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Actor's eyes flit back and forth during conversation close-in scenes

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DaveH

Member
Most actors can hold a steady gaze and eye contact during a close-in conversation scene, but I've noticed a few actors who should be looking into the eyes of the person they're talking to but instead their eyes move back and forth, left to right, continually during the scene. I'm curious if anyone with insight into acting knows why that is.

Some theories include script recall (the eye movement is involuntarily acting out the "reading" of a memorized script page), focal length (the close-in shots are ridiculously close and the eyes are jumping from eye to eye of the other performer in order to maintain contact), nerves (again the close in scenes are uncomfortably close), bad habit (they could maintain eye contact if they wanted but are speaking dialog on auto-pilot as their eyes rove around)... etc

So anyone know why some actor's eyes twitch back and forth during close-in dialog scenes?
 

dudeworld

Member
you can't look at both eyes at the same time during a conversation, so some people switch which eye they're looking at. you really didn't know this?
 

btrboyev

Member
Cue Mark Walberg gif.

Actually I think the movement happens more frequently than you think, eye muscles constantly do this.
 
SfEJI.gif
 

Stet

Banned
pruitt-taylor-vince-01.jpg


This actor actually has a condition where his eyes flit back and forth uncontrollably. Never found it distracting from his characters though.
 

DietRob

i've been begging for over 5 years.
Maybe they didn't memorize their lines and are actually reading them from a poster board behind the actor they are supposed to be looking at.
 

oneHeero

Member
I'd say your theories would be pretty accurate, that's what would cause my eyes to twitch.
I'm not an actor
 

dudeworld

Member
I'm talking more about scenes that are so close-in there really isn't anything else for the actor to look at, whereas this guy is undoubtedly surveying the room. I already mentioned the focal length thing with the other person's eyes, but you'd imagine they'd be coached to focus on one eye.

why would they be coached to focus on one eye when regular, non-actors do this too...
 
you can't look at both eyes at the same time during a conversation, so some people switch which eye they're looking at. you really didn't know this?

Agreed. It's more realistic, in my opinion, as well. Try to remember the last time you stared directly into the eyes of someone for an extended period of time without diverting your gaze. You can't.
 

leadbelly

Banned
Do people maintain eye contact at all times during a conversation? I think that would be a little intense actually. lol
 

DaveH

Member
why would they be coached to focus on one eye when regular, non-actors do this too...
Because most acting is less about reality and more about performance... you rip one during a take and they go again, they don't just use it one the argument that regular people fart. Make-up, hair, lighting, etc. Most close-in dialogue scenes are about a certain level of intensity, which is why most actors hold a steady gaze to project that.
 

DaveH

Member
Agreed. It's more realistic, in my opinion, as well. Try to remember the last time you stared directly into the eyes of someone for an extended period of time without diverting your gaze. You can't.
The main way shows resolve this is by cutting away and showing the conversation from the other person's point of view. Realize that these scenes generally have speakers unnaturally close spewing ridiculous dialogue anyways so it's not like reality is the point, a stylized form of reality is.
 

DaveH

Member
Lighting?
More about style or performance than reality (like make-up, like holding a gaze, like standing unnaturally close during a conversation, etc). His argument is that "This happens in real life and thus should happen in performances." I'm saying that even if the window faces East, that won't stop them from using lighting to create a sunset shot if the performance demands it.
 

dudeworld

Member
More about style or performance than reality (like make-up, like holding a gaze, like standing unnaturally close during a conversation, etc). His argument is that "This happens in real life and thus should happen in performances." I'm saying that even if the window faces East, that won't stop them from using lighting to create a sunset shot if the performance demands it.

yeah you're really stretching it imo. the answer is because that's how some people have conversations. I, personally, only look in one eye and occasionally switch, other people constantly switch. I highly doubt it goes any deeper than that
 

MrOogieBoogie

BioShock Infinite is like playing some homeless guy's vivid imagination
Well, staring into someone's eyes isn't the easiest thing to do. It can be very nerve-racking.

However, speaking from experience, an actor whose eyes wander during a scene just isn't as emotionally invested perhaps into the circumstance or the person working opposite him/her as he/she can be.

If you're really, genuinely connected to the person standing across from you, as an actor all your focus and attention should BE on that person.
 
at film school I worked with actors that would do this.

The ones I asked admitted it was a concentration method, i.e. slowly moving eye to eye to keep the rhythm of what lines they have memorized.

I tried doing it myself and it just didn't make sense to me. :/
 

MrOogieBoogie

BioShock Infinite is like playing some homeless guy's vivid imagination
at film school I worked with actors that would do this.

The ones I asked admitted it was a concentration method, i.e. slowly moving eye to eye to keep the rhythm of what lines they have memorized.

I tried doing it myself and it just didn't make sense to me. :/

Because that's a dumb-fuck McActing style of line memorization.

As an actor, you never, EVER, under any circumstance want to have to remember what your lines are. It kills not only you but anyone else you're working with as well. You want the lines to be so emotionally embedded into your brain that they come off naturally reacting and working off the other person.
 
I notice this in regular conversation all of the time. Although personally I find myself always just keeping contact on one eye.
 

Kinyou

Member
I think it's them switching between the eyes the look at. That would also explain why it only happens in close scenes.
 
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