2 Tips to Turn a Monologue into a TV/Film Scene for your Reel!

MONOLOGUE to TV/FILM SCENE

You’re either going to have a monologue in your back pocket or you’re going to go out there and find one that will fit the missing character you’re looking for! Of course you want it to resonate, of course you want it to be something that you can physically play, and of course you’ve already done the proper decision making to know what those are. If you need a little help feel free to check out these Monologue Books here. We are here to turn your monologue into something even more beneficial - A useful scene for your Actor Demo Reel. We have 2 tips to help you do that! -The Telephone Scene & -Interjection Dialogue.

Both of these methods are very similar, and create a 2 person interaction, but will create a different type of scene to film for your reel. Let’s go over the creation process of each and what it takes for filming purposes and the production value you will get out of them! We even have examples of each to show you below.

1. The Telephone Scene

-Creating the Scene-
Honestly I love this take on a monologue. Overall you need to decide who you are talking to and what the relationship is. I’m sure you have already made these decisions in your Actor Preparation! Now, imagine the person that was once standing across from you, is now on the other line of a cell phone call. Pick up your cellphone, call your best friend and recite your monologue. See how natural it is, look out for what doesn’t make sense any more and adjust properly. Remember cell phone calls are still a 2-way conversation, so you may want to “listen” to the person on other line of the phone, whether it’s a quick line of dialogue a gasp of air or a laugh. Part of acting is also re-acting. This doesn’t mean when you film you have to record the other side of the phone (but you can to add production value).

-Filming the Scene-
The great thing about The Telephone Scene, is that filming it for your reel can be very simple! 1. You need great sound, that’s a given for all film shoots no matter what! Please feel free to write me directly if you have sound questions. 2. You can use 1 static shot, or be creative with a gimbal, or tripod head, or whatever, but you don’t need to actually do any post production cutting if you do this right!!! I recommend making the scene no longer than 30 seconds, film the arc of the scene if it’s a 2 minute monologue. Also, if you have someone who knows how to “pull focus” or you have a camera that has auto focus, I suggest giving yourself some movement in the shot. Movement in the frame forward adds intensity, movement away from the camera creates a feeling of ease, hovering on the edges of the frame can be rattling and off putting. Look at yourself on camera using your frame. You can really create a lot of feelings with movement! With all that said, make sure you are grounded! So be decisive in your blocking, and make it feel natural.

Below is an example of a “Telephone Scene” I did for my own reel. In this case, we used a lavaliere mic, a Sony A7III on a tripod with a swivel head, and it was myself and my camera operator. Minor editing, with no cuts (except to trim the opening and ending), just some simple monologue dialogue adjustments, very specific blocking coming towards camera, and slight movement in the tripod head. I also cheated a little bit by giving the scene a title in the corner to make it seem like it was actually out of a indie film!

Brett Newton’s Monologue Scene + Reel
(Feel free to watch the whole thing, but we’re here specifically for the opening scene)

The great thing about filming it this way, is that it still feels as though it’s part of a bigger project. We get the essence of you on screen, we see you interacting with another character off screen, and if you’re not a super savvy editor it’s an easy way to create high production value! Now on to…

2. Interjection Dialogue

-Creating the Scene-
In the Telephone Scene you’re the only one on screen, in the Interjection Dialogue there are now two of you on screen. I have been filming “monologue scenes” for years now with multiple on screen actors and it came to a point where we wanted to see the Co-Actor’s reactions, we wanted to feel as though they were living in the scene as well. Seeing their reactions wasn’t always enough, so on the day of the shoot with the two actors, we started adding injection dialogue. We do this in a very simple manner. Before we start filming we have our main actor say his/her monologue and as we go through listening, whenever we find a nice place to react, we add a subtle line of dialogue for the other character. In most cases it’s not more than a sentence, if even that, but it’s enough. We do this 2-3 times throughout the monologue and now we have a 2 person scene. We will then rehearse the two Actor’s out loud with their dialogue, and give very simple blocking.

-Filming the Scene-
Then we shoot. Of course we get our main Actor’s coverage first, with multiple performances and then switch angles to get our Co-Star. You can add an insert or two if you like, but keeping it simple keeps it about the Actors. With this way you need to be a little more savvy as an editor to make this come to life.

Below are two examples of monologues we turned into 2 person scenes with some simple interjection dialogue. These were filmed very simply with one over the should (OTS) shot of each character and then cut for a back and forth conversation. We did very simple blocking for these. Feel free to add in an insert or a 2 shot for some more diversity in filming!

Monologue Interjection Dialogue Drama
Monologue Interjection Dialogue Comedy

The great thing about filming with interjection dialogue is that you can turn your monologue into a full on scene. If you already have it memorized and created a great character, now you can bring it to the next level on camera for your Actor’s Demo Reel!

Please feel free to reach out anytime with REEL questions. I’m always open to educate and insight! Btw, if you’re looking for some original monologues check out these TV/Film Monologue Books. Feel free to leave a comment below or email me directly!

In the comments below let me know what you want to learn about next!!!

Looking forward to the next one!

Brett Newton