[[quoteright:347:[[VideoGame/StrongBadsCoolGameForAttractivePeople https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/51.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:347: [[SarcasmMode Seamless. Bravo.]]]]

->''"The only reason it falls apart is because I happen to enter the same revolving door, and we do double takes at each other. (This is where film cheats. How the hell would ''he'' know what I'm gonna wear that day?)"''
-->-- '''Creator/LarryDrake''' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-SjA7GyJt8 on]] his role in ''{{Film/Darkman}}''

{{Evil Twin}}s! [[PrinceAndPauper Princes and Paupers]]! AlwaysIdenticalTwins! {{Identical Grandson}}s! {{Identical Stranger}}s! {{Mirror Universe}}s! MesACrowd! These and other nuisances all provide reasons why one actor might need to [[ActingForTwo play two or more roles]]. Here's ''how'' they do it.

If there are a lot of scenes where the two characters spend time together or interact, a pair of identical twin actors is the simplest solution. The Mowry twins, the Heder twins (yes, there are ''two'' Napoleons Dynamite), the Feldman twins (Fanty and Mingo from ''[[Series/{{Firefly}} Serenity]]''), the Sklar brothers, the [[Series/FullHouse Olsen twins]], the [[Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody Sprouse twins]], and the Phelps twins (Fred and George from ''Film/HarryPotter'') come to mind. For an existing character it gets more complex.

The most straightforward way to get two copies of a person in the frame is to use a stand-in and only shoot one face at a time, as in the OverTheShoulder shot.

A second, more complicated, but effective way is to use SplitScreen, with no dividing line, and use the same camera position for both shots. It's hard to get perfect, and disallows any camera moves, but in the analog era it was the best thing going. The technical errors inherent in this are obvious enough, if the backgrounds fail to match up (due to a camera movement) or the actor's body crosses the line and disappears.

In the digital age, more complex special effects can be used to insert a copy of a person shot on GreenScreen, in the same manner as SerkisFolk. The problems inherent in this are the same as for SerkisFolk, as the double is not present on set for his counterpart to act against.

To this day, for budget and acting reasons, the faceless stand-in is still used for the majority of shots. In addition, most episode plots in the above categories require that the two doubles share very little screen time.

Not to be confused with SingleMaltVision (a character sees double because of intoxication or other impairment).

----
!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Film — Animated]]
* Invoked in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'', with many of the shots containing two Buzz Lightyears staged as if SplitScreen was necessary. Especially notable when they're both shouting "I'm Buzz Lightyear!" at each other; in that shot, the background is made to look as if there's a seam between them.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]
* ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture''
** ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII'': During production, this movie used this effect to allow Michael J. Fox to play all the characters at the dinner table; Industrial Light and Magic used a special robot controlled camera to allow camera movements while making sure that all the backgrounds lined up. It was also used in scenes where Biff Tannen and Doc Brown from the future met their 1955 selves, although not without a great deal of painting the frame (see the scene where Old Biff throws the book at Young Biff). The second film does a variation on the usual "split-screen" effects when the flying DMC-12 lands "behind" a streetlight for a perfect model-to-car transition.
** ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII'': This effect was used to allow Marty to talk to his ancestor, also played by Michael J. Fox. Keep a lookout for the shot in which the baby is handed off; its mother walks in front of the camera at just the right moment needed to see it actually change hands, but it is done pretty seamlessly and is hard to notice if you aren't looking for it.
* Same deal with both of Eddie Murphy's ''Film/{{The Nutty Professor|1996}}'' films, wherein he plays the entire Klump family, and his unrelated 2007 film, ''Film/{{Norbit}}''.
* Also sharing the above method was ''Film/TheIsland2005'', whenever [[spoiler: Lincoln and the man he was cloned from]] are in the same scene together; being clones, they are obviously played by [[Creator/EwanMcGregor the same guy]]. Also like the above films, it wasn't easy to accomplish, and Creator/MichaelBay even says during the commentary that he would "never do another clone movie" because of that.
* ''Film/MaryPoppins'': This happens during the song "A Spoonful of Sugar", when Mary sings near the mirror, and the reflection echoes her lines, and then sings without her. This mirror gag is briefly repeated in ''Film/MaryPoppinsReturns''.
* Creator/PeterSellers was a master of multiple roles on the big screen: He played three roles in ''Film/DrStrangelove'', three roles in ''Literature/TheMouseThatRoared'', and six roles in 1974's ''Soft Beds, Hard Battles''. The effects used were mostly of the "only one in frame at a time" variety.
* ''Film/{{The Parent Trap|1961}}'', and at least one of its sequels, uses this to have Creator/HayleyMills play two twins. Likewise in [[Film/TheParentTrap1998 the remake]] with Creator/LindsayLohan.
* The Jet Li martial arts movie ''Film/TheOne'' climaxed in an extended fight scene between Jet Li's character Gabriel Law and his AlternateUniverse EvilTwin Gabriel Yulaw.
* In the classic British comedy film ''Film/KindHeartsAndCoronets'', Alec Guinness plays a staggering eight separate members of the D'Ascoyne family, one of whom is a woman. They very rarely appear on the screen at the same time -- except for one painstakingly composed shot of the entire clan early in the movie.
* Creator/JeremyIrons pulled it off quite well in the creepyfest ''Film/DeadRingers'' (dir. Creator/DavidCronenberg.)
* Multiple copies of Michael Keaton are seen interacting throughout ''Film/{{Multiplicity}}'', a movie about a man who clones himself. Particularly impressive scenes include one in which all four versions of the protagonist are shaving in a large bathroom mirror, and one in which one version tosses a beer to another. Methods used include splicing together multiple takes of the scene, and digitally stitching Michael Keaton's face onto the head of a body double.
* In Creator/TimBurton's film adaptation of ''Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'', Creator/DeepRoy plays all the Oompa-Loompas - up to 100 of them in a single scene, performing coordinated song-and dance numbers. Hooray for CGI and a very patient Mr. Roy having to act out a single scene as many times as he is in it.
* The film ''Film/AliGInDaHouse'' has Sacha Baron Cohen's characters Ali G and ''Film/{{Borat}}'' meet at a party, using OverTheShoulder.
* ''Film/ThePumaman'' actually uses this not to have more than one Pumaman, but for Pumaman to do his "teleporting" trick by jumping out of one side of the screen and disappearing into or appearing from the seam.
* In ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', the mimetic polyalloy T-1000 appears on screen disguised as Sarah Connor alongside the real Sarah, accomplished by having Creator/LindaHamilton play the T-1000 while her twin sister, Leslie doubled as Sarah. Leslie was used again in a scene in the extended Special Edition version, wherein Sarah extracts the Terminator's CPU. The scene is mostly seen through reflections in a mirror: Linda and Arnold played the reflections, while Leslie matched Linda's movements precisely in the close foreground with an Arnold dummy. For another doubling scene with the T-1000 real twins were used. Particularly interesting because of the happenstance: Linda's being a twin was obviously not a factor in her original casting!
* Used to remarkable effect in the 2009 science-fiction film ''Film/{{Moon}}''.
* In ''Film/ErnestGoesToJail'', Ernest P. Worrell ends up trading places with IdenticalStranger Felix Nash, a convicted crime lord. Both roles are played by Jim Varney, but since one is working at a bank and the other is in jail, the only time they really interact is during the movie's climax, where their final confrontation escalates into the absurd when Ernest is electrocuted [[ChekhovsSkill and his bizarre electromagnetic properties cause him to levitate]].
* ''Film/TheSocialNetwork'' takes a new approach via digital effects to portray the real-life Winklevoss twins. Though Armie Hammer played Cameron on set, and Josh Pence played Tyler, Hammer's face was digitally placed onto Pence's body in post-production so that the twins would look and sound alike. This is done so well, no one would suspect it wasn't two identical twin actors unless you told them what really happened. UnintentionalUncannyValley like sensations have been reported, however. Not entirely perfect.
* Used in ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallowsPart1'' to do the seven Harrys scene. Creator/DanielRadcliffe had to act out the scene seven times, doing an impression of each of the six characters who had turned into Harry as well as playing the real Harry. The scene where everyone changes into Harry was filmed as [[TheOner one long shot with the camera constantly moving]].
* Jim Dale plays three roles in ''Film/HotLeadAndColdFeet,'' occasionally appearing twice in a scene.
* One of the earliest examples was the 1946 FilmNoir ''Film/TheDarkMirror'', in which split screening was used to allow Olivia de Havilland to play twins.
* ''Film/AStolenLife'': Creator/BetteDavis played twins. Effective examples of SplitScreen and OverTheShoulder shots.
* ''Film/DeadRinger'': Creator/BetteDavis played twins, with examples of SplitScreen and OverTheShoulder shots.
* Used in ''Film/TheCatInTheHat'' during the cooking show parody with two Cats speaking to each other.
* Done pretty well, for the most part, in ''Film/TheSonOfTheSheik'', in which Rudolph Valentino plays both Sheik Ahmed and his headstrong son Ahmed Jr. When older Ahmed puts his arm over younger Ahmed's shoulder, it's pretty convincing. The SplitScreen line is quite obvious, however, in a scene where the two Ahmeds are swordfighting shoulder-to-shoulder.
* In ''Film/ShockTreatment'', Cliff de Young plays both Brad Majors and Farley Flavors.
* ''Film/BigBusiness1988'' is a case of ''double'' Double Vision, with Creator/BetteMidler and Creator/LilyTomlin each playing a set of identical twins who were mixed up at birth. No camera tricks were needed until the end of the film, when the two Bette-Lily pairs finally encounter each other.
* ''Film/BicentennialMan'': When Andrew meets Portia (played by Creator/EmbethDavidtz), he mistakes her for Little Miss, who shows up in the same scene (also played by Creator/EmbethDavidtz, but with ageing prosthetics). As Andrew is looking back and forth between the two women, Little Miss explains that Portia is her [[IdenticalGranddaughter granddaughter]]. Once Andrew realizes that she's Lloyd's daughter, it [[InnocentlyInsensitive explains the rudeness]] for him.
* ''Film/TheManInTheIronMask'': Both King Louis and his brother Philippe are played by Leonardo [=DiCaprio=], and in one scene, Louis walks all around Philippe.
* In the 1913 silent film ''Film/CousinsOfSherlocko'', a young man is mistaken for a notorious criminal to whom he bears a striking resemblance. Both are played by Fraunie Fraunholz, but they don't share any scenes until the end, when the criminal is finally arrested and thrown into a cell neighbouring the one where his innocent double has been cooling his heels. A split-screen effect is used to show them conversing.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* Sketch comedy programs with established characters will do this when two characters, played by the same actor, meet. Has been used in ''Series/LittleBritain'', ''Series/TheLeagueOfGentlemen'' and many others.
* The split screen was a staple of 1960s sitcoms like ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'', ''Series/IDreamOfJeannie'' and ''Series/GetSmart'', where characters played opposite scheming cousins or evil doubles.
* ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'' used SplitScreen and OverTheShoulder shots for the three-episode arc with Dick's evil twin. Both techniques were [[SpecialEffectsFailure used very obviously]], but [[NarmCharm who cares]]?
* The local butcher on ''Series/AllInTheFamily'' was enamoured with Edith, so when the show was nearing its close (before the switch to ''Archie Bunker's Place''), there was an episode where he found a girlfriend who happened to be a dead ringer for Edith - and also played by Jean Stapleton. A lot of OverTheShoulder was used until the final scene where Edith and her lookalike chat in the kitchen - complete with a great reaction from the audience, who at this point where reacting to pre-taped episodes.
* Both methods were used on ''Series/AllMyChildren'' whenever both Adam and Stuart Chandler (both played by David Canary) show up on screen.
* One edition of ''Series/TheArsenioHallShow'' had Arsenio interviewing his fat rapper alter-ego, Chunky A.
* ''Series/AtHomeWithAmySedaris'' cast Creator/AmySedaris in multiple roles, often resulting in the actress sharing the screen with herself.
* Green screen and split screen setups are used extensively in the 2000s ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'', where it is not unusual for two or three copies of the same humanoid Cylon to be on screen at the same time.
* ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'': In "Duel and Duality" from the third series, Blackadder and his mad cousin [=MacAdder=] appear on the screen together, both played by Rowan Atkinson.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
** When Xander was split in two in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS5E3TheReplacement The Replacement]]", they had a convenient real-life twin to go with, but in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E16Doppelgangland Dopplegangland]]" they had to use SplitScreen and the stand-in. Including the shot where Vamp!Willow licks Willow's neck suggestively.
** Also the First taking the form of Spike or Buffy to taunt their real life selves.
* The ''Series/Car54WhereAreYou'' episode "A Man is Not an Ox" sees protagonists Toody and Muldoon acting more and more like each other, and a last-ditch effort to get them to start diverging involves setting up the unmarried Muldoon with fellow officer Nicholson's wife's cousin from North Dakota, whom none of the other officers have ever met, as his date for the annual precinct banquet. When she arrives, everyone is stunned to see that she looks almost exactly like Toody's wife Lucille (albeit with a dark wig)... as she is played by the same actress, Beatrice Pons. In shots featuring both characters, one is only ever seen from over the shoulder.
* ''Series/TheColbertReport'' has the "Formidable Opponent" segment, in which Colbert debates himself. This was originally done using ChromaKey, so that when the camera 'cuts to the other Stephen', he appears mirrored, in front of a different background and with a different coloured tie. The trick with this method lies in synchronising the actor's personality switch with the camera change. However, since the show isn't done live, recent shows appear to do the segment with two separately filmed sequences that are put together in editing. (You can tell because his tie is no longer identical except for the color, and they've used it for things like having one Colbert be drenched with water and the other not.)
* ''Series/DadsArmy'' did it once with Captain Mainwaring's brother. We only see them in the same place once and a slight positioning error causes the end of Captain Mainwaring's foot to vanish.
* Used in an episode of ''Series/DengekiSentaiChangeman'' where the MonsterOfTheWeek is disguised as the heroine Sayaka. They used split screen when the two Sayakas meet face to face, then they used a mirror to have the two look at each other in a different camera angle. Due to the show being made in 1985, no-one complained about the dust on the mirror which can be spotted in a modern television.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** In the classic series, the first five Doctors had at least one story in which they had a double. (The 1st and 4th had two such stories.) The 1st Doctor had an obvious double in some shots in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E8TheChase "The Chase"]], and never met his double in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E5TheMassacre "The Massacre"]]. The 2nd only met his double in the climax of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS5E4TheEnemyOfTheWorld "The Enemy of the World"]] (split screen). In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS13E4TheAndroidInvasion "The Android Invasion"]], the 4th had a double with a wig that didn't look right (more of a beehive instead of Tom Baker's Harpo Marx curls). In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS18E2Meglos "Meglos"]], he only met his double at the end — Split Screen and Over the Shoulder. (Though another guy winds up holding the coats of both versions of him at the same time — a plot point.) The 5th Doctor had a scene with a split screen (but the asymmetrical lighting sold it). Companions have also had doubles occasionally.
** In the revival, three of the Doctors have had a story with a double as well. The 9th's double in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E8FathersDay "Father's Day"]] was done with a simple greenscreen edit, whereas the 10th's double was done with some camera trickery in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E13JourneysEnd "Journey's End"]]. The 11th's double in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E6TheAlmostPeople "The Almost People"]] was arguably the most complicated, with a similar-looking stand-in playing... whichever Doctor Matt Smith wasn't playing at the time. The crew would then RE-film the scene, with the two swapped. The result is uncanny. In a good way.
** For the [[spoiler:"[[AssimilationPlot Master]] [[MesACrowd race]]"]] in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime "The End of Time"]], {{Chroma Key}}s were used extensively except for long-distance crowd shots, where they simply had extras wearing prosthetic masks in the likeness of [[spoiler:John Simm]] that reek of the UnintentionalUncannyValley when seen up close (of course, they don't do close-ups of those in the episodes proper).
* Minor Example: The closing credits of the second season of ''Series/TheElectricCompany1971'' featured the main cast marching out of a door, first as themselves and then as their most popular character (Morgan Freeman with Easy Reader, Skip Hinnant with Fargo North, etc.). They actually used GreenScreen for this, and a blooper is noticeable (Morgan Freeman briefly stepping on Jennifer of the Jungle). One episode in particular had a song number with Rita Moreno as three characters all at once singing/shouting her trademark "HEY YOU GUYS!". Green screen again.
* ''Series/FTroop'' adored this trope; because Larry Storch was hilarious with accents, he pulled double duty on no less than three occasions: as Agarn's renegade Mexican bandit cousin (El Diablo), his French-Canadian cousin (Lucky Pierre), and his Russian Cossack cousin (Agarnoff). Not to be left out, Forrest Tucker had an episode where he played Sergeant O'Rourke's meddling Irish father, and Ken Berry had one where he played a dangerous criminal, Kid Vicious, who happened to resemble the goody-two shoes Captain Parmenter.
* Done on ''Series/{{Friends}}'' whenever Lisa Kudrow had to play both Phoebe and twin sister Ursula. David Schwimmer also got a whole episode dedicated to this with "The One With Russ", in which Rachel dates a Ross doppelganger named Russ. As studio sitcoms rarely use this trope, ''Friends'' delighted in showing off the technique, with Kudrow and Schwimmer physically interacting with their other selves.
* Smoothly used in ''Series/{{Fringe}}'', most notably in the fourth season's second episode. [[spoiler:The two Olivias interact almost seamlessly with each other, and it's quite the spectacle]].
* Split screen was also used for an episode of ''Series/GhostWhisperer'' where a ghost's body is taken over by another ghost.
* ''Series/GilligansIsland'' had three episodes where doubles of a castaway showed up on the island: one of Gilligan, one of Ginger, and one of Mr. Howell.
* In a season four episode of ''Series/{{Glee}}'', Rachel has a conversation with her younger self.
* The SplitScreen version was used on the ''Series/GoodEats'' episode on pickles. Host Alton Brown ("AB") made sweet, wholesome pickles on the left side of the kitchen, while his punkish biker-esque twin ("BA") made evil, spicy parallel pickles on the right side of the kitchen. In fact, Alton uses this a lot, commonly having one version working on something on a counter while another leans on the back of a nearby couch and explains what's going on, and is sometimes interrupted by a third that comes in to add more information.
* ''Series/TheGoodPlace'': "Janet(s)" has Creator/DarcyCarden playing [[spoiler:all four human main characters, who, due to the properties of the location they're in, now all look like Janet.]] This was done via body doubles, re-shooting scenes with her in each part, and CGI. [[spoiler:It culminates in a scene where Janet!Chidi and Janet!Eleanor kiss, which was done with the help of an intriguing prop.]]
* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' had Milo Ventimiglia's character, Peter, interacting with an alternate future version of himself by using a combination of OverTheShoulder shots and editing together footage of the actor as both versions of his character.
* On ''Series/{{Highlander}}'', Duncan had to fight his evil self in the episode "Deliverance". That used the Over The Shoulder technique.
* A sketch from ''The Julie Andrews Hour'' had Creator/JulieAndrews interact with both [[Theatre/MyFairLady Eliza Doolittle]] and Film/MaryPoppins, culminating in the three Julies performing "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious".
* ''Series/KamenRiderDecade'' did it a couple of times, first in the ''Series/KamenRiderKabuto'' AlternateUniverse with a [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Worm]] imitating Tsukasa, then later on when both versions of Kotaro Minami ([[Series/KamenRiderBlack Black]] and [[Series/KamenRiderBlackRX Black RX]]) appear alongside one another untransformed (the second case ditches the acting for two when they transform, as it merely becomes a case of two stuntmen in different suits.).
* The ''Series/KamenRiderDenO'' movie ''Episode Yellow'' has [[Series/KamenRiderDecade Diend]] interacting with his past self. The quality of the green screen effect is dubious, as one of the two Kaitous hasn't properly been chroma-keyed and still has a faint aura of green around him - this is especially odd, since 1) ''Decade'' showed that they could do it well, and 2) a movie should logically have a higher SFX budget than a TV series.
* Used in ''Series/KnightRider'' with the heroic Michael and his evil twin Garth.
* This happens in the BBC TV adaptation of ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe''. When Edmund is making his way to the Witch's house, a slightly transparent double of himself appears, and has a conversation with him about his forthcoming terrible deed. Edmund ends this conversation with "So, disappear!", and his double merges with his real self.
* The ''Series/MamasFamily'' episode "Mama's Cousin", with Vicki Lawrence playing both [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Mama and her cousin]], uses this and OverTheShoulder scenes with Vicki's double. A bit more obvious than most examples, however, as Mama features mismatched lighting in the split-screen scenes, suggesting she was filmed separately in front of a green screen.
* On ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'', in the episode where Peg remodeled the bathroom, there's a scene with Al sitting on the couch talking to the ghost of his late father, both played by Ed O'Neill.
* ''Series/{{Misfits}}'' used this effect extensively whenever Rudy Too appeared alongside the original. Bizarrely, after several seasons of eschewing over-the-shoulder and doubles in favor of jarringly clumsy greenscreens, the final few episodes manage the effect almost seamlessly.
* The episode of ''Series/MorkAndMindy'' where Mork meets Creator/RobinWilliams used both SplitScreen and OverTheShoulder.
* Parodied on ''Series/{{Newhart}}''. Michael produced a sitcom called "Seein' Double" starring Stephanie as twins and Dick as their father. It featured [[StylisticSuck horrible wigs and incompetent split screens]], including checkerboard floor tile that didn't come close to matching up.
* Used whenever there are multiple clones in a scene in ''Series/OrphanBlack''. All the clones are played by Tatiana Maslany.
* ''Series/ThePattyDukeShow'' used the classic double-and-OverTheShoulder shot method for its entire run, with the occasional SplitScreen for spice. (Trivia point: For many years, nobody knew who Patty Duke's double was; she never got screen credit and was apparently on the show's payroll with no explanatory notes. Creator/NickAtNite searched for her at one point, but despite their pleas, she did not come forth. Several websites now identify her as Rita [=McLaughlin=], who went on to become a soap opera actress.)
** Parodied on the ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'' episode "Shower the People You Love with Gifts": the [[TheOtherDarrin two actresses]] who played Becky back and forth during the series, Creator/LecyGoranson and Creator/SarahChalke, reenact the opening sequence of ''Series/ThePattyDukeShow'' shot-for-shot for the closing credits, complete with mirror routine and a poorly done split screen shot where both actresses lean over the dividing line, causing their limbs to vanish from view.
* ''Franchise/PowerRangers'':
** Used in season 2 of ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'', in the "Return of the Green Ranger" two-parter. Rita had the Wizard of Deception magically create a clone of Tommy to be the Green Ranger and attack the others and fight the real Tommy. So naturally we had to see them in the same shot unmorphed.
** ''Series/PowerRangersTimeForce'' had TheHero and his assumed IdenticalGrandson both show up in the same scenes over a three episode StoryArc. GreenScreen was used for the initial scene, and OverTheShoulder for all the rest.
* ''Series/ThePrisoner1967'': The episode "[[Recap/ThePrisonerE5TheSchizoidMan The Schizoid Man]]" uses SplitScreen (with occasional seam problems) along with OverTheShoulder shots of Patrick [=McGoohan=]'s stunt double.
* In the ''Series/RedDwarf'' episode "[[Recap/RedDwarfSeasonIMe2 Me2]]", split screens were used for the two Rimmers, along with other tricks (their room had twin beds instead of the usual bunks, done to avoid the logistical nightmare of one climbing past the other). At several points, Lister can be seen leaning heavily to one side to make the splitting possible. Split screens are used in at least ten ''Series/RedDwarf'' episodes in total, in order to have doubles of the cast.
* Used in the pilot of ''Series/{{Ringer}}'', where Creator/SarahMichelleGellar plays twin main characters.
%%* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' did this with a building in "A Study in Pink".
* Done many times in ''Series/{{Sliders}}'', due to the nature of the series. When most of the cast would meet their alternate selves, a SplitScreen was used. However, Cleavant Derricks' alternates were played by his twin brother.
* In two episodes of ''Series/SmallWonder'' -- "The Bad Seedling" and "Hooray for Hollyweird!" -- Tiffany Brissette played both Vicki and Vanessa. For these episodes, [[http://wat.midco.net/jvipond/SWEpisodes/RootBeerWomenSong.html Lisa Perry]] was Brissette's double when Vicki and Vanessa had to interact onscreen.
* [[https://youtu.be/8laJD6yZS8w?t=217 This scene]] in ''Series/{{Soap}}''. Split screen is used very well - look for the spot where both Burt and [[EvilTwin his alien duplicate]] throw sandwiches into the same lunchbox.
* ''Series/StargateSG1'' does this progressively more over time, reflecting advances in editing technology or possibly just a larger budget. In the season 1 episodes which feature duplicate characters — "Cold Lazarus" and "Tin Man" — the actual characters who are duplicated spend most of the episode out of the picture; in "Cold Lazarus", when O'Neill finally ends up in the same room as the alien duplicating him, we get a minute or two of over-the-shoulder shots, but the alien almost immediately switches to duplicating his son instead. By season 9, the writers seemed to almost be going out of their way to come up with scenarios that meant putting several characters played by the same actor onscreen simultaneously, with both "The Ripple Effect" and the entire Baal-cloning arc.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'':
** "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E13TimeSquared Time Squared]]" doubles Creator/PatrickStewart with an obvious stand-in and some less-than-perfect split-screen shots (eyelines, mainly).
** In "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E3Brothers Brothers]]", Creator/BrentSpiner plays Data, his evil "twin" Lore, and their creator, Noonian Soong. Data and Lore are never in the same shot (though there is a very tricky scene using a sliding green screen in which Data puts down a glass and Lore picks it up), but both are often in the same shot with Soong.
** "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E22SecondChances Second Chances]]" features a few ChromaKey shots to allow the two Rikers to interact, in addition to stand-ins and split-screens. The creators were especially proud of a shot where Riker 1 walks around Riker 2, which they accomplished with nothing more than some ChromaKey work and running a flag across a light.
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' had Major Kira and [[MirrorUniverse Intendant Kira]] [[LesYay interacting]].
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'':
** In "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS6E24LifeLine Life Line]]", the holographic Doctor is transmitted back to the Alpha Quadrant to treat Dr. Zimmerman, the man who created him. The two look identical (which turns out to be an important plot point) and so are played by the same actor. There's even a scene where the two interact closely, including bumping into each other, during a medical scan.
** An earlier ''Voyager'' episode, "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS3E4TheSwarm The Swarm]]", similarly has the Doctor interacting with a hologram of Dr. Zimmerman in a holodeck environment.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', of course, has "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E5TheEnemyWithin The Enemy Within]]", which mostly used editing tricks and (very obvious) stand-ins for the scenes with the two Kirks. Also used in "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E7WhatAreLittleGirlsMadeOf What Are Little Girls Made Of?]]" when Dr. Korby creates an [[RobotMe android replica]] of Kirk.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'':
** Used in the episode "[[Recap/SupernaturalS02E01InMyTimeOfDying In My Time of Dying]]" when [[spoiler:Dean is both moving around as a spirit while his near-dead body is lying in a few feet away in a hospital bed]].
** Similarly, in "[[Recap/SupernaturalS06E22TheManWhoKnewTooMuch The Man Who Knew Too Much]]", Sam interacts with two avatars of his memories of the time he spent in Hell, both of whom are also played by Jared Padalecki.
** In the episode "[[Recap/SupernaturalS07E06SlashFiction Slash Fiction]]", the Winchesters fight two Leviathans who are impersonating them.
* Used on ''Series/TheVampireDiaries'' for the scenes where Elena and her evil vampire doppelgänger Katherine meet.
* In the ''Series/{{Wishbone}}'' episode "[[Recap/WishboneS1E26ThePrinceAndThePooch The Prince and the Pooch]]," the split-screen effect was used with the titular dog. The after-episode short showed how they managed to have Wishbone in two places at once.
* ''Series/TheYoungOnes'': In an episode where Neil says repeatedly "We sow the seed, nature grows the seed, we eat the seed", Vyvyan buries Neil, and in the dead of night, three Neils come out of the ground.
--> '''Neil:''' Anyone watching that must have thought it was a negative reality inversion.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music Videos]]
* Music/MichaelJackson's solo breakout hit, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yURRmWtbTbo Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough]]". Mid-way through the video, Jackson appears on screen not just twice at a time, but three times.
* Sergey Lazarev's [[https://youtu.be/ZY7ELlgFpZ8 solo cover]] of ''Theatre/NotreDameDeParis'''s "Belle" on the talent show ''Phantom of the Opera'' has him play Quasimodo, Frollo and Phoebus all at once, and this is managed purely by costume: he'd wear a hooded cloak for Quasimodo part, after which he'd remove it to reveal a costume that's Frollo on the right half and Phoebus on the left half. Which half would be turned to the audience corresponds with which character singing the part, then he'd face the audience completely during the final chorus, which is sung by all three.
* Daler Mehndi is the only person present in the video for "Tunak Tunak Tun", as the concept is that versions of him from each of the four elements have come together to party. This was also [[TakeThatCritics a middle finger at critics]] who claimed the only reason his music was popular was because of the attractive women in his videos. "Tunak Tunak Tun" did very well, disproving this.
* In Music/TaylorSwift's "You Belong with Me", both the UnluckyChildhoodFriend and the slutty cheerleader are played by Taylor, with different hair color and makeup. They never appear in the same shot.
* Used in Music/BritneySpears video for Lucky, being Britney!Lucky and Britney!Guardian.
* Several of Music/LindseyStirling's videos, e.g. "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCaOS3TAjbI On the Floor Take Three]]", feature multiple versions of herself dancing or playing the violin, usually using split screens over several takes so it appears she has clones even if they're dressed differently.
* Music/PaulMcCartney's 1980 video, "Coming Up" features him playing 10 roles as musicians in a band. His wife, Linda, plays the two backup singers.
* Christina Aguilera's video for "Candyman" features [[BlondeBrunetteRedhead blond, brunette and redhead]] versions of herself.
* David Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging" features him as a singer, then shows him as three female backup singers, using green screen.
* The Go-Go's "Turn To You" featured the band members in two roles, each one playing a male and a female role.
%%* The Correspondents' music video for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABS-mlep5rY "Fear and Delight"]].
* Music/ReginaSpektor's video for "Better" is populated solely by Regina clones.
* The video for [[Music/{{Outkast}} Outkast's]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWgvGjAhvIw "Hey Ya!"]] features André 3000, similar to the Paul [=McCartney=] example above, simultaneously playing every single member (8 total, including the three backup singers) of the fictional band "The Love Below" in a pastiche of Music/{{The Beatles}}' appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.
* [[WesternAnimation/TheArchieShow The Archies]]: The live-action video for "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1gX66TOu8k Sugar, Sugar]]" has three copies of Ron Dante playing different instruments.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Comes into play for Episode 4 of ''VideoGame/StrongBadsCoolGameForAttractivePeople'', when Dangeresque Too meets his robotic duplicate, Uzi Bazooka. There's a very obvious split screen effect when the two converse and the fight between them is done with Strong Sad dressed up in a Homestar outfit even more obvious than the one used in the first episode. Of course, this is all done intentionally for the StylisticSuck effect that is one of Strong Bad's home movies. It was apparently surprisingly difficult to achieve the proper effect, since a video game would normally just place both models in the same scene.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* PlayedForLaughs in ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' on several occasions. A notable example being their video for the Music/TheyMightBeGiants song "Experimental Film" where Strong Sad plays himself and Death in a horribly misaligined shot, which is further ruined when Homestar leans into the seam.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''WebVideo/ThatDudeInTheSuede'' uses it to show him talking to himself or illustrate gags.
* ''WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment'' manages this in triplicate during Spoony's review of "The Clones of Bruce Lee". The movie is reviewed by a normal Spoony clone, a Dr. Insano Spoony clone, and a bum Spoony clone reminiscent of Chester A. Bum from WebVideo/BumReviews, all sitting next to each other on a couch.
** In the commentary, Noah points out the flaws in the effect, mentioning that he pulled the classic blunder of having an uncovered window in the background which screwed up the lighting; despite his remarks, the effect is still pretty good considering it's one guy on a shoestring budget.
** Also done briefly in WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic's Top 11 Nostalgic [[MindScrew Mindfucks]] episode - also numbering three total Critics, though it was a much shorter shot.
** In the same way, Kylle Kallgren used it as an effect during his video review of ''Film/TheManWhoFellToEarth'', for a few seconds only.
* In WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd's review of an NES LicensedGame based on ''[[Videogame/ANightmareOnElmStreetNES A Nightmare on Elm Street]]'', the Nerd notes that the game has a four-player mode, but notes that the only way you'd find enough people willing to play it would be to clone yourself. Naturally, the next shot is of four Nerd clones playing the game while the original stands behind them. [[spoiler: Freddy Krueger eventually gets fed up with the way the Nerds are treating his game and attacks them, and in the final battle, it's done again when Freddy makes himself look like the Nerd]].
** The ''Franchise/MegaMan Games'' episode has the Nerd of 2016 going [[TimeTravel back to the past]] and interacting with himself from his ''Film/IndependenceDay'' ([[Platform/PlayStation PS1]]) review from 2007, the aforementioned ''Nightmare'' review from 2006, and his original ''VideoGame/DrJekyllAndMrHydeNES'' review from 2004.
** In the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4usP1V8n8xQ#t=19s Cinemassacre's review]] of the 2009 ''[[VideoGame/GhostbustersTheVideoGame Ghostbusters]]'' game, the Nerd and Creator/JamesRolfe himself appear side by side for a brief moment at the start of the video before James tells the Nerd that he doesn't need him for the review because the game is not bad.
** In another episode of AVGN, Board James shows up on the couch next to the Nerd to talk about board games based on video games.
* Done all the time in videos by Natalie Tran, aka [[https://www.youtube.com/user/communitychannel CommunityChannel on Youtube]], where she is usually the only cast member of her skits.
* Similarly, [[https://www.youtube.com/user/whatsupelle WhatsUpELLE on Youtube]] is a pro at this, often having two "clones" of herself costarring with her in her videos.
* During the Mechakara saga on ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'', Linkara and Mechakara rarely (if ever) share the screen. In the final battle, however, [[spoiler:Linkara, the Ninja-Style Dancer, and '90s Kid]] are all on-screen at once. [[spoiler:Harvey Finevoice]] is present, but to avoid having to make Lewis play [[spoiler:four]] characters at once, he's on a different angle.
** During the Entity arc, there's an absolutely ''seamless'' shot of Linkara walking around [[spoiler:the Entity disguised as]] '90s Kid.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVo-S9ns2_A Duet with Myself]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/bandgeek8408 Matt Guion]] has a "WebVideo/BooksVsMovies Reviews" series where he plays two personas: Matt who talks about the original book, and the Hatter who talks about TheFilmOfTheBook and wears a variety of nice hats. The series initially avoids showing Matt and Hatter in the same shot with them always being in different locations, until the ''Literature/AnimalFarm'' review where split screen editing is used to show them together for the first time. Matt even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] it by pointing out to Hatter that they've never been in the same frame before and the two of them gazing with awe at the camera and then talking during another conspicious in-the-same-frame scene at the start of the next review about how they'll have to get used to being two separate people.
%%* Occasionally implemented by makers of YouTubePoop, often for SelfCest gags.
* Most of Creator/AnnaAkana's videos have an entire cast of... herself in different outfiits.
* In the first videos of her Web Series ''Insopportabilmente Donna'', the French-Italian Website/{{YouTube}}r Creator/TessMasazza often played multiple roles at once.
* In the ''Shut Up & Sit Down'' [[https://www.shutupandsitdown.com/videos/review-6-nimmt/ review]] of ''6 Nimmt'', there's a scene where Quinns is playing the game with three other Quinns and one of them angrily flings a glass of water into the original Quinns' face after he gets screwed over. The voiceover then says, "[[LampshadeHanging Well, that was a technically impressive joke!]] How do we do it?" and then it's shown that they did it by replacing "Quingles" with a friend dressed up in the same clothes for the shot where "Quingles" flings the water at Quinn since he conveniently happens to be standing up with his head outside of the camera shot at that time.
* German actress Sandra Jessica Forster often films scenes of herself arguing with the voices in her head - usually playing at least three characters at once. In the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeKnxmh1iDA first]], they are all sitting at different points on a long couch. And in others, they are either against a wall or a black background.
* ''WebVideo/CinemaSins'' uses SplitScreen for the Conversations with Myself about Movies videos, with Jeremy, well, talking to himself [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin about movies]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* The SplitScreen version was parodied in the "Spookyfish" episode of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', when Evil Cartman was standing next to his counterpart. Visual errors were intentionally introduced at center-screen, despite the fact that the effect is totally unnecessary in animation.
* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'': The split screen parody version was seen in the ShowWithinAShow ''Darkwing Duck'' when Darkwing encounters an evil lookalike of him. It's particularly noticeable since part of the hat on one of them is lost in the split. In this case, it's because in-universe, the show is both live-action and about two decades old, suggesting that the show's makers hadn't quite mastered the art of the technique at the time.
* The split screen parody was also used twice in the ''WesternAnimation/ClassOf3000'' final episode "Two to Tango" when Sunny and Mila scold their students on the stage until the line turns out to be a board pushed by a school janitor. The second time the students were in the cafe sitting on tables and the line turns out to be an umbrella pulled by a man.
[[/folder]]

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