How To Find The Best Camera Angles For Dialogue Scenes

HOW TO FIND THE
BEST CAMERA ANGLES

FOR DIALOGUE SCENES
WHEN YOUR MIND GOES
BLANK
_________________________________________
By Sareesh Sudhakaran
_________________________________________
We’ve all been there. The pressure of the situation

gets to us, and we “forget” how to cover an
important dialogue scene or piece of action.
But don’t worry! This guide contains three

bulletproof formulas you can carry on your mobile
phones to get those juices flowing.
I have 17+ years of filmmaking experience in feature

films, short films, commercials and documentaries.
Whenever my mind goes blank, I fall back on this
blueprint. It works!
Let’s get started!
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The BBC System + 1
The BBC developed a system to train its video crew
quickly on how to cover a story. They proposed five
shots, but I’ve added one more. So, you’ll need a
total of six kinds of shots to cover any scene.
The objective of “coverage” is to get enough shots to

give you choices in the editing room to tell a story
properly. The last thing you want to do is find out
you don’t have enough shots.
Here are the six shots:
1. Close-up
2. Over the shoulder
3. Focus on Action
4. Wide shot
5. Another perspective
6. Inserts
It’s best to illustrate with an example of a vignette I

made of metal workers in Ladakh, India. Even
though it’s a documentary, it’s a pressure situation,
and works the same way. I interviewed three
workers still practicing a dying art form.
I had just one chance to get it all:
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1. The close-ups:
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2. The over-the-shoulder (OTS) shots
All of them were sitting with their backs to the wall

so I wasn’t able to get a proper OTS shot. I couldn’t
stand behind them because I would be entering their
personal space, which is not a good idea in
documentaries. And, what if you are cramped for
space? This is how you solve that problem:
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3. Focus on Action shots
These can be close ups or mid shots, but you need

to isolate the action, that’s the goal. Try to get
multiple angles if you can, like this shot, two angles
of the same action:
More action:
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Tip: When shooting a dialogue scene, remember
this. Always make the actors do something, even if
it’s minor. What they do can be a reflection of their
thoughts and emotions at that point in time.
4. The wide shot
This is the shot that shows the person, the action

and their surroundings together. Make them as wide
as you can go while still keeping them relevant:
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5. Inserts
I’ve also found you need a few cutaway shots or

inserts that you can throw in during a dialogue or
interview. These enrich and add depth to the story
being told:
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6. Another perspective
Step back and shoot in a totally different way. One

wide-angle shot would give you one perspective;
this one will give you a totally different angle. Make
sure the shot is at least 90o away from the other
wide-angle shot, or maybe in a different location:
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The goal of this shot is to provide another
perspective. In this case the old metal workers are
put in perspectives we didn’t have of them before. It
adds more depth to the characters.
Get creative here!
So, what’s next?
The Hollywood System

Who doesn’t know this system? It’s simple and
elegant, and designed to handle dialogue scenes
with enough coverage, regardless of scene-type.
Proven over a century of use.
Here are the five shots:
1. The master (wide-shot, everybody’s in the

frame)
2. The mid shots (one person or more in the
frame)
3. Close ups
4. Over the shoulder shots
5. Inserts
Tip: While shooting, try to preserve the order of

these shots as listed above. The most important
shot (which could also be the hardest and most time
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consuming to light, setup and perform) is done first.
Usually, this is the master shot.
1. The master or wide shot
A shot is called a master when the entire action is

covered, otherwise it’s just a wide shot. In editing
you can break up a master, but at least you’ll have
your entire scene. Hollywood films with good
budgets break up the master and shoot from
multiple angles. An indie filmmaker cannot afford
that. You have to pick one angle.
For a master shot, ask yourself: What’s the best

place and angle to see the action clearly - in its
entirety?
Here are a few examples from Hangover, directed

by Todd Phillips, from the scene where Mike Tyson
shows up. These are not necessarily masters, but
just examples of a wide shot:
Another example that pops up midway through the
scene (note the shots can be edited in any order):
2. The mid shots
Once the master is shot you move in to the mid

shot. A mid shot can be of two people (“Two-shot”)
or three people (“Three-shot”), or just one person (a
“Solo”). E.g., here’s a three-shot:
The actors repeat the entire scene again in the mid

shot. Those not in the frame will stand at their
positions off screen and feed the actor lines so it will
flow naturally. You need good actors to repeat the
dialogues every single time. Also, the emotional
performance intensifies from master to the final
close up, so actors get a chance to warm up as well.
Here are more mid shots from the same scene:
Of course, a mid shot might need a reverse (called a

“reverse shot”) to see who someone is talking to:
3. Close-ups
Close-ups are used to eliminate distractions so the

audience is only focused on what the character is
saying at that point. The entire scene need not be
repeated, though some directors insist on it. Here’s
a close up of Mike Tyson:
Typically you might have a reverse as well of the
other character, but in this scene the director chose
only one close up, and this scene was all about Mike
Tyson.
4. Over the shoulder (OTS) shots
Over the shoulder shots are used for confrontations.

The back of one actor is always in the frame, so the
audience is always aware of his or her presence.
Also, the other character can’t get away from this
person either!
When you have an OTS and its reverse, it becomes

a direct confrontation:
5. Inserts
Finally, we have inserts (also called “cutaways”), just

like in the BBC System. Sometimes you need
information on a detail or just need some cutaway
shot to smooth over a jump cut. In this particular
scene there aren’t any, but the shot right after it is
one type of cutaway:
A reaction shot can also be a cutaway:
The disadvantage of the Hollywood system is that

you need to repeat the action multiple times, and
you’ll be shooting a lot of footage. A simple typical
two-person dialogue can involve between seven to
ten shots. The advantage is the director gets a lot of
choices in the edit. One shot cannot make or break
your scene, that’s the idea. Fool proof.
I once shot a tough 4-person dialogue scene that I

decided to cover in the Hollywood system:
This scene took me an entire day to shoot. It was for
my first feature film, The Impossible Murder.
Free Bonus!
If you’d like to see how I covered this

4-person dialogue scene, click here.
Now finally, what if you’re totally out of time to shoot

coverage?
There’s only one solution for that:
The one-take shot
This is my favorite type of shot, and also the hardest
to pull off. You shoot the entire scene or action in
one shot (one take). To make things more dynamic
you could include movement of the actors (blocking)
and/or the camera. Whatever works for the scene!
I’m pretty sure you’ve realized this is nothing but a

master shot. The only difference here is, you try to
make it as dynamic as possible, because you don’t
have other shots to manipulate the scene in editing
if you get the rhythm wrong.
You really need a good crew and actors to nail a

one-take shot. The longer the scene is, the harder
this gets. The best way to learn how it’s done is to
study the great filmmakers, specifically Orson
Welles. This video is a great place to start.
Well, that’s it! Three surefire techniques to get you

through the coverage block. Save this cheat sheet
on your mobile now, and never fear again.
Now go film a dialogue scene!
Sareesh Sudhakaran | wolfcrow.com

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HOW TO FIND THE

BEST CAMERA ANGLES

We’ve all been there. The pressure of the situation

But don’t worry! This guide contains three

I have 17+ years of filmmaking experience in feature

Let’s get started!

The objective of “coverage” is to get enough shots to

Here are the six shots:

It’s best to illustrate with an example of a vignette I

I had just one chance to get it all:

All of them were sitting with their backs to the wall

These can be close ups or mid shots, but you need

4. The wide shot

This is the shot that shows the person, the action

I’ve also found you need a few cutaway shots or

Step back and shoot in a totally different way. One

Get creative here!

So, what’s next?

The Hollywood System

Here are the five shots:

1. The master (wide-shot, everybody’s in the

Tip: While shooting, try to preserve the order of

1. The master or wide shot

A shot is called a master when the entire action is

For a master shot, ask yourself: What’s the best

Here are a few examples from Hangover, directed

2. The mid shots

Once the master is shot you move in to the mid

The actors repeat the entire scene again in the mid

Here are more mid shots from the same scene:

Of course, a mid shot might need a reverse (called a

Close-ups are used to eliminate distractions so the

4. Over the shoulder (OTS) shots

Over the shoulder shots are used for confrontations.

When you have an OTS and its reverse, it becomes

Finally, we have inserts (also called “cutaways”), just

The disadvantage of the Hollywood system is that

I once shot a tough 4-person dialogue scene that I

If you’d like to see how I covered this

Now finally, what if you’re totally out of time to shoot

There’s only one solution for that:

I’m pretty sure you’ve realized this is nothing but a

You really need a good crew and actors to nail a

Well, that’s it! Three surefire techniques to get you

Now go film a dialogue scene!

Sareesh Sudhakaran | wolfcrow.com

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