ABSTRACT
The compression of space possible with extremely long focal lengths can produce foreground/background juxtapositions that depict proximity in a way that cannot be perceived with the naked eye. The degree of perspective compression, as well as the apparent reduction in the rate of movement along the z-axis if the shot includes a moving subject, is directly proportional to the focal length of the lens; the longer it is, the more extreme the flattening effect, but also the farther the camera will have to be from both the foreground and background subjects because of the drastically reduced field of view and greater magnification. Rob Reiner’s Stand by Me , the story of a writer who recalls a childhood journey he took with friends to find the body of a boy killed by a train, applies this technique to great effect in one of its most memorable scenes.
