ABSTRACT
As with any other technical element in cinema, there are uses for a lens that ordinarily might be considered unconventional, unexpected, or even a technical blunder, but in an appropriate context can be precisely expressive. Allowing a character to move in and out of a fixed range of focus can convey an altered perception due to a physical impairment, or an extreme emotional reaction, such as panic or anxiety. This technique is often paired with other stylizations to amplify its visual impact, which also ensure the momentary blurriness is understood as an intentional aesthetic choice expressing a precise emotional and narrative meaning. Sideways , Alexander Payne’s comedy/drama about a wine-tasting road trip taken by lifelong friends Miles, a divorced, humorless wine aficionado, and Jack, an actor past his prime looking for a fling before his wedding, features an interesting use of this technique that visualizes both a physical impairment and an altered emotional state.
