How do you show connection between two characters without saying a word?
Today, we're going to break down a scene from Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joyce
HBO series "Westworld."
To illustrate how camera placement can connect or disconnect
two characters within a scene.
How?
The over the shoulder shot.
Over the shoulder
or OTS shots
are one of the first things you learn about when becoming a filmmaker.
And OTS shot will connect your characters.
Whereas a single shot will disconnect your characters.
We're going to use StudioBinder`s production software
to break down this scene from "Westworld."
Before we start,
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As we begin with our example,
we're going to show you how using an OTS shot in your scene
will connect your characters.
In this scene, the creator of the park Dr. Robert Ford
is set to have a meeting with the head of quality assurance.
Theresa Cullen.
"- We're simply concerned about the extent of the changes you're making.
We want to protect your legacy.
- My legacy?"
Soon into the scene,
we land at this shot.
An over the shoulder medium close-up.
"- You don't like this place very much,do you?"
We cut to Theresa
who is matched with an OTS MCU.
Jonah Nolan,
as he's known by the filmmaking community,
visually introduces the waiter at the beginning of this scene.
This character initially has no lines,
but his presence is very much intentional.
A few more line exchanges in these shots
when Nolan cuts to a wide OTS shot obscured by support column.
The obscuring column suggests
that this is a private conversation.
"- I came here once, as a child, with my parents.
I think, we even sat at this table.
Or maybe that one."
When you place your camera over the shoulder of an actor,
you create a subconscious connection within the mind of the viewer that says:
"These two characters are on the same page."
Ford and Theresa are having a meeting,
but the scene doesn't end here.
Number two - Disconnect Your Characters.
Just as having a visual presence
will create an emotional connection,
any visual absence within your frame
will create an emotional disconnection
within the mind of the viewer.
Jonah Nolan knows he can cut to a single
anytime he likes,
but, instead, he decides to do something a little more elegant
and he does it after this line.
"- When I started working here,
I realized this place wasn't something I would enjoy."
Nolan places his camera on a dolly
and uses a push in.
"- In the beginning, I imagined things would be perfectly balanced.
Even had a bet with my partner, Arnold, to that effect.
We made a 100 hopeful storylines.
Of course, almost no one took us up on them.
I lost the bet.
Arnold always held a somewhat dim view of people.
He preferred the hosts.
He beg me not to let you people in, the money men."
The characters cease to be connected.
They are no longer on the same page.
We are no longer in a OTS MCU,
but rather a single close-up.
Then, Nolan brings back our waiter.
"- It's not a business venture, not a theme park, but an entire world."
And the characters are now connected.
Not by one another,
but by the visual presence of the waiter.
Until this happens.
Theresa is completely isolated
signaled by the close-up framing.
When we come back to Ford,
the waiter is still in frame
because Ford and the hosts have a connection.
But Teresa does not.
"- So, I will ask you nicely.
Please don't get in my way."
This moment in the script is establishing to the viewer,
just how alone Theresa really is in Westworld.
Let's recap.
If your script calls for you to connect your characters
use over the shoulder shots.
If you want to disconnect your characters,
use single shots to signal isolation
or an imbalance between the characters.
You can do this gradually with camera movement.
Or change instantly within the cut.
What are your favorite examples of over-the-shoulder framing?
Did the filmmakers use it to signal a connection?
Did they switch to a single?
Tell us in the comments.
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