Camera technique

Okay i've seen this camera technique down like its the easiest thing in the world, i just can't seem to figure it out.

when two people are talking and it switches back and forth to their faces as they speak their dialogue. The camera switches back and forth between the two without any pauses in the scene or in the filming process. as if there are two cameras...but even if there are two cameras how does one string together the film so theres no pauses and it flows? do i need two cameras or is it really just the editing process, what?

I tried to make what i am talking about as clear as possible but if you don't understand tell me and i'll try again.

 

That's where the clapper-board comes in. Naturally, when you're filming with two cameras it's only necessary to use the dialogue recorded by one of them (or simply use an external mic) as switching between two identical dialogue tracks is counterproductive and a darned waste of time.
In any case, when you film a scene like this it's best to use a clapper-board - you know, those black and white striped boards with the shot number and stuff on them (it's really not important what's on them, just that they make a movement and noise that you can match up) - held in plain view of *both* cameras, before you call "action!" The idea is you can line up what each camera recorded of the scene by the one frame where the clapper claps. It's essentially an editing calibration device. Is that clear? I think I confused myself there.
Good luck!

 

That kind of dialogue is usually done with one camera.

The actors must be well rehearsed in order to produce nearly identical takes.

First shoot your 'master' shot showing both actors.

Then shoot a few different closer shots of actor 'A' and the same closer shots on actor 'B'. Two common closer shots for dialogue are the 'over the shoulder' (OTS) and the 'point of view' (POV). The OTS is when you are filming actor 'A' from behind actor 'B', but you can see a bit of actor 'B' (his head or his shoulder) in the frame. The POV is just as self explanatory. You can shoot actor 'A' from the point of view of actor 'B'. It should look like your watching actor 'A' through the eyes of actor 'B'.

When shooting these closer shots, first create an imaginary line from the nose of actor 'A' to the nose of actor 'B'. This is 'the line'. Pick the side of the line you want to film on. Move your shots around anywhere on your side of the line but don't ever cross over to the other side. This is important because it tells your audience one actor is on the left and one actor is on the right. If you cross the line it will look like your actors just switched places. Thats bad.

When you're filming actor 'A', concentrate on recording his dialogue. When you're filming actor 'B' concentrate on his dialogue. Make sure to continue filming each actor even when they are not speaking. That way you can cut to their reaction to the other's dialogue.

When you edit, begin with the wide 'master' shot to establish the setting. Then cut between the 'A' and 'B' 'OTS' shots to get closer in. Then as the dialogue heats up you can move in even closer to the 'POV' shots. If you run into a problem matching any of the closer shots, you can cut back to your 'master' as a safety.

A lot of times it helps if you have a friend helping with 'continuity'. While you concentrate on getting the shot you want, your friend can watch the actors closely to make sure they make the same movements for every take.

While editing the takes together like this your first time don't worry about the cuts. First just lay out the video and audio takes that look and sound good together.

Now work on getting the audio to flow together. On the audio track make all your cuts inbetween the sentences then add a short (10-15 frame) cross-fade. Dont leave very big gaps in between the talking unless its supposed to be there. Dialogue scenes can get boring if the pacing is slow. When the audio sounds the way you want it, then lock it down.

Now onto the video. The key to choosing your video cuts in a dialogue scene is to not cut at the end of every sentence. Mix it up a little. Stay on actor 'A' for a second or two after he stops talking before cutting to actor 'B'. Or cut away from actor 'A' early like a second before he stops talking.

A cut is like your eye blinking. You want it to go by unnoticed by the audience so they can be drawn into the conversation. Cutting while someone is talking helps this. The dialogue running through the cut ties the clips together and makes the scene flow smoother. Play around with it and find a style you like. Watch a movie and pay attention to how the big guys do it. Steal some of their shots, they wont mind, they probably stole them from someone else already.

Hope this helps. (I hope its easy to understand...I hope someone takes the time to read it...hehe)

 

ex films, You are of great help...just a few things that aren't to clear. Your saying that i would have to film the shot several times with each camera angle? and then put them togther by cutting back and forth? but what do i do about the audio?

PAH, i understand what you meen about the clapper board and the editing purpose of it, i am going to buy one, thanks.

 

Just use the audio from whatever clip your using. Use an audio cross-fade to blend the cuts together, then adjust the levels to help them match up.

This is the way I cut the audio for The Big Picture. Almost every time the film cuts, the audio cuts as well, just not at the exact same time, and faded together to make it less noticable.


Edit: markup code.

 

Your new here arent you? Welcome to the forum bro. Read the FAQ!!!Beat you to it again Tac!

Yes its all done in Editing, you can also do it with one camera, record one guy speaking, cut, then other other, cut, then the other, etc.

Or you can record the whole thing from one angle, then the other, and edit them together. If you are still working with a VCR and a cam corder and a stereo, and 2 wires.(The way we all started) Then this could be rather complicated. But you can do this in any video editing program cleanly.
Its the same process with 2 cameras.

PM me if you ever need anything.

 

And remember, if the actors are consistant you don't have to use the audio that you got on the video take, you can loop audio from a take that had better audio on to the take that has better video. Watch John Ottman's commentary on the Ususal Suspects DVD to get a full lecture on the technique. Every dialogue editor/director should listen to that commentary several times.

-Lokmer

 

Well, when we filmed For God and Country (available at http://65.108.218.55/ under the For God and Country video section) for the main dialogue between the 2 main characters we only had one camera and we pain-stakingly went through the ENTIRE dialogue from about 3-4 angles. It took at least an hour or 2 or just a 2-3 minute dialogue, but it flowed very well in the end. I just captured all of the takes and the chose the best and best flowing pieces from the different angles and put them all together and the outcome like I said was very good.

 

I agree with almost everything that ExFilms said except for the POV thing. Rarely is a POV used in dialog. Usually the cuts are between OTS and CU (closeups), because a POV would mean that the character would be looking into the camera. With a closeup, he is looking off camera, to the proper side of "the line". POV's are those handheld shots when the killer is sneaking up on the victim.
As he said, shoot a two shot, then a closeup of each subject (add OTS to mix it up), and cut between the shots, using the best take for each one.
The clapboard thing to sync two cameras, locks you into using the whole take from each camera, where with single camera you can choose one line if you want to, giving you much more freedom in editing. Use the audio from the closeups, and as ExFilms mentioned, crossfade between the two. It's a good idea to record "Room Tone", (a minute of the natural sound of the location while no one is talking) to help bridge any gaps in the sound. Make sure that your microphone is the same distance from your two subjects and try not to change the gain between the two, as this will change the level of the background noise and there will be a big difference in the sound when you cut between the two. Study your favorite films. Look at dialog scenes and see how they were done. Keep in mind that they were almost without exception shot with a single camera.

 

Thanks, filmmaker. I was pretty off-base on suggesting a POV. The room tone was a good tip though, I missed that one.

 

The way we all started

i never used a vcr to edit... in fact, i've never even filmed anything with a tangible video camera

 

actually, beleive it or not i am not "just beginning" yes, i am in the middle of my first fanfilm but not my first movie.

The problem with all my other movies is the dialogue...My dialogue is really bad so i made the movie as if dialgue wasn't as important...but no matter what you do...dialogue is important if its a story your telling.---just wanted to clear up that i'm NOT a newbie.

Thank you for all you help, i'll try everything.

 

<<Move your shots around anywhere on your side of the line but don't ever cross over to the other side. This is important because it tells your audience one actor is on the left and one actor is on the right. If you cross the line it will look like your actors just switched places. Thats bad>>

There are exceptions to the "Crossing the Line" rule.

The most obvious ones are:

If you actually SHOW the camera shot crossing the line (i.e. whilst filming you "circle" the actors). This is used in Knight Quest with the three way battle I believe.

The other one that springs to mind is similar, but you have the ACTOR walk across the line.

One thing to remember though it that if you do EITHER of these, the "line" changes, so be careful not to cut back across the line by accident.

On a personal interest note: Has anyone else noticed:

In "Final Destination" on the "beach scene" just before the train track part, the two actors are talking on a small beach.

Does the camera ACTUALLY cross the line, or is it just skating along the edge of it?

anyway,

Nick "Shorty" Long

P.S. "Crossing The Line" can get very complicated, the use of diagrams DOES HELP.

 

The "line" can be hell. Try shooting a dialog scene at a dinner table with 6 people. Diagrams, and storyboards, with a good idea of how you will cut the scene definitely help. Screen direction can be very complex. The rules to cross the line are: 1. Show the camera crossing the line as mentioned. This can be done by moving the camera across the line, or by an actor turning his head, or changing direction, thus establishing a new line.
2. Cut to directly on the line, followed by a cut to the other side. For instance: Camera is on the left side of a man running, cut to directly behind (or in front of)the man, then cut to his right side. If you cut directly from one side to the other, it would appear as if he changed direction. Those are the rules, but they are made to be broken. In a car (or spaceship) you can get away with a lot because there is an established line in the direction the car is traveling, so you will see many car chases cross the line a lot. Also sometimes there are multiple lines. In Essence of The Force when the Jedi summons his lightsaber, I cross the line between him and the saber big time, but there is another line established between the Jedi and the Sith, so I got away with it (I hope).