How dialogue is done in Audition.

How my favourite filmmakers do dialogue 2.

I have been researching basic dialogue scenes, which are shot in the stereotypical way, in films I like to see if I can learn how to storyboard and edit these scenes in a way that is more defined and strong than the generic way they often turn out if you shoot them in a way where you’re just getting coverage. What I hope to achieve is to be more excited about the possibility of what can be done in these scenes. Repeatedly filming a whole dialogue scene from different angles and deciding how to cut it in the edit is, in my opinion, wasteful of film (if that is what you are shooting on) and of people’s time. I want to get better at planning the shots in these scenes, with as much detail as I would any other scene, in the hope that dialogue scenes in my films will be stronger as a result.

Last time I did a blog like this I assessed a dialogue scene Takashi Miike’s Ichi The Killer and realised that there was much more to it than just a few over the shoulder shots and an establishing shot. This time I have decided to look at another of his films Audition, as I remembered there being more dialogue scenes in it that are shot in the ordinary way. But, as I am finding out more and more, when it comes to good directors there does not seem to be a standard way of directing these scenes because when you look closely there is usually much more going on.

Audition

The opening shot of this scene is an establishing shot of the two characters. You can see the window leading on to the street in the far background. This shot is not held for very long.

Next there is a shot of Aoyama from a low angle. This shot is taken from a position outside of the space in between the characters, meaning that Aoyama’s relationship to the camera is not as direct as it would be if it was in between them. This makes us feel as though we are watching proceedings from an external position rather than feeling as though we are seeing it from one character’s perspective.

Next we have a similar shot of Asami also taking a drink. The interesting thing about both these shots is that neither character has spoken yet, but there has already been 3 shots. These 3 shots are quite quick ones and the period of silence lasts no longer than you would expect a silence to last in an ordinary conversation, but cutting back and forth like this lengthens the silence and makes us understand that the characters have not reached a stage where their conversations come naturally yet.

Next we have a shot of Aoyama, as he begins to speak. The fact  that we can see a bit of Asami in the side of the shot, makes  us conscious of the intention of reaching her with his words. (Throughout the scene, both characters are shot on a wide enough lens, that you can see their surroundings quite well)

Asami is shot from the side with hair covering her face slightly. Her head is tilted downwards. These things mean that we feel how closed she is at this point in time.

Aoyama asking more questions.

At this point something quite interesting happens. We cut to Asami on the other side. The 180 degree line is broken creating subtle dissonance in the scene. Audition is a film famous for the fact that it suddenly changes course and becomes more dark half way through, but there are things, like this cut, that happen earlier in the film that foreshadow what happens in the second half. We feel uneasy about Asami from the beginning and shots like this help us to feel that way. This side of Asami is much less covered than the other side, as we are closer and her hair is behind her ear. It is almost as if we are being allowed to see more of the real Asami than Aoyama is getting to see, as the shots from her other side represent what she is like on the outside and this side is a glimpse into her inner world.

Here we have a more distant shot taken from the street. Once again we are on the other side of the 180 degree line.

Now we have a shot of Asami, where the camera’s angle has closed in from the side shots we were previously seeing of her. This has the effect of making her seem weaker than she was when she was being shot from the side. This as she is being asked about something which she is not as good at lying about.

Aoyama is now shot from the side,making him seem stronger than he was before when we saw him eagerly leaning in towards us. He is asking questions which could potentially unmask Asami at this early stage in their relationship, saving him the torment and horror he has to endure at the end of the film.

Asami is then shot from the side again as the subject is changed. She is closed again and less exposed than she was when discussing the thing she had difficulty lying about.

We then see another long shot of the two characters. This time from the other side looking towards the street from the inside of the restaurant. In this shot the people, who were around them before have disappeared. This implies that the conversation has been going on for much longer than we feel it has.

Despite there being no break in the conversation, we have suddenly moved to a new location. The new location is almost sneaked into the film. There is  no establishing shot to announce its entry. This is an interesting way of showing that Aoyama and Asami have reached the stage that they are now at over several dates, without having to show the audience the unimportant stuff, like the end of the last date and the beginning of this one. Instead Miike edits both dates together into one conversation.

In this shot the camera is inside the space between the two characters. Looking very directly at Asami. We see her from almost the same angle as Aoyama. We are more aware of her beauty and we are now being manipulated directly by her, as he is. The environment we are in is warmer and more inviting, but it is also darker, more red and more toxic.

   

Next there is an unusual shot of the location from above.

In this shot we see Aoyama from a more open angle than Asami in the last shot meaning we are not looking at him as directly as we look at Asami. She is in the stronger and firmer position.

We are then drawn in closer to Asami. Aoyama is then filmed from the space in between the two characters. We can feel his connection to her.