ABSTRACT
Selective focus uses a shallow depth of field to render a chosen area of the frame in sharp focus while the rest of the image is blurred; however, there are times when a filmmaker may want everything in the frame to be seen clearly. In deep focus cinematography, the foreground, middleground, and background planes are in sharp focus simultaneously, making it possible to showcase multiple subjects and their surrounding area; however, since everything is shown with the same level of sharpness, the audience has to choose precisely what is narratively important in the frame and therefore deserving of their attention. Jack Clayton’s superb psychological horror film, The Innocents , deftly uses deep focus cinematography to set an ominous atmosphere as it tells the story of a governess who suspects the children under her care are possessed by ghosts.
