FILMING A DIALOGUE

Filming dialogue is very common in cinema. When we film a dialogue between two characters, there is either an alternation between the two characters, or we see the two characters interacting.

The most classic technique when we shoot a dialogue is the shot-reverse-shot technique.

What is a shot/reverse shot?

A shot/reverse shot is the act of filming two characters interacting with each other. Most of the time, when filming a dialogue between two characters, you will film one character, then the other. It is this transition from one to the other that forms a shot/reverse shot. The 180-degree rule is therefore useful for dialogue between two or more characters, or when they are facing each other.

What does the 180° rule say? When filming, you should never cross the eye line between two characters, in order to maintain spatial coherence between shots . It is imperative to film the scene on the same side of an imaginary line crossing the two actors facing each other. (You must then draw an imaginary line connecting them, the eye line).

So, to ensure consistency and understanding, to clearly show that the two are facing each other, the camera must never move beyond this axis. The line therefore corresponds to a camera movement of a maximum of 180 degrees.

It can also be said that the characters must always be filmed from the same profile during dialogue scenes. Otherwise, it gives the impression that the two characters are not looking at each other, which breaks the illusion of dialogue. By respecting this simple rule, the viewer cannot be lost in space.