#split diopter

Anyone else notice Arcane used a “Split-Diopter” for this one scene?

To put it simply, a Split-Diopter is a type of camera lens designed so multiple people/objects on screen might occupy the same level of focus when in reality they are much further apart. You tend to see them used most often in movies when a situation is especially tense and/or unnerving. You can usually spot it though if you pay attention to where certain parts of the frame are blurred or distorted.

In this scene from S2 E4, the use of a Split-Diopter (albeit a nonexistent one because this is animated of course) helps convey the unspoken wedge keeping both Caitlyn and Ambessa at odds with each other as they discuss how to handle the unrest in the Undercity. Even though they both occupy the same space here, in reality they couldn’t be further apart. A perfect visual metaphor.