X-Nico

3 unusual facts about Focus puller


Assistant director

If the Director does not want another take, the AD will call "Check the gate" (a signal for the Focus puller or Camera Assistant to confirm that the camera has not malfunctioned during a take, and that there is no hair or fluff in the aperture ("gate") where the film is exposed).

Focus puller

"Pulling focus" or "rack focusing" refers to the act of changing the lens’s focus distance setting in correspondence to a moving subject’s physical distance from the focal plane.

The 1st AC reports to the director of photography, works alongside the camera operator, and oversees the 2nd assistant camera (also known as the "clapper loader") and any other members of the camera department.


Michael Bindlechner

After his training as a photographer he worked as an camera assistant for many directors of photography, including Derek Vanlint and Tony Imi.


see also

Christian Molina

In which he has participated as a Focus Puller and operator, which has given a wide experience in the use of the image and the light, having worked with leading directors of photography, such as Fernando Arribas, José Luis Alcaine or Paco Femenía.

Denys Coop

He has been followed into the film industry by his son, Trevor Coop (Camera Operator), and his three grandsons, Jason Coop (focus puller), Gareth Coop (Clapper Loader), and Adam Coop (Assistant Director)