ABSTRACT
Telephoto lenses can make subjects moving along the z-axis of the frame appear to advance at a slower pace than they really are, because their size in the frame seems unchanged even if they are actually covering a considerable distance. This effect is a function of the long camera to subject distances needed to counteract the magnification of the telephoto lens, which in turn decreases the distance covered by a subject relative to the camera’s position. The apparent lack of progress across space produced by this technique can be ideal for situations where the implication is that something or someone is having difficulty reaching a destination; the difficulty itself can take a physical form or be psychological in nature. One of the most famous examples of this technique happens in what has become a legendary scene from director David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia, shot with a custom 482 mm telephoto lens with spherical optics created by Panavision.
