"Imagine being able to shoot a pretty girl sitting opposite a man in a room, and within that frame you’re able to focus sharply just on her eyes, or on her mouth, or her bag, while the rest is in soft focus," says Swedish director, DP and inventor Steve Hylà©n "Each choice colors the narrative you’re telling."

Now, thanks to the new Panavision Hylà©n System, a patented optical system that’s compatible with the Panavision Genesis as well as all Panavision 35mm cameras, zoom lenses and primes down to 6mm, those choices are available to all filmmakers.

Hylà©n isn’t kidding when he says that his new lens system, which also covers Super 35 format, has been "a long labor of love." As a photographer in the‘60s, Hylà©n was always interested in manipulating the image, "but the only way to do it was in front of the lens, which is extremely limiting," he notes. "So I began experimenting by putting other optics between the lens and the camera, and even though that was just a still camera, I knew I could change the image."

Fast-forward over 30 years and Hylà©n’s dream has become a reality. Now in partnership with Panavision, Hylà©n reports that his new system will give "unprecedented creative control" to cinematographers and directors. By using the Primo quality optical relay system and advanced electro-mechanics, the user can manipulate the intermediate image in real time with a wide range of organic optical-effect plug-ins prior to image capture.

"The first plug-in we’re bringing to market is called Regional Focus Control (RFC)," he explains. "This in effect mimics the human eye, meaning that it has a very narrow degree of very sharp focus with a lot of defocused peripheral vision. Lenses have never been able to do that before, and it’s a huge advance for any filmmaker, as the lens suddenly becomes a narrative tool and the area of sharp focus can be moved anywhere you want within the frame. And you can instantly see any adjustments live in your viewfinder or monitor."

According to Hylà©n the system will ultimately provide users with "between 35 and 50 additional plug-ins," which are currently being developed. These will include Rotating RFC, Filter Mosaics, ND Grads, Diffusion, Polarizer, Overalls, Mask Mosaics, Gun Sight, Binocular, Keyhole, Night Vision, and Text/Image Overlay cartridges.

On top of its aesthetic appeal, the system also offers users "a far faster production, which in turn saves money," states Hylà©n "As a DP, you usually end up on a long lens to get pretty images, and that takes time and distance from the subject. With my system, you get a more exciting shot and you’re far closer to the subject with a wider lens, and the plug-ins only take about 10 seconds to change. And the entire system, which can also be left on the camera, loses less than one quarter-stop."