I am booming for a friend who's directing, and not sure how to do this one. She wants me to record dialogue in a mastershot of two people arguing and they are talking over each other. But then I got two people's dialogue recorded on the same track simultaneously, thereby making it bad for editing later. Should I recommend that one actor mouth's there lines but doesn't speak, and then we just do half the takes, like that, then the other half with the other mouthing their lines. Then the editor puts recorded dialogue over the mouthed take of whichever master shot take is the best?
How to record the dialogue in this scene?
- Thread starter harmonica44
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Record it as is.
Get wilds of the individual lines IMMEDIATELY after the scene is completed.
If they are doing over-the-shoulder or other shots where the mouths of the actors are not seen then you can suggest to the director that the actors performing one line at a time without stepping on each other could possibly be an option.
Always keep in mind that it is your job to accommodate the directors wishes and to make suggestions that will enhance his/her project. The director has the final word, and s/he will have to live with their decisions.
Get wilds of the individual lines IMMEDIATELY after the scene is completed.
If they are doing over-the-shoulder or other shots where the mouths of the actors are not seen then you can suggest to the director that the actors performing one line at a time without stepping on each other could possibly be an option.
Always keep in mind that it is your job to accommodate the directors wishes and to make suggestions that will enhance his/her project. The director has the final word, and s/he will have to live with their decisions.
The director wants a mastershot only, and wants it to be an 'all in one take' type of scene. So nothing to cut too, without seeing a jump cut.
Overlapping dialogue is one of those things which should always be avoided and is usually a sign of an inexperienced screenwriter and/or director.
There is no way to record this with a boom and get acceptable results because you can of course only point the boom at one person at a time and the dialogue of whoever you are not pointing the boom at will not be usable but will still ruin the other dialogue. Even using 2 individual lavs may not help, depending on how far apart the two actors are.
Without doubt, take Alcove's advice and record wilds as soon as the shots are completed. Chances are high that this scene is going to end up on the ADR list.
G
There is no way to record this with a boom and get acceptable results because you can of course only point the boom at one person at a time and the dialogue of whoever you are not pointing the boom at will not be usable but will still ruin the other dialogue. Even using 2 individual lavs may not help, depending on how far apart the two actors are.
Without doubt, take Alcove's advice and record wilds as soon as the shots are completed. Chances are high that this scene is going to end up on the ADR list.
G
Your a busy guy, booming for your friend, recording two actors walking by, do you have any links to your ongoing work?
I guess how wide this mastershot is gonna be, the position of the actors and how noisy an environment is dictate a lot of how you can go about this.
If it is a wide shot with actors right up close, as confrontations tend to be, a single lav may well catch them both adequately, if not two. Besides, if it's very wide you may not really see their lips move well enough and get some wilds with both actors facing you and your shotty or facing each other equidistant from an omni in a quiet environment. With medium shot of two actors up close to each other you may well be able to get decent but not brilliant results with one boom mic, especially a hypercardiod.
If it is a wide shot with actors right up close, as confrontations tend to be, a single lav may well catch them both adequately, if not two. Besides, if it's very wide you may not really see their lips move well enough and get some wilds with both actors facing you and your shotty or facing each other equidistant from an omni in a quiet environment. With medium shot of two actors up close to each other you may well be able to get decent but not brilliant results with one boom mic, especially a hypercardiod.
That seems really silly. I've learned that if you have a wide mastershot like that then the dialogue isn't as important for that shot. As long as you have the dialogue for the mediums and close-ups for both characters then the editor shouldn't have to many problems when they put stuff together. If the editor does have a problem I would suggest don't cut into the mastershot more than once (if that makes sense).
Now, if she wants to just do a mastershot and be done with it- I would stop her and say that she needs to have mediums and close-ups, because your mastershots will not be the same, resulting in weird editing that won't match up. Hope that helps.
Now, if she wants to just do a mastershot and be done with it- I would stop her and say that she needs to have mediums and close-ups, because your mastershots will not be the same, resulting in weird editing that won't match up. Hope that helps.
I wish I did but my friends are not done their projects and will not have them for youtube or anything yet.
Well she wants it to be an argument in a mastershot. I think there was a scene in Unbreakable that was a heated argument in a master shot if I remember correctly. Maybe she is going for something like that, maybe a master is more intense in some ways. But she wants it all done in a master for style. Well ADR is the route to go then.
As I said, and it comes out better then ADR 90% of the time:
You can also wire 'em up with lavs.
You can also wire 'em up with lavs.
If two people are arguing simultaneously though, the lavs will pick them up both up.
Yes, but it gives another editing option, and will probably be a little clearer than a distant boomed mic. You want all the options you can get when editing dialog.
And, once again - Get wilds of the individual lines IMMEDIATELY after the scene is completed.
And, once again - Get wilds of the individual lines IMMEDIATELY after the scene is completed.