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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.

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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.

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filmteacher
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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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?

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