How do directors film people having a conversation? In this essay I will look at how directors like michael slovis film people having a conversation and the different techniques that they can use. There are many reasons why directors film conversations and film them the way they do. A lot of the time it is to create intensity or dramatic effect depending on the camerawork because different camera angles can mean different things depending on the situation in the scene. To do this they use different camera angles. For example, if the scene was extremely intense then they would probably uses an extreme close up or just a close up to create the intensity. If the scene was starting to become intense then they would most probably modulate to a close up from a mid shot to slowlycreate tension between the characters and also to make the audience feel the tension and become more invested in the scene. When filming a conversation there are rules that directors follow like the 180 degree rule which is where there is an imaginary line between the 2 characters this then means that the shot must alaways be on the same side of the characters otherwise the scene and conversation would look distorted and wouldn’t flow nicely. Another rule is the master shot this is known as the main shot in the scene and it is the shot that the director always refers back to so this produces a sense of smootheness. The director also has to make sure that there is head room and also nose room an example of this is in breaking bad and also coffee and cigarettes where the director makes sure that the characters heads aren’t cut off and that they are in the scene and also so they have room behind them aswell. One of the last rules is the rule of thirds where there are invisible lines which separates the screen into thirds and makes sure that the characters are in the same third or a third. The last rule is continuity which is about the editing and the directords much make sure that the scene has no jumps in it and that the scene looks smooth. These techniques are used because altogether they make the scene complete but also by using all these different techniques they all create different effects and purposes in the scene like the rule of thirds can display authority and also power depending on if the characters are in equal thirds. The 180 degree rule makes the conversation look fluent and smooth because the camerawork is all on the same side. Making sure that they have head room makes the scene look organised and smart and also makes sure that the whole character is in frame. There are a few tips that directors use these are: using a shot variety to make the scene interesting and not boring, one camera vs two camera shots and also pick ups. These are all used for various reasons and add different elements to the scenes.
In conclusion directors film conversations in different ways and have alot of unspoken rules to follow in order to acheive a great scene. There are many tips that they follow and they can also justify why they use the techniques and the tips.