Continuity Editing

180 Degree Rule

The 180 Degree Rule is the film maker’s basic guideline when filming. It shows the two character’s, or an object and a character’s spatial relationship within the scene. If this rule is followed correctly it insures that the characters still look like they are in the same position in relation to the world around them from different angles, the illusion of the film being real is not broken. The scene appears to flow, the character’s eye lines match, and the audience does not entirely register they are looking at the characters from another angle. If used incorrectly the characters appear to be staring off into strange places, not at each other. The audience’s involvement with the verisimilitude of the scene would be lessened

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( picture from – http://hopetp94.wordpress.com/2011/02/14/180-degree-rule-and-match-on-action/)

Shot reverse shot

A shot reverse shot is when there is a shot of a something followed by a shot of a something else, and then back to the first shot from the same angel of the original thing. This technique is mostly used to establish two characters in a conversation in a way that puts the audience in the perspective of one of the characters – a point of view shot, or an over the shoulder shot which tends to isolate the audience more as it implies they are peering over the characters shoulder rather than viewing the world through their eyes.  This shot can also be used for an object and a character, or even two objects.

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Action Match

An Action Match or a ‘Match-on-action’ is when a continuous action is shown through the use of multiple shots. Commonly from different angles the sequence is supposed to flow smoothly; the audience should not notice the different shots, only the action. This  technique can be used to get a better view of the action so that the audience can develop a better understanding of the scene.

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Eye Line Match

An Eye Line Match is when a shot reflects what a character is looking at. For example there could be a shot of a character looking at something, then a new shot of what the character is looking at. This can obviously be used to highlight what a character is focusing on so the audience can develop a better understanding of the character because they can see their facial emotional reaction to what has been seen. Similarly it can be used to draw attention to certain things for plot purposes. For example in a movie of the detective genre certain pieces of evidence can be revealed using this technique. A shot of a detective looking down at something, then a shot of a bloodied knife lying on the ground.

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