Film Continuity

Media What is film continuity? The continuity system is a set of rules for making sure that your shots flow naturally. These include, framing, camera position, shot size and editing.

What is the 180 degree line of action? If you filmed a scene from the side you would be able to see the whole scene. You would be able to see one character on the left facing right, and one on the right facing left. If you then filmed using separate shots, such as mid shots and close ups, to make the scene more interesting, the camera would have to move as if it were on a 180 degree axis. The shots would work together because the camera would remain on the same side of the characters as it were in the original shot.

What is shot-reverse-shot? Shot reverse shot is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character, who is often off-screen, and then that character is then shown looking back at the original character. Also shooting first in one direction and then in the other is another example of shot-reverse-shot.

What is match on action? Match on action is a film and video editing technique where the editor cuts from one shot to another view but with the new view matching the original shot such as filming a man reaching for a door knob and then filming the door knob.