The Engaging Conversationalist by Frank Lawrence

A conversation, by nature, is two sided.  Most conversations are viewed from the outside with someone physically hearing and seeing all parties.  The obvious exceptions being telephone conversations, conversations taking place through thin walls, etc.  Yet, whenever we see a conversation in person but not both parties are visible, it seems odd.  I involved confusion and frustration in the conversation I had with my friends in the common room because the emotions felt by the two girls not in the shot simply have to be speculated by the exasperation in their voice and not in the physical cues we often look for.  I wanted to examine how easily it would be to figure out exactly what the two other characters in the conversation were feeling solely through their voice.  Also, I figured it would be interesting to see whether or not the viewer of the film felt uncomfortable or awkward simply because they’re not used to seeing one side of a conversation in person.  I wanted to leave the viewer with a sense of want for the two other girls in the video to enter the shot.