Whether you're planning on faking twins or in short supply of actors, here's some tips that will help you make one actor play multiple characters like a pro.

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There are plenty of movies that make you see double such as Coming To America, The Nutty Professor, or the Nutty Professor 2. Pretty much most Eddie Murphy movies, actually. And while this might seem like a moviemaking trick of the past, it's actually still commonly used today in films like The Prestige, Adaptation, and Now You See Me 2. So whether you're planning on faking twins or in short supply of actors, here's some tips that will help you make one actor play multiple characters like a pro.

The first and easiest way to pull off a multiple character effect is to shoot a wide shot, framed wide enough for all characters. Now it's easy to think you can just set up your camera, shoot a few shots and voilà, you've got doubles! But it's a little trickier than that.

First it's crucial you don't move or bump the tripod or any of the set decor. You need the exact same framing for each character. So any changes to either the camera or the set could result in issues when trying to pull off a seamless crop in post. Second, the correct eyeline is what's really going to sell this effect. So in order to achieve this, use tennis balls on C stands and place them at eye level for the characters they represent.

For example, I did a shoot where an actress was playing seven different characters, so it was imperative that we not only maintain correct eyeline, but also character position. By putting letters on each tennis ball to represent the characters, the actress was able to quickly identify where she should be looking when addressing them.

Now, of course, things get even trickier when your characters are talking to each other, as they can easily step on each other's lines. So to make sure your talent is giving the appropriate amount of space between lines, I recommend having someone on set who can be a dedicated line reader for them. Every time you shoot a shot for a character, the line reader can then read the lines for all the other characters, giving your talent something to play off of and preventing dialogue from overlapping. But while a line reader definitely helps, timing can still sometimes be an issue.

Also make sure you also shoot closeup shots for each character, so you have something to cut away to if need be. Now a wide shot is usually the easiest way to achieve the multiple characters effect, but the effect can be fairly obvious, as characters are most likely staying stationary in their designated parts of the frame. So if you want to really sell that your characters are in the same space, you have to show them overlapping just like other actors would. You can of course achieve this by doing a lot of roto scoping work in after effects, but an even easier way to pull this off is by using a practical camera trick in an over the shoulder shot. By using another actor or actress as a shoulder double, you can make your characters feel like they are in the same space and talking to each other.

It's pretty simple to achieve this if you have only two characters to worry about. Just frame up the shot with the shoulder double and shoot. But you can take this a step farther by having a third character in the shot. To do this, first frame up your shot for all three characters. Then start with over the shoulder double and any character that shares the same side of the frame as they do, making sure neither cross into the third characters side of the frame. And of course, don't forget all those tips for maintaining eye line. Next, have the shoulder double step out and have your talent come back in as the third character in the scene. Again, being careful not to cross over into the other side of the frame. Once stitched together in post, you end up with a shot that feels real and avoids hours of painstaking rotoscoping.

So now that you know how to shoot one actor as multiple characters, you'll have twins in no time.

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