Convert normal lenses to soft focus?

[Jim Galli]

It was shot that way.

There's a strong likelihood that there was a net (woman's stocking) behind the lens.

The other thing that contributes to that look is that it was shot on a film with no antihalation backing and a mirror polish pressure plate in the camera. At that point, no antihalation backing had been invented that would stay put when the film was moving at a foot a second. For the same reason, the pressure plate had to simply be polished, the chemical coatings we use in cameras now hadn't been invented yet. What you see in a lot of that era's movies is a pretty sharp exposure and halation around bright areas where the light has exposed the film, passed through the base, reflected off the pressure plate, and exposed the film some more but in a diffused and less intense way.

Hollywood was into soft focus when it suited their needs. Karl Struss pioneered soft focus on 35mm motion picture cameras. Golden age.

[C. D. Keth]

That's true but Casablanca is a surprisingly sharp movie if you see it projected or look at the negative (which I have had the pleasure of doing). It's only old television transfers that make it look mushy and soft. It was released in 1942 when Hollywood was quite reactionary against the softer, older styles. Ingrid Bergman's singles are pretty soft and glowy (cinematographers know how to keep their jobs, after all) but the rest of that film is quite sharp and lit hard to a fairly deep stop.

[Brian C. Miller]

... However, the look that I like, soft/sharp, even light all over the frame, can not be obtained with either the Softar or with simple lenses. ...

What sparked my interest in soft focus was a recent viewing of the film Casablanca, specifically the scene at the end as they are about to board a plane. The soft/sharp effect in B&W was mesmerizing. Does anyone know if this scene was shot that way, or has it been enhanced?

Sandy

The Imagon is a fairly "simple" lens. I have a 300mm, but to use it you would have to dedicate a lens board to it. The shutter is larger than a #3 hole. The Fuji SF 250mm f/5.6 is a good lens, and my adapted Vesta is good. While the Vesta was not Wollensak's top flight soft focus lens, it does kick in once the front lens is moved to the rear.

Have you looked through the posted soft photographs and seen some images that resonate with you? A lot of it is in the lighting, just like Casa Blanca. (Ever notice in Star Trek they always used a soft lens and dramatic lighting when they were shooting a lady?) The soft/sharp look is also something that I've done with half-frame and 400 speed film. The grain creates the softness all by itself.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

Sandy, which size film are you looking to play with?

[cowanw]

It's been 3 or four years since I last saw Casablanca, but I think they used a fog machine(s) for that scene.

from wiki with reference
The background of the final scene, which shows a Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior airplane with personnel walking around it, was staged using midget extras and a proportionate cardboard plane. Fog was used to mask the model's unconvincing appearance

[sanking]

Sandy, which size film are you looking to play with?

I am interested primarily in 5X7" format.

Sandy

[Paul Fitzgerald]

"I am interested primarily in 5X7" format."

IF you can find a B&L 14x17 IIb tessar the rear cell is approx. 270mm f/3.5 and has a nice SF look to it.
I'm preparing for a coast to coast move right now, I can lend you some to play with when I get resettled.
Most lenses loss the SF when stopped down to f/11.
Have fun with the hunt.

Paul

[BrianShaw]

Gee thanks, Bill. You ruined it for me. So the plane wasn't real? Maybe everything else wasn't real either. I'm crushed.

[goamules]

... Ingrid Bergman's singles are pretty soft and glowy (cinematographers know how to keep their jobs, after all) but the rest of that film is quite sharp and lit hard to a fairly deep stop.

Struss and other cameramen in the day invented and used a LOT of soft focus cine lenses for certain scenes in a lot of movies. Hypars, and a bunch of others we seldom mention here were part to the lens kit of most professionals back in the 20s through 50s. It's quite obvious when they used a soft focus lens, usually for close ups of the leading lady. Then when the scene cuts to the leading man, it's not "sparkly and soft." I don't know about Casablanca, but if you read up on how a lot of the early movies were shot, they used soft focus lenses when needed.

[BrianShaw]

Are the Harrison diffusion filters any good? I thought they were common in the movie biz but hear little about them. I see them on ebay every now an dagain but never bought one to evaluate.