Definition: Continuity Editing is essentially a system of cutting which is used to maintain continuous and clear narrative action by following certain rules, these are included on the right hand side of the slide.

The Rules:

•Establishing shot

•Shot/ reverse shot

•180º rule

•30º rule

•Crosscutting

•Match on Action

•Eyeline Match

•Re-establishing shot

The Benefits:• The narrative has structure.

• The shot sequences flow seamlessly into each other• It’s easy to watch the film!

An Establishing Shot is basically a Long Shot (LS) or Extreme Long Shot (ELS), usually with loose framing, that shows the spatial relations

between the important figures, objects and setting in a scene.

From Spartacus (Stanley Kubrick, 1960)This is an Establishing Shot which was

taken with my AS Media Group.

A Shot/Reverse Shot is when two shots are edited together so that the shot alternates between characters, typically used in a conversation

situation. Usually characters in one frame look left, and in the following frame look right.

Stills taken from work with my AS Media Group

The angle between any two consecutive shots should not exceed 180º, in order to maintain spatial relationships between people and objects in any given sequence of shots.

This is a principle which underpins all TV and Film production.

It’s important not to cross the ‘line of vision’ between two characters.

Otherwise the viewer may not be able to make sense of the scene.

The angle between any two consecutive shots should not be

less than 30º, in order to maintain spatial relationships between

people and objects in any given sequence of shots.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nonxxwfedIY

Still taken from 30º Angle clip created with my AS Media Group

Definition: Editing that alternates between

shots occurring simultaneously in two or more different location.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GQkUxdDD-8

Match on ActionDefinition: A cut between two

shots that places two different framings of the same action next to each other, making it

seem to continue uninterrupted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dgutDMPIMU

Stills taken from Cross Cutting clip made with my

AS Media Group

An Eye Line Match is a cut between two shots, in which the first shot shows a person looking off in one direction, and the second shot shows either a space containing what he or she sees, or a person looking back in exactly the opposite direction. Image created from two

images to imitate an Eyeline Match.

A shot that returns to a view of a space or location after a series of close-ups. Similar to the Establishing Shot on slide 2, except this “re-establishes” the location, as the name suggests.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paMomNyRUVE

Re-establishing shot taken from group work with my AS Media Group