The Technique of Film and Video Editing, 5th Edition

 

 

CHAPTER 22

Dialog

The dialog sequence is one of the least imaginatively treated types of sequences, although this has started to change. The editor must understand what is most important in a dialog sequence. Generally, a director can opt to film a dialog sequence in a two-shot or in a series of midshots from over the shoulder of each of the participants. Most dialogs proceed as two-character dialogs; occasionally, more than two characters interact in a dialog sequence. Margo’s party for Biull in All About Eve (1950) is a good example of the latter type of dialog sequence.

The choices, then, are not many. The director might include an establishing shot to set up the sequence or might provide close-ups of the key lines of dialog for emphasis. ...