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I am noticing more and more product videos being released using lots of blur and the focus shifting from one point to another.

This is an example of the technique I'm refering to: http://vimeo.com/43763778

How is the shot accomplished?

I am noob when it comes to video editing, so I want to ask what are the producers of this video most likely using, and how are they doing it?

Sorry if this question seems a bit open ended, but I just want to ask, what techniques have been apparently used on this video to make it what it is.

Thank you.

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There are no filters applied there. It's pretty much basic shots, probably from a DSLR based on the feel of the video. The shots with the one guy were shot with things overexposed and then they upped the contrast to try and do recovery, but it results in large overblown highlights where there was too much light to fit in the dynamic range (the amount of variation between brightest and darkest spot) that the camera could capture. It otherwise all looks like standard footage though, nothing special done other than basic color grading.

Note that if you are talking about the shifting blur effect, that's called rack focus and is so apparent because of the use of a fast lens with a short depth of field. It looks remarkably similar to footage I get with my 5D Mark iii and 24-70mm f/2.8 L lens.

Rack Focus can either be from out of focus completely to focus on a particular subject or from one subject to another. It generally uses a narrow depth of field and a follow focus may be used to help reach the focus points exactly and in a controlled manner.

The technique is often used either to introduce a subject from a dream or stunned like state (for example, if someone is waking up or in an accident, their pov might start out with a rack focus from being completely out of focus). It is also very frequently used to shift the viewer's focus from one subject to another in a dramatic way. In the more artistic sense, it can also be used to simply explore the depth of the scene by moving the viewer through the space.

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  • yes, I was talking about the shifting blur effect! great explenation thank you May 26, 2013 at 10:42
  • @user1721135 - ah, excellent. Glad I thought to update the answer with that info. I honestly didn't even think about that being a special thing they were doing the first time through, but only noticed it when I was watching again to see if I might have missed what you were talking about. It's actually a fairly basic technique so I didn't pay it much attention at first, but then realized with how much they were using it it could be what you were talking about. Follow Focus is another thing you might be interested in. It's a device used for achieve a rack focus from one point to another.
    – AJ Henderson
    May 26, 2013 at 18:10
  • @user1721135 Added more detail about rack focus for you and also updated your question to be a little more directed towards what you were looking for so that it will be easier for other's looking for the same info.
    – AJ Henderson
    May 26, 2013 at 18:19

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