Yuuup,... Even if the Focus Puller is using a wifi connected rig, having them right there with us, where they can see our body language and those subtle pushes and pulls both to follow an actor or to change the drama, it's essential information that improves what the audience sees.
It's a lot of practice. Can do it with TV too, once you know the lens. How he said about pulling back from infinity on the Imax, it's the same for TV sports, you can get 'acceptably in focus', or Actually In Focus, and it changes the impact so much, where the fans are cheering a play, or they feel they were part of the play.
