Conversation scenes.

[charles827]

Hey guys I'm curious on how you guys shoot conversation scenes? Do you guys shoot the scene repeatedly with different angles (180 degree rule)? How do you maintain the consistency of the conversation?

[directorik]

I shoot the entire scene from many different angles. Usually a
Master, a Close Up of each actor, an Over the Shoulder of each
actor and several inserts. Then depending on the scene I will
shoot a few dolly shots - maybe a move right and a move left, a
push in on each character - an overhead shot and maybe some
unusual angles.

So for me a typical conversation scene would be covered 12 to 20
times. Each time the actors must repeat all or part of the
conversation. This is what actors do. An actor needs to be able to
do the exact same scene many times and be consistent not only with
their dialogue bu all of their movements.

[2001 Productions]

Exactly the same as Rik.

As for the "180-degree rule", that's always a factor. Just remember which character is on which side of the screen and never change it (unless you have a REALLY good reason).

[Ernest Worthing]

What directorik said.

But i want to stress the importance of inserts. They will save you in the editing room when things arent matching or lining up.

[Papertwinproductions]

Echo, to the above.

[Gonzo_Entertainment]

Originally Posted by Ernest Worthing

What directorik said.

But i want to stress the importance of inserts. They will save you in the editing room when things arent matching or lining up.

What Rik said, and What Ernest said.

Shoot your basic coverage. Master, OTS both ways, closeup of each, etc... Think of some potential cutaways, and shoot those, THEN you can experiment, do moving shots, handheld, rack focus, whatever, just make sure you have what you need if that doesn't work.

[Alcove Audio]

I'm going to give the obvious "make sure that you capture great sound". Okay, now that that is out of the way...

Make sure that your characters/actors are speaking appropriately for the venue. If they are sitting at a kitchen table they will be speaking in a normal tone of voice. In a restaurant their voices will be raised a little. If they're in a loud club they will be practically shouting at each other. A pet peeve that really drives me crazy; the music in the "club" is supposed to be pounding - you can practically see the walls pumping and breathing - and the characters are five feet away from each other, speaking like they're having coffee in an office. From an audio post perspective if the actors raise their voices I can keep pumping the music during the scene and "carve a hole" with EQ and not have as much of a volume drop; the result will be more reality accurate and you will still hear the dialog clearly.

Please do a sound exercise - during preproduction go to real venues that approximate what you are shooting. Listen to how people speak in those places. If your talent comes with you that would be big as well. In fact, hold your meeting about the club scene in a real club and note how you all speak to each other. Record the conversations. Listen back a few days later or, even better, on the day of the shoot. It will help a lot.

[Cracker Funk]

I just made my first feature that is mostly conversation. While shooting it, I thought I was getting plenty of coverage. While editing it, there were so many times that I wished I had more. Especially cutaways/inserts.

[Uranium City]

I try to keep with the spirit of what Rik said. However, I normally work on a much more expedited schedule since I typically employ an all-volunteer army approach and have to keep things moving quicker than I'd like to keep participants happy and home on time. So I'll storyboard how I want the conversation to look ahead of time, and utilize only 4-6 ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY setups instead of 12-20. Master, two OTS, tight two shot, and two closeups. I usually differ from the boards on set but use them as a guide to make sure I shoot everything essential to convey the story of the conversation. But if there is a trick shot or unique angle or necessary insert or anything involving motion or tracking, it gets done first. And sometimes only one of the actor closeups gets shot if we're running behind, or the tight two shot gets cut, etc. This is compromise filmmaking and is an unfortunate reality of tight schedules.

Rik's approach is the correct one and results in the most usable footage and the most editing potential. Mine is a cheap imitation meant to mimic the same results.

[2001 Productions]

Originally Posted by Uranium City

I'll storyboard how I want the conversation to look ahead of time, and utilize only 4-6 ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY setups instead of 12-20.

I may have misunderstood, but I think Rik meant 12-20 repetitions of the scene by the actors (including multiple takes), not 12-20 setups. I definitely don't do that many setups either!

[escher]

Rik and Uranium are absolutely correct. I'll also echo the sentiment of coverage coverage coverage. Lack of cutaways caused me all sorts of problems editing Adam Funn and honestly, I'm not quite sure how we managed to put that thing together as well as we did.

Get the 6 basic shots, then shoot as much coverage and cutaways as you have time for. If you're just starting out, shoot at least three times more coverage than you think you'll need.

[Aegis]

Originally Posted by Cracker Funk

I just made my first feature that is mostly conversation. While shooting it, I thought I was getting plenty of coverage. While editing it, there were so many times that I wished I had more. Especially cutaways/inserts.

Likewise - once you go to edit, the horrible truth reveals itself

[directorik]

Originally Posted by 2001 Productions

I may have misunderstood, but I think Rik meant 12-20 repetitions of the scene by the actors (including multiple takes), not 12-20 setups. I definitely don't do that many setups either!

I call even a change in focal length a different set up
(for the slate). So an OTS that then is a CU and then
is an insert I will call three set ups even though I
haven't moved the camera. But I will do more than 4
to 6 set ups even for a simple conversation between
two people.

Master
Full shot
OTS x 2
CU x 2
Dolly left
Dolly right
Push in x 2
Three inserts for each actor

That brings me to 16.

That's if they are sitting at a table. If they are moving
around the space I might do even more. I recently shot
a six page conversation where a woman is seducing a
man into committing a crime - very cat-and-mouse. We
did 33 separate set ups in seven hours.

Regarding charles827's question about maintaining the
consistency of the conversation, the actors needed to
repeat the scene (including takes) nearly 80 times.
Maintaining the consistency of the conversation can be
very difficult for actors. But it's their job to deliver the
same performance over and over.

[Uranium City]

Maintaining the consistency of the conversation can be
very difficult for actors. But it's their job to deliver the
same performance over and over.

This is key whether you are doing 33 setups/80 takes or 6 setups/8 takes. Actors need to not only bring it, but bring it the same exact way each take. One of the key difference between stage and screen acting.

[2001 Productions]

Originally Posted by directorik

Master
Full shot
OTS x 2
CU x 2
Dolly left
Dolly right
Push in x 2
Three inserts for each actor

That brings me to 16.

Wow! I thought I was pretty thorough, but you truly are the king of coverage!