Scribd
Upload
1K views32 pages

Continuity Editing Y11S1

Continuity editing is a technique for breaking down scenes into shots that maintains spatial and temporal coherence. It uses techniques like the 180 degree rule, eyeline matches, point-of-view cuts, and match on action cuts to orient the viewer. Continuity editing was pioneered by D.W. Griffith and became a standard film editing practice.

Uploaded by

filmteacher
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
1K views32 pages

Continuity Editing Y11S1

Continuity editing is a technique for breaking down scenes into shots that maintains spatial and temporal coherence. It uses techniques like the 180 degree rule, eyeline matches, point-of-view cuts, and match on action cuts to orient the viewer. Continuity editing was pioneered by D.W. Griffith and became a standard film editing practice.

Uploaded by

filmteacher
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 32

What is Continuity Editing?

What is Continuity Editing?

 A way of breaking down a scene into a


series of shots.
Why ‘Continuity’?
Why ‘Continuity’?
 Creates coherence and helps spectator
orientation;
 Way shots are edited must permit the
viewer to piece them together like a
puzzle;
 Techniques of continuity editing enable
the viewer to create a continuous picture
from the shots presented on screen.
Continuity Editing – Key
Techniques
 Observing the 180 degree rule
 The Eyeline match
 Point of view cutting
 The match on action cut
 Directional continuity
 The Establishing shot
 Parallel / Cross-cutting
 Transitions
 Rhythm
180 degree rule
180 degree rule
 Attempts to imitate, on screen, the space
of Renaissance painting and proscenium
space of 19th century theatre.
 The viewer is positioned on the same side
of the scene or action (i.e. the invisible 4th
wall).
 A film edited using continuity editing
orients the viewer by placing them on one
side of a 180 degree axis line of action.
The Eyeline Match
The Eyeline Match
 A character in one shot glances at something
off-screen (out of frame) and a cut reveals the
object the character is looking at.
 The line of the character’s glance has matched
the two shots together, creating coherence.
Point-of-view Cutting
Point-of-view Cutting
 Variant on the eyeline match.
 Character looks offscreen, cut to the object the
character is looking at.
 Object is shown from the character’s POV,
through the character’s eyes.
Match on action cut
Match on action cut
    
 Cut from one shot to the next where the action is
continued from one shot to the next.
 Continuity of the same action across the shot
creates coherence.
Directional Continuity
Directional Continuity
 If a character exits the shot from the right
of the screen, he should enter the next
shot from the left of the screen
The Establishing shot
 To make transitions smooth
 Used at beginning of stories or beginning of new
scenes within the narrative
 A re-establishing shot may be used after many
cuts to remind viewer of spatial context.
Parallel / Cross Cutting
Parallel / Cross Cutting
 Editing that alternates shots of two or
more lines of action occurring in two
different places, usually simultaneously
Jump Cut
Jump Cut
 Jump Cut – An abrupt transition between
shots, sometimes deliberate, which is
disorientating in terms of the continuity of
space and time.

Transitions
Transitions
 Traditionally as seamless as possible
 Can be more creative e.g.
 Dissolve - the first image gradually
disappears while the second image
gradually appears; Can be used as a
straightforward editing device to link any
two scenes, or in more creative ways, for
instance to suggest hallucinatory states.
Rhythm
 Contributes to mood and overall
impression on viewer
 E.g. Moments of fracture:
Rhythm
 As relates to music and sound:
Why edit?
 Why risk disorientating the viewer?
 Why not just use long takes and deep
focus photography?
Why edit?
 Gives director complete control over events and
actors
 Gives viewer optimal access to the unfolding
events
 Helps to prolong suspense
 Allows viewer to be more involved in action
rather than focus on character psychology or
actor’s performance
 Eliminates unnecessary time and space
Treatment of Time
 Length of shot is usually determined by
complexity of images on screen.
 Long shots more saturated with
information than close ups and may need
more time
 Raymond Spottiswoode: Cut must be
made at the point where the audience has
been able to assimilate necessary
information.
History of Continuity Editing
 Earliest movies (c.1890s) mostly long
shots in a single take. E.g. ‘The Arrival of
a Train’ (1895) Lumiere Bros.
 By early 20th Century – cinematic
‘shorthand’ developed. E.g. ‘A Trip to the
Moon’ by Georges Melies
DW Griffith
Pioneered continuity editing for:
 Locale changes

 Time lapses

 Shot variety

 Emphasis of psychological and physical details

 Points of view shifts

 Simultaneity

 Repetition of motifs

Perfected conventions of the chase through using parallel


editing and cross cutting
Some questions to ask:
 How much cutting is there and why?
 Are the shots highly fragmented or relatively lengthy?
 What is the point of the cutting in each scene? To
clarify? To lyricize? To create suspense?
 Is the editing manipulative?
 What is the rhythm of the editing?
 Does the personality of the filmmaker come through? Or
is the editing purely functional?
 Is the editing a major language system in the film or
does it play a minor role?

You might also like