AMEN: SPLIT SCREEN RESEARCH

Playing with the idea of split screens I wanted to look at other moving image texts that had used this technique to see what I could learn moving forward. I wanted to see how they combined elements and managed to balance them all to tell the narrative or idea. I did some research into these

When sound in the split-screen movie has been discussed, it is usually ascribed a somewhat monotone function and not following the multi strand approach of the visuals as this could be too confusing. For example, Urs Hofer, in a recent PhD on split-screen movies, claims it is a"maxim for many split-screen films is: multiple images – one soundtrack. While the ‘point of view’ is multi-perspectival, the ‘point of hearing’ remains a one-dimensional combination of the different diegetic sound sources, or moves completely to the non-diegetic" This will not be an issue in my Amen Brother piece as there will only be one audio track so a split screen could work and communicate lots of ideas at once. I looked at a variety of moving image clips from lots of movies to see what they all had in common.

Pillow Talk, Michael Gordon (1959) above uses a dynamic angles style to divide up the three elements of a shared phone line and love triangle. The shapes are great and the triangle is represented in the centre frame to almost illustrate this and there are 3 main areas of action/narrative happening.

The Thomas Crown Affair, Norman Jewison (1968), has a great variety of shapes and sizes and 6 areas of action and I really liked the layout and I can see something like this possibly working on my Amen piece. The action is like Pillow Talk all happening concurrently and it shines alight on the details of the events happening. Whilst there are 6 elements some are simply repeated though as there are 5 elements of horse-racing and the character watching on so really only 2 main elements represented.

Timecode by Mike Figgis (2000) is a very flat and uninteresting design but does have 4 elements that are all happening concurrently on the screen. However from watching the film I remember that only one or two were at any time active and the others were passive with not much going on. This drew focus to the main action happening and did not divert attention from it by the other 2-3 screens.

Scott Pilgrim, Edgar Wright (2010) does have an interesting design fanning out the 5 shots to create an interesting effect. BUT they are all the same CU and simply reaction shots all of exactly the same thing from the viewpoint of the characters reactions so there is not all that much to take in.

Moving forward this is what I have learnt and these are the points I want to pursue.

• Not too many elements 2-3 ideally unless all of a very similar theme.
• Design important. I loved the odd split screen of Thomas Crown affair and will develop this.
• Sound works best when it is continual and not a mash up of the sound from all elements of the frame combined.
• It may also be worth looking at magazine layouts and even graphic novels for ideas and to see if there is inspiration here in laying out lots of elements.