofocus Problems

1. Focus manually.

2. Adjust your lens’s aperture.

3. Change your distance from the object you want to photograph.

4. Set your camera’s exposure time to manual mode and use a tripod for stability.

5. You might be using the wrong focusing mode, or your camera just needs an upgrade. In this case you should consider getting an SLR instead of a point and shoot camera, as these cameras offer more settings that can be adjusted manually by the user if needed.

6. If you are using a zoom lens, try using it at its longest focal length first, then adjust as necessary until you have optimal focus in your shot.

7. Make sure that everything is as still as possible before you attempt to take a picture, including yourself and any equipment that may be having trouble focusing properly (tripod).

How Do You Use a Focus Chart?

A focus chart is an image that can be projected on a wall or across the floor during a take.

A focus chart is best used when the camera is going to be moving within the shot, such as a dolly move.

The focus chart helps the camera operator know what objects in the frame will be in focus as they track with the subject.

A good focus chart is drawn on a transparent sheet of paper (place it on top of another sheet of white paper for a clean background).

In this example, I’ve drawn out 4 lines of action (lines that will have figures moving across them), 3 foreground objects, and 2 background objects.

The camera operator would then make sure those lines are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the line of action by using tape measures or a laser pointer.

Also, make sure that all objects are located accurately in relation to each other.

If you’re doing a closeup of someone’s face, for example, you want to make sure their eyes are at about 1/3rd from the top of the frame.

What Makes an Excellent Lens Testing Chart?

What makes an excellent lens testing chart? That depends on what you intend to do with the chart.

If you are evaluating a lens for sharpness or resolution, you want a chart that will allow you to see the finest details in the center of the frame and then progressively less detail toward the edges.

The best charts will also enable you to tell how much distortion, lateral color fringing, and vignetting are present in the image.

   

To evaluate bokeh (the quality of out-of-focus areas), you need a target that shows lots of circles, because subjects like tree branches and telephone poles rarely have perfectly circular outlines.

A gentle gradient in density is desirable, so that subtle differences in background blur can be seen.

If you’re trying to evaluate a lens’s performance at infinity, then a target with very fine lines may be best because those kinds of lines are easiest to distinguish at long distances.

However, if you want to test close focusing capabilities or maximum aperture, a target with bold lines is better.

And if you’re looking at chromatic aberration (color fringing) or lens flare, then a target with high-contrast bands or shapes is ideal.

How Do I Calibrate My Camera Focus?

Focus is a critical component of a sharp photo. It’s also an area where your camera can fail you, even when you’re using the most expensive gear.

The good news is that there are many ways to diagnose and fix focus problems. Here’s how to make sure your camera is focused correctly every time you take a photo.

Before we get into how to calibrate your camera, let’s look at some of the issues that might be affecting your results.

A sharp image might seem like it’s a simple matter of lining up your focus point with your subject and pressing the shutter button, but in reality it isn’t quite so simple. Focus is affected by several different factors, including:

The lens itself. Every lens has a certain depth of field (DOF) range. If you’re outside this range, you’ll lose sharpness either in front of or behind the focus plane.

The distance from your subject. As you get closer to your subject and move further away, the DOF changes dramatically. Make sure you’re focusing within the right range for the shot you’re taking.

What Are The Different Camera Focus Types?

When you’re shooting a photo, changing the camera focus (or focal point) can be an effective way to direct attention to a specific part of the image. There are five different types of camera focus:

Fixed focus. This is the most common type of lens, and the type found in most compact cameras and mobile phones.

Such lenses don’t allow you to change the focus point. Auto-focus. Most DSLRs have auto-focus capabilities, and they work by changing the position of lens elements to bring objects into focus.

Manually focusing lenses allow you to adjust the focus by turning a ring on the lens itself, rather than automatically doing so in response to your focusing instructions. Macro lenses are focused manually, for example. Variable focus.

Found on many DSLRs, these lenses allow you to control how much or how little of the scene comes into focus from a distance of about one foot from infinity (the farthest distance at which you can still get a sharp image).

When set at infinity, all objects from half an inch from the camera lens will be in focus anywhere from half an inch out to infinity.

Zoom lenses use variable-focus technology but tend to be regarded as inferior because their ability to maintain sharpness isn’t as good as fixed or manual-focus lenses.

Focus Chart For Filmmaking – Wrapping Up

So there you have it, in a nutshell. Our guide to focus charts for filmmaking.

As I mentioned before, you don’t need to use a chart or follow any rules to be a successful filmmaker.

I started making films without any idea of what I was doing, and they still turned out ok.

Thing is, I still waste time and effort on stuff that doesn’t matter. So hopefully this post has helped you to think about your own focus and where it should be directed.

Focus is important because it’s one of the main ways we direct our energy towards success.

If you spend too much time on the wrong things, you won’t have enough left for the things that really matter.

Just as in real life, everything counts when making a film: the camera angle, the lighting, your choice of actor – EVERYTHING!