If you've ever seen The Wizard of Oz with the sound turned off and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon turned up (and enjoyed it), you'll love this.

Two movies (similar in plot or not) that when watched side by side, interact with each other. Maybe in one scene on the left side movie, someone will put down their Pepsi off screen on the right and someone in the other movie will pick up a Coca-Cola from off screen on the left side.

Let's say that the two movies are both about a neighborhood war between middle school students and high school students. Each movie would be shown from each sides' perspective (cool already) PLUS when watched side by side, you would see both sides at the same time. Here's an example: The middle school students are at an arcade, having a good time. In the background, you'll see the high school students arrive and look through the window at them. The high school students are obviously talking. In the other movie, you'll see the middle school students from outside and you'll hear the high school students talking: "Look at those stupid kids, hey Pete, let's go get your baseball bat and wait for them over there". Back to the other movie, "Why'd they just leave like that?".

Basically, you get to watch both sides of a conflict at once. You'd have to make it so that neither movie is talking at the same time, but it'd be pretty cool if you pulled it off. What are some other things a movie diptych could do?
-- Th3Lung, Mar 04 2004

Mystery Train http://www.cduniver...8418&cart=179571358
This would require at least 3 screens, but would be perfect for this idea. [Klaatu]

Arcadia http://www.amazon.c...102-9004080-5827305 [Klaatu, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

Arcadia http://www.amazon.c...102-9004080-5827305
[migennes, Oct 04 2004]

24 http://www.tvtome.com/24/
[migennes, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

Time Code http://www.metacrit...eo/titles/timecode/
Simultaneously shows the audience four separate digital "movies" shot simultaneously in 93 minutes of real time, with some interesting intersections of stories. [jurist, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

Grand Prix http://www.rottento...t&page=1&rid=233338
Starring James Garner. Four, five six and more simultaneous split screens during track sequences. [jurist, Oct 04 2004]

The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) http://www.rottento...lt&page=1&rid=19529
"Cinematographer Haskell Wexler has come up with some neat visual gimmicks, splitting the screen into multiple smaller screens wherein a variety of action takes place. This gives the film great pace, and is a wonderful way to illustrate the key bank robbery at the start of the movie. It recurs throughout to keep things lively..." [jurist, Oct 04 2004]

Ooh, sounds great! Possibilities are endless.
-- spacecadet, Mar 04 2004


I have a candidate movie <link>. Great idea [+]
-- Klaatu, Mar 04 2004


Movie triptychs have been made, with the same plots or timeframes seen from the perspectives of different protagonists. The third episode of one just came out, to yawningly lackluster reviews.

I couldn't tell you if they make sense run side by side.
-- DrCurry, Mar 04 2004


This is baked on TV in the US in a show called 24. Up to four different viewpoints are seen at a time. Sometimes they are on the same event, sometimes on different events happening at different places at the same time.

For our non-American friends who may not be familiar with this show, the main gimmick is that each episode is an hour of "real-time", and they go in order to create one whole "day" of 24 hours.

Another thing this idea made me think of was the play "Arcadia" by Tom Stoppard. It takes places at two different time frames, 100 years apart, but in the same room of the same house. Scenes flip back and forth between the two times, with different actors but essentially the same set. If an actor brings in an item, it can then be used by the actors in the other time. If it would be anachronistic, then they ignore the new object on their stage. A fun thing here is that the modern-day actors are trying to figure out what happened back then, and here we are, the readers/audience, watching it happen.
-- migennes, Mar 05 2004


I'll have to look in to both Arcadia and 24. The more I hear about 24, the more I like it. Remember, it isn't baked if it doesn't make sense side by side. DrCurry, what movies are you talking about?
-- Th3Lung, Mar 05 2004


The recent "Time Code" [link], and portions of the older films "Grand Prix" and the original "Thomas Crown Affair" used split screening to useful (and at the time novel) effect.
-- jurist, Mar 05 2004


Oh man, I would KILL to be the editor for something like this.
-- egads, Mar 05 2004


While we're giving examples, Abel Gance's silent film Napoleon was made so as to be projected on three screens, one at the front of the audience and one to either side, giving a triptych effect.
-- kropotkin, Mar 05 2004


I've got two words for you man... Pulp Fiction.

Your diptych idea is nice, but if the sound focus is only ever in one, it would just quickly become annoying and reduce the visual appeal. Lots of movies, have been made where stories interact and interlace - try Short Cuts for instance, or Sliding Doors. The simple fact is that these movies work better by cutting from one story to the other, rather than showing two (or more) together. Without being too negative, multiple frames can work well for short sequences, but not a whole movie.
-- fergdeff, Mar 05 2004


Looking at this idea it may work better as pornography style, able to switch from one 1/2 screen to the other, but then it would be close to the angle idea on DVDs. <side point> does anyone have any DVDs with thw multiple angle view feature</side point>
-- engineer1, Mar 05 2004


So far, the only real baked version of my idea is Abel Gance's silent film Napoleon. But do each diffirent portion make sense by themselves? Probably not. I want each portion to be realeased as seperate movie. No one would know that they go together at all except for the fact that they were directed by the same guy, and maybe the movie poster could be a diptych. The plot itself doesn't even have to be the same at all. Picture the Rocky Horror Picture Show (live showings) where people say things and the movie responds in amusing ways except that it's two different movies side by side that's doing it.
-- Th3Lung, Mar 05 2004



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