Filmmaking / Directing : The Camera as a Dance Partner in Two-Person Scenes by Ehsan Rahimpour

Organic Tension: Using Angles Instead of Cuts in Moving Conversations

When you’re working on the blocking of a two-person dialogue scene with movement, the essential element is the rhythm of movement. It’s tempting to rely on rapid cuts or multiple framings, but here’s the nuance: if you treat the characters’ blocking as a kind of dance, the camera stops being a passive recorder and becomes an active partner in that choreography.

- For example, when one character steps forward, rather than cutting, you can let the camera track smoothly with them, keeping the energy continuous.

- When the dialogue builds toward tension, shifting the camera’s angle instead of changing the shot size can make the confrontation feel more immediate and natural.

- In essence, blocking in these scenes is less about static positioning and more about shaping the flow of gaze and movement.

This way, the audience doesn’t just listen to the dialogue—they inhabit the space, sensing the exchange with their whole body.