syncing with a song

[Steve Laramie]

Not sure if this is the right place... I need to shoot a scene with the actor playing the piano. I do not expect him to learn the song. Are there any techniques to make it look like he is playing the song and keep continuity with the music?

 

[Robbie Comeau]

I'd suggest to get a LOT of cover shots. So close ups of his face, maybe his back playing, some wide shots. This way, you wouldn't have to match those certain shots. (Even a wide shot of him playing, you wouldn't really notice if it's wide enough, but that's to your discretion while filming/editing).

I'm not sure how I would personally do this, but I'd see if I can get the actor to learn the song, or get a pianist to come in on set and use HIS hands. (If you did it that way, you'd have to have the cover shots like I said, and when you film the hands, don't show the whole body 'cause obviously it wouldn't turn out.)

Good luck.

Robbie

 

[Amr Rahmy]

your doing the whole piece, just a small segment, depending on the song and the mood, either show him just a sec or two of the piece and make him learn that, shoot that any way you like then cut, that way you have all the freedom you need to shoot how you like, and it's easy on the actor as well. it's a bit vague what the scene you want why is the actor using a piano where why, how talented the character is with the piano, what are you trying to say by the performance of the character using the piano, it will shape up the mood, the pace, the framing.

hows listening can take some screening time, allot of factors to shape up how it should be done,

 

[j1clark@ucsd.edu]

Not sure if this is the right place... I need to shoot a scene with the actor playing the piano. I do not expect him to learn the song. Are there any techniques to make it look like he is playing the song and keep continuity with the music?

For most shots that include a 'performance', the close ups on the actor, from a POV over the piano towards the performer.

Any inserts of hands actually hitting the keys, is done with a stunt musician...

As a note, one of the often quoted items on the IMDB 'goofs' category, when the goof is about a film with a performance, is the lack of correct hand position on the instrument (wrong cord on guitar, wrong keys being played on piano, bad hand position on wind instruments...etc...), 'emotional' body language, what have you, So, you're actor/performer needs to look at video/film of someone performing the piece that they will be 'acting' for, then have someone for the stun hands playing...

Unless you're absolutely lucky and have a trained pianist that is also a good actor...
And even then it may still be better to go with the stun hands...

Oh, yeah, if you go with the stunt hands... find some one with hands like your actor... at not some sort of 'Liszt' or 'Rachmaninoff' who had legendary hand spans... (Chopin has 'quick' small hands... for example...)