Let’s Dig Into Steven Spielberg’s Aperture Choices

Steven Spielberg is considered one of—if not the greatest—filmmakers of all time. He’s a master at getting the audience to feel emotion, and he’s a genius at shooting and blocking as well.

That’s why, when I see someone making a video essay about him and his choices, I always tune in to learn more.

Check out this video from Wolfcrow and let’s talk after.

Why Steven Spielberg Avoids a Wide Open Aperture In Some Films 

I love a good video essay, and I found this one to be really interesting. It digs into Spielberg’s aperture choices in some of his films, and why he doesn’t go with an open aperture.

So… why doesn’t he?

There are several reasons why Spielberg avoids using wide open apertures. First, it would make it difficult to achieve deep depth of field, which keeps everything in the scene sharp and clear.

As a director, Spielberg likes to keep all the details in focus, from the front to the back. This is important to him because he wants every part of the frame to contribute to the story.

Using a smaller aperture allows Spielberg to capture the entire vista in sharp focus. This creates a realistic environment for the viewer, and allows them to step into the world, instead of being just shown it.

An example used in the video is in Jurassic Park, where he uses a smaller aperture to keep both the foreground and the background in focus, which helps to create a more immersive experience for the viewer as the dinosaurs attack.

And it keeps us on the edge of our seats, emotionally connecting with the characters.

Using a smaller aperture also simplifies the focus puller’s job. Maintaining focus at a wide open aperture is challenging, even with modern focus aids and monitors. In the past, when Spielberg was making films, there were no monitors for the focus puller, so using a smaller aperture made it easier to keep everything in focus.

Another reason for this consistency are the wide angle lenses Spielberg has used in the past. The sweet spot of a lens, aperture-wise, is about two stops from its widest aperture.

Finally, using deep focus helps with continuity in Spielberg’s films.

His movies often have a lot of action sequences, and he wants the dialogue scenes to match the action scenes in visual style. Using a smaller aperture throughout the film helps to maintain a consistent look.

Let me know what you think and any observations you have in the comments.