I may be wrong, but it seems as though there was a special camera technique shown off in this film. If you'll notice in the scene where Perkins is called from the front porch to the barn, he remains in perfect focus as he runs into the distance. There are many instances of foreground and background shown in simultaneous focus, and it really adds to the cinematic impact.
Does anyone know the term for this type of lens work?
It's called "Deep Focus" Orson Welles used it in Citizen Kane.
shareYes it was really popularized in Citizen Kane by Welles and his cinematographer, the great Gregg Toland- the technique had been used before for many years in other films though. William Wyler and Toland also used it to great effect in The Best Years of Our Lives. Kubrick and his cinematographer John Alcott used deep focus in many scenes in Barry Lyndon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_focus
A more recent use of deep focus than Kane is Paper Moon. Great movie too!
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