Actors stepping on each others' lines

C

Craig_Tarry

Active member
Hello, I just made a 10min DV short film, in which I allowed the four actors a lot of freedom to interrupt each other, which now in editing, is creating some cutting problems.
I'm about to make another short and I'd like some pointers on how to deal with this problem. I want to give the actors creative freedom and still be able to make the cuts I need. I've heard that having the actor take a quick breath before he speaks can help. Or, perhaps when shooting your master, let them do it without gaps (except where you want to add coverage?)
Thanks for any ideas - Craig
 
The ONLY time you let actors step on each others lines is if you know the shot will be used in it's entirety, you have coverage from more than one camera, or you will dub the dialouge in post. Without clean lines you will always run into the problem you are having. If you want to overlap dialouge which I do a lot of, edit it that way in post.
 
I've got a similar issue to grapple with for something I'm doing in July, and I don't have the luxury of shooting with two HVX's - solution will be cunningly selected singles (or doubles where the 'reverse' ain't gonna contain more than a dirty shoulder of the other char's) and each actor having their own mic/track through a mixer.

I understand there'll be some spill, but this seems viable to me. Certainly looking at post-ADR as a back-up, but if someone's lips are flapping heart-ache will ensue.

Oh, and watch a lot of Altman.
 
Actually, I think I'd find it more annoying to consistently have it go line-cut-line-cut-line-cut-line. I'd probably wind up J- and L-cutting all over the place to make them overlap. :)
 
About the breath thing: If you want your actors to be thinking about their breathing have them take a quick breath before they speak. If you need them to be focused on what they want from the given set of circumstances they're playing with, you're gonna need to find another direction to give them. The more artificial constraints you give an actor the less organic the performance will be. If you don't want them stepping on each other's lines and they can't come up with an adjustment on their own, give them a psychological reason that will add depth to their portrayal. Telling an actor to take a breath before each line can only reenforce the fact that they're "ACTING" rather than living under imaginary circumstances.
 
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John Wesley Norton said:
The ONLY time you let actors step on each others lines is if you know the shot will be used in it's entirety, you have coverage from more than one camera, or you will dub the dialouge in post. Without clean lines you will always run into the problem you are having. If you want to overlap dialouge which I do a lot of, edit it that way in post.
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I totally agree.

Chris
 
Rehearse your actors to the point where they talk over each other and do it the same way each time, and then just shoot the scene multiple times and take what you want in post. That's what I do for all my dialogue heavy stuff. More time consuming, but if you have rehearsed sufficiently then it works great.

-Jeremy
 
Craig why is it important that the actors interupt each other? In life its rude and it can confuse the viewer. Clean dialog, edit tighter in post. Let us view some footage.
 
Mike each with a separate microphone, so that you can mute their track when needed (like when you cut away). You will need a mixer and a multitrack (like a DA88) for this if you have more than 2 characters.
 
cyclone said:
Mike each with a separate microphone, so that you can mute their track when needed (like when you cut away). You will need a mixer and a multitrack (like a DA88) for this if you have more than 2 characters.
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Tech recommendations when dealing with up to 5 characters on screen?
 
Tag each actor with an electrical shock implant that goes right under their throat, if they step over another actors line, it'll shock that actor's pharynx into mute. On the highest setting, it will makes the actors head explode, which is always a good option for low budget horror flicks to give it more "valure", and at very least it'll make your PA think twice about giving you another cup of cold coffee again.
 
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I don't get it. What's the problem you guys have in editing when this occurs. I don't run into any editing problems. You can separate video from audio in any frame...

Plus, sometimes talking over other people's lines is quite normalespecially in a heated scene :violent5:

I think you just need to make sure you know what POV you want to have with the lines. Do another take with another camera setup.
 
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