Whatever comes to the foreground therefore gains strongly in relative importance over its surroundings.

Moving away from the camera means a reduction much greater than a mere stepping to the background on the theater stage.

Furthermore lifeless things have much more chance for movements in the moving pictures than on the stage and their motions, too, can contribute toward the right setting of the attention.
But we know from the theater that movement is not the only condition which makes us focus our interest on a particular element of the play.
An unusual face, a queer dress, a gorgeous costume or a surprising lack of costume, a quaint piece of decoration, may attract our mind and even hold it spellbound for a while.

Such means can not only be used but can be carried to a much stronger climax of efficiency by the unlimited means of the moving pictures.

This is still more true of the power of setting or background.