Follow Focus

What this is about

The follow focus turns focus from fiddling with a ring into repeatable craft. A mechanical unit mounts on rods beside the lens; the AC stands at the camera, wheel in hand, marks on the white disc. Wireless units move the same wheel into the AC's hands meters away — mandatory on gimbals, cranes and Steadicam, where nobody can stand next to the lens. On the equipment list it travels with rods, brackets and lens gears; a missing gear ring stops the whole rig.

A term only helps when everyone on set means the same thing by it — so what follows is how it is used, not a dictionary definition.

What runs differently here

Where this differs from the general case:

• Hard stops and a marking disc are the point: the same wheel position always lands on the same distance.
• Wireless follow focus is not luxury on stabilizers — it is the only way to pull focus there at all.
• Photo lenses need clamp-on gear rings first; cine lenses carry the teeth built in.

With TillyGen

TillyGen's equipment list ties the follow focus to the shots that need it — a gimbal day automatically pulls the wireless unit into the package.

Change one constraint and the consequences travel through the whole plan: affected shots are flagged, the call sheet is regenerated, and nobody keeps working from yesterday's version.