Film Continuity

Film Continuity

Film continuity is when a film runs smoothly from start to finish with consistency throughout. It is important as the editing in a film is unnatural because the camera angles change positions and this is not natural to the human eye, therefore you have to make it as natural as possible so that the

audience doesn’t notice and lose interest in the film.  Continuity can be in two area's, firstly in the post production stages of a film when there is acting, props and costume and secondly in the making of the film. In the post production stage it means the maintenance of detail, this can be keeping the costumes the same or keeping the props in the same places for each shot so that objects don't mysteriously disappear. The most important continuity in film is technical continuity.

There are three types of technical continuity in film:

180 Degree Rule 

This is when the camera cannot cross an imaginary 180 degree line as it would confuse the audience as to which side the actors are stood at. For this you can have any shot such as a two shot or an over the shoulder shot. However, the camera must remain on one side of the line to keep the continuity. The initial line is drawn perpendicular to the camera's viewpoint in the first establishing shot. Following this rule will ensure film continuity.

This is a diagram of where you can an cant use camera's on the 180 degree rule

Shot Reverse Shot

Shot reverse shot is when the camera moves back and forth between people usually to show who is talking or show people's expressions. This often ties in with the 180 degree Rule to keep the continuity and give a sense of location. The first shot is taken of person 1 then changes to person 2 from person 1's point of view typically through a straight cut and finally back to person 1. This is allowing the audience to see both characters' perspective.

This is an example of Shot Reverse Shot

An example of shot reverse shot in film is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1Ey0a6LJRA

Match On Action

Match on action is when the audience doesn't notice the edit by the actor or object moving. Two shots are joined together by the action and this creates the continuity in the scene, although the action must be directly on the cut and continuing through to the other shot for it to work. This is the hardest type of film continuity however, if used right it could be one of the most effective.

An example of Match on Action in film is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eou7A-e2e4I