Continuity In Film

Media Studies

Continuity in Film

-       Continuity in film is the consistency within media of characteristics of people, plot, objects and places, camera angles seen by the viewer over a period of time.

Rules of Continuity

-       180° line of action

	The 180° rule is a cinematography rule that states that two characters in a scene should maintain the same left/right placement to each other as to not confuse the audience. The line of vision between the two characters is the guide that should not be crossed otherwise creating a reversed shot.

The 180° rule is a cinematography rule that states that two characters in a scene should maintain the same left/right placement to each other as to not confuse the audience. The line of vision between the two characters is the guide that should not be crossed otherwise creating a reversed shot.

-       Match on action

Keeping movement or actions flowing through cuts/edits to make them less noticeable, making sure they match.

-       Shot Reverse Shot

This is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character, and then the other character is shown looking back at the first, creating the illusion the characters are looking at each other while deemphasizing the transitions between shots.

Examples of Continuity Mistakes in Films

-Commando (1985)

After chasing down the character Sully, the yellow Porsche is totally wrecked on the left side, until the character Arnie drives it away and it is completely fine.