Loading...
A healthy film should have a varied, intentional waveform. Here are three common problems the FMI reveals:
If you look up "Deep Focus" in the Focus Movie Index, Kane has the only entry for the 1940s. Welles and Toland used a 24mm wide-angle lens with extreme depth of field, so the foreground (young Charles playing in the snow) and background (his parents signing the trust papers) are equally sharp. You choose where to look.
The Focus Delta is the change in FMI between two consecutive shots.
A jump from a Macro (1) eye to a Micro (3) city skyline tells the audience: “This character just had a global realization.” focus movie index
At its core, a Focus Movie Index is not a standard database like IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes. While those platforms track metadata (cast, crew, runtime, score), a Focus Movie Index tracks visual and narrative data.
The term "Focus" refers to two distinct concepts in cinema:
A true Focus Movie Index catalogs movies based on how they direct your attention. For example, did you know there is a website that indexes every film that uses the famous "Vertigo zoom" (dolly zoom)? Or a database that lists every movie containing a one-take fight scene? That is the Focus Movie Index in action. A healthy film should have a varied, intentional waveform
Why do some movies feel “tight” and others feel “messy”?
Often, the answer lies not in acting or budget, but in where the audience is looking at any given moment. That’s where the Focus Movie Index (FMI) comes in.
The FMI is a simple, scene-by-scene scoring system that tracks the primary locus of audience attention. It helps you diagnose pacing issues, identify confusing sequences, and ensure your story’s emotional beats land correctly. A jump from a Macro (1) eye to
Ask yourself: What is the specific technique or plot point I care about?
The narrative is divided into two distinct halves, separated by a three-year time jump.
Act I: The Apprenticeship Nicky Spurgeon (Will Smith) is a seasoned con artist and the head of a sprawling organization of pickpockets and grifters. He is approached by Jess Barrett (Margot Robbie), a novice grifter looking for mentorship. After an initial test of skills, Nicky agrees to take her under his wing. The first half of the film focuses on the mechanics of the con, culminating in a visually stunning sequence in New Orleans during the Super Bowl. Here, the film explores the psychology of gambling, showing Nicky exploiting the greed of a high-stakes gambler (played by BD Wong) in a sequence that borders on the surreal.
Act II: The Long Con Three years later, Nicky has retired from the game, but is lured back for a job in Buenos Aires involving a wealthy motorsport owner, Rafael Garriga (Rodrigo Santoro). To Nicky's surprise, Garriga’s new girlfriend is Jess. The film shifts from a ensemble crime caper to a tense romantic thriller, as Nicky must navigate his lingering feelings for Jess while attempting to execute a complex corporate blackmail scheme.
Some potential features of a Focus Movie Index could include: