Backwards talking review? - IndieTalk

negative9productions · 05-11-2018, 12:03 PM

hey there!

i want to film scenes in which the actor is talking backwards with the ultimate goal being flipping the film to play in reverse so the audience would hear them speaking normally/forward. i would like to be able to review the scenes as i shoot them to be sure the actor got the lines correct, when reversed. (it isn't easy to talk backwards clearly.) without taking the card out of the camera and downloading the scene to a laptop and using a program to play it backwards (which would really slow down production on the set), is there another easier way to review the footage backwards?

i'm shooting with a Nikon D7000. i doubt the camera has in-camera capability to replay video footage and audio in reverse.

any ideas and suggestions welcome and appreciated!

indietalk · 05-11-2018, 01:25 PM

Wow. That sounds daunting. If you told me to memorize an entire line in French I'm sure I'd butcher it. Not only do you have the memory issue but how one replicates those sounds so they sound right played in reverse. Are we supposed to understand it, and is the audience not supposed to know it was in reverse? Or...? My suggestion is short takes and quick cuts! And maybe a teleprompter of the "sounds" lol!

Kaiborg · 05-11-2018, 03:58 PM

Isn't this what David Lynch did for "the arm" in Twin Peaks? Sounds like too much garmonbozia for me.

Alcove Audio · 05-11-2018, 05:01 PM

You can have the actors - or even someone else - say the lines in advance of shooting, reverse them, and have the actors practice/rehearse the lines A LOT.

directorik · 05-11-2018, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by negative9productions

i would like to be able to review the scenes as i shoot them to be sure the actor got the lines correct, when reversed without taking the card out of the camera and downloading the scene to a laptop and using a program to play it backwards (which would really slow down production on the set), is there another easier way to review the footage backwards

What a great challenge. Kaiborg is correct, David Lynch has
done it. I have done it. It is not easy on the actor and it is
not easy on the production. As you point out it will really slow
down the production. But difficult challenges always do.

There are apps for that...

Record on your phone and use the app. Check out iReverse Speech

negative9productions · 05-14-2018, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by directorik

What a great challenge. Kaiborg is correct, David Lynch has
done it. I have done it. It is not easy on the actor and it is
not easy on the production. As you point out it will really slow
down the production. But difficult challenges always do.

There are apps for that...

Record on your phone and use the app. Check out iReverse Speech

hi directorik,

i was thinking an app would be the best way. i know its been done. lol. not trying to be novel here, but it is the crux of my film. thanks for your response!

negative9productions · 05-14-2018, 01:02 PM

yep! thanks! practicing in advance a lot is a great suggestion and something i am counting on for success!

negative9productions · 05-14-2018, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by indietalk

Wow. That sounds daunting. If you told me to memorize an entire line in French I'm sure I'd butcher it. Not only do you have the memory issue but how one replicates those sounds so they sound right played in reverse. Are we supposed to understand it, and is the audience not supposed to know it was in reverse? Or...? My suggestion is short takes and quick cuts! And maybe a teleprompter of the "sounds" lol!

haha... a teleprompter of the "sounds" is a great idea! i had downloaded an app called Backwards Talk and wrote out the "sounds" ... like "i love you" backwards is "hwee vahlat"

once the film is flipped in post to play in reverse, the lines are then supposed to be understood. the actor would have to really get the pronunciation down. i just wanted a way to review the scene after i shoot it to make SURE it's clear. i think using the app while filming as a way to review is gonna be my best bet.

thanks for your message!

El Director · 05-14-2018, 01:34 PM

Perhaps a cheap audio recorder with the option to play things immediately in reverse could work? Doesn't have to be fancy, just good enough to capture a track you can review

shortboy · 05-15-2018, 02:38 AM

As suggested, I think having a separate audio recorder recording the audio is the best way. It doesn't even have to be clean as your main recorder should be doing that. Your main concern is the dialogue itself and not the picture. As yes, recording the dialogue in advance, reversing it, and then having the actor listen to and practice the reversed lines will definitely help. It'd be like singing along to a foreign song.