How do I film a Phone convo with 1 person on screen??

I'm not sure if this is the right section...sorry if it isnt

anyways...im writing a screenplay that relies heavily on a conversation between 2 characters on the phone...my question is...when filming one of my characters on the phone...how do i film that??

in other words when there are 2 actors in a scene, they can act off of each other....but if only one person is in a scene how does that person know when to say his/her lines since the other actor isnt in the room to act out the scene with them.

like im thinkin maybe i can just have the second actor off camera reading his lines so the actor on screen will have something to work with....

i may have the cuts through out the scene to show both actors tlkn to each other...but still...how do i go about filming a scene which only one actor is having a conversation with another actor who isnt in the same room???

help please
 
If thats the way you want to go then go ahead. Filming is all about what works for you and your actors. Although I would say the simplest way to do this is give them the lines, and then film actor 1 saying their lines all by themselves into the phone. The have actor 2 saying his/her lines into the phone doing whatever they are doing. Then in editing is when you get to do the movie magic and put the cuts together or however exactly you wanted to do it.
 
If thats the way you want to go then go ahead. Filming is all about what works for you and your actors. Although I would say the simplest way to do this is give them the lines, and then film actor 1 saying their lines all by themselves into the phone. The have actor 2 saying his/her lines into the phone doing whatever they are doing. Then in editing is when you get to do the movie magic and put the cuts together or however exactly you wanted to do it.

hey thanx....thats a good idea....i also wanted to have a voice over for which ever character isnt on the screen at the time....so i just want the timing to be right between responses...thanx tho...that was pretty helpful...if u have any more suggestions then please tell me
 
Oh you can easily do the voiceover! Im guessing your not very experienced with editing. (nothing wrong with that at all!) There are soooooooo many tiny minute things you can change in todays editing programs with just a click of your mouse. Try it my way, try it your way, try it every which way since your new at it. Play with your editing program and get a better grasp of it. All you have to do is record the voiceover onto your computer and lay it in on top of the clip. Then you can move it in tiny tiny increments or bigger increments until you get it just how you like it.

I don't edit much right now, but when I first started I'd spend hours just playing with clips and all the cool things I could do with them. Maybe you should try and do the same. :D
 
Oh you can easily do the voiceover! Im guessing your not very experienced with editing. (nothing wrong with that at all!) There are soooooooo many tiny minute things you can change in todays editing programs with just a click of your mouse. Try it my way, try it your way, try it every which way since your new at it. Play with your editing program and get a better grasp of it. All you have to do is record the voiceover onto your computer and lay it in on top of the clip. Then you can move it in tiny tiny increments or bigger increments until you get it just how you like it.

I don't edit much right now, but when I first started I'd spend hours just playing with clips and all the cool things I could do with them. Maybe you should try and do the same. :D

thanx!!!! and yeah....i used to film and edit little short films...but i havnt had a camera for a while and i FINALLY saved up and bought one....(im so happy)...and yea i cant wait to get back into filming and editing....i'd say im some what experienced..so yeah thanx...ima just play with it!!! thanx again
 
I know people are probably sick of me posting this, but there is fairly long phone conversation at the beginning of SCREAMIN' DEMON.

My wife and I acted the parts and I did say my lines, quietly, while she talked into the phone. She wasn't there when I did mine, but I had less lines. The point is, we did it both ways - once, with someone to play off of and once not. I've also had an actor go into another room and just call from his cell, so that the person being shot could just hear them that way.

I use a high pass audio filter ( I cut out the lower 1000 hz) to make the person on the phone sound they are talking through the phone speaker.
 
i also wanted to have a voice over for which ever character isnt on the screen at the time....so i just want the timing to be right between responses...thanx tho...that was pretty helpful...if u have any more suggestions then please tell me

I just want to correct your terminology so you don't have any confusion with both sound and picture editors in the future. This is not voice-over, it is off-screen dialog, it can be production sound or ADR. Voice-over is a narrator, etc.

It is not unusual to have the talent actually converse on phones and to record both ends of the phone conversation; all you need is a second mic for the off-screen actor.
 
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