Tricky Shots - Split Screen

In our film we want to use a variety of tricky shots one of them being a split screen.

We would like to use it when Hollie is trying to get in touch with Ethan as on one side we want to see Hollie on the phone ringing Ethan and next to that we want to see Ethan decline the call. When deciding what shots to use for this specific scene as a group we had all seen and enjoyed Kill Bill and remembered that they had used a split screen in their film, and this is where we first found inspiration to use a split screen.

 

 

This clip shows exactly how we would like to do it in our film. Kill Bill is a thriller/action film and uses the split screen to show what is happening to two different characters. The use of a split screen helps to keep the pace of a thriller film fast as it shows you what the separate characters are doing but showing this at the time doesn't make the film longer. It prepares the audience that in some way the women in the bed is linked to the women getting ready with the needles, as the woman lays in bed the music is eerie and when the screen splits the music becomes more fast paced and louder indicating something is to happen.

 

 

 

The shots show the opposite between the two women as the woman laying in bed is helpless and vulnerable and the other woman being able to move around shows she is superior.

 

 

 

 

 

It then pans up the woman's arm in bed at the same time as seeing a needle being prepared to indicate the needle is intended for the helpless woman.

 

 

 The last split screen is of the woman in beds eye being closed, suggesting she is asleep/unconscious or knocked out, the other shot is of the woman with a eye patch on showing she is possibly blind in one eye which is the opposite to the women in bed.

 

 

 

In the clip above it starts off as a long shot which gets smaller as the other shot slides in, to split the screen in half, if we want to start off with Hollie ringing the phone we will need to leave space to the right of Hollie so that when Ethans shot slides in, it doesn't cover any of Hollie up.

 

 

 

 

To enable we can do this tricky shot we have to find out how to do it on final cut express. Although this video shows us how to split the screen into 3 shots instead of 2 it stills helps us to understand how to do the desired effect we want.
 

 

Here is a different version of how to do a split screen on Final Cut Express which is a shorter description and is more relevant to us as we only intend to use 2 shots.