What shoulder do I shoot over?

J

jerbuds

Active member
Hey guys...

This is going to be a little complicated I think to explain...but here goes...


You have 3 actors in a triangle formation. I want to shoot over each actors shoulder and cut back and forth and in between each actor. Each actor communicates with each other actor.

Now...I know you have to change shoulders when shooting from one actor to another when they are talking to each other...but what if there is 3 in that triangle situation. One actor will have to switch shoulders if you went around in a circle to each actor. Or would you just have one actor use the same shoulder twice to communicate with two of the other actors?


I hope this made since...

Please help,

Jeremy
 
How does the dialogue play out? Are 2 people trying to convince the third to do something? Is it just 3 guys talking about random stuff? The way in which the conversation plays out ultimately determines how you shoot it. If it's 2 people on the same side arguing with the third person, frame the two people on the same side in the same frame, and give the loner his own frame.

You could always shoot a wide shot, and have the 3 people face the camera, so it's a half circle more than a triangle, you could do a wide with the middle guy in the middle of the frame, and then do over the shoulder shots from the point of the middle guy. You'd be riding that 180 deg. line pretty tightly, but it's another possibility, and it's possible to stay within that boundary if you place the characters together.

A last option would be to do a wide shot of the three people standing in a triangle, if the triangle is important to the story, and then just throw the rules out the window, and just do over the shoulder closeups of whoever the character was talking to. It could be pretty confusing, but if it's like 3 people standing around a pentagram trying to do some incantation or something, then it might be kind of cool to do like a sweeping dolly/steadicam shot rotating around the characters.

It really does depend on the circumstances and how the dialogue plays out though. Give us a little more info and we can help out a bit more :)
 
get the 5 C's of Cinematography book, its a great read. one of the best books on the market. Its' not such a technical book as it is a story teller's book. Very useful and informative. EAsy to read and will save you years of trial and error. It will answer your question and fill u with new ideas for story telling techniques you never even imagined. It was recommended to me by a very well known DOP named Tom Burstein, check out the name, he's big time.

t
 
John_Hudson said:
If this doesnt scream for the Hollywood Camerawork DVD I dont know what does.

http://www.hollywoodcamerawork.us/
Click to expand...

Amen!

------------------ HCW 101 ------------

Whichever two characters start the exchange will be where the line starts. You pick the initial side of that line where you want to do any initial OTS, (Over The Shoulder).

Whichever of those characters is going to dialog with the third is where the OTS camera for the existing character can become the hinge camera to realize the third character.

Now the line will be between those characters. OTS and internal cameras, (internal is inside the space between characters), for the new dialog will be in effect.

Be aware of where the lines are at all times and how the current hinge camera allows different camera positions to become active or inactive based on which characters are engaged so you don't do a line cross.

Simplify your camera setups as well by having characters conveniently step into and out of certain shots on the marks you'll set up which transform your cameras and reduce cuts and produce keyframes based on movement.

Look at your script for the five basic reasons causing characters to move:

1. Initiative
2. Control/Territory
3. Discomfort
4. Becoming more personal
5. Becoming more private
 
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