Depth of field

[Bsmith]

does anyone know any ways of bluring the background in editing to give a depth of field or any other way that might be easier...how do you do it?

 

[Digigenic]

Well, to reduce the depth of field in post you'd have to use a sophisticated compositing software, and even with that, it wouldn't be genuine. Now, to reduce the depth of field while shooting, like with a DV cam, you need to utilize your zoom and manual focus controls. Example: If you're trying to get a close up, and want a reduduction in the depth of field, step back about five steps from your subject, then zoom and manually focus your subject into frame. That should give you the depth of field you desire.

 

[MarkG]

It's generally very hard to get a decently small depth of field with DV because the CCDs are so tiny and the f-stop range is relatively limited compared to film.

The only thing I can think of for reducing depth of field in the edit would be to make a matte around your actors and then blur the background out. It might work or might look horrid, but either way it's probably a lot of work to add it to each frame in a convincing manner.

 

[DerekEastham]

One technique that I like to use is the "Color Corrector 3-way" on my Final Cut Pro system.

In the latest rendition of FCP, (FCP-HD/4.5)
by raising the high range levels and lowering the low range levels, you can usually accomplish some separation.

However, you should note that this is based on your light levels... and if your subject is not lit properly, it may disappear into the background instead popping out infront of it.

What this usually accomplishes is to darken the background and lighten the subject, which in-turn creates the feel of depth...

However, it's always best to accomplish this in the field... as the others have said, the digital realm just can't quite make it feel as reel as reality.