Film/Screen/Television ♡

I learnt some key terms that people definitely need to know if they want to work in filming!..

·         Continuity editing

Editing that creates action that flows smoothly across shots and scenes without jarring visual inconsistencies and establishes a sense of story for the viewer. The point of continuity editing aims to present a scene where the editing is ‘invisible’ (not consciously noticed by the viewer/audience) so the viewer is never distracted by confusing jumps between shots or a change in the spatial lay-out of the scene.

·         180° degree rule

Part of the continuity system is the 180° degree rule, which is that the camera must stay on only one side of the actions and objects in a scene. This creates an invisible line, known as the 180° degree line or axis of action, which runs through the space of the scene. The camera can shoot from any position within one side of that line, but it may never cross it. This rule ensures that the shot will have consistent spatial relations and screen directions so the viewer will not get confused.

·         Eye-line match

An eye-line match is a technique used to keep the spatial continuity of the shot and it makes the cut less noticeable. EG, in an eye-line match, shot A shows a character looking off-screen and shot B shows what the character is looking at. The character's gaze is directed precisely so that it matches the spatial lay-out established in earlier shots. This matching keeps the spatial relations among characters and objects consistent from one shot to the next. At the same time, the eye-line match makes the cut slightly smoother, since the viewer expects the cut and is anticipating what the next shot will show.

·         Match-on-action

A match-on-action cut takes place when a shot is cut during the same scene, changing the perspective of the audiences’ view, but the scene remains smooth and flows without disruption. A successful match-on-action would mean that the viewer would not consciously notice the cuts. An example of match-on-action could be a shot of a man walking towards a door and beginning to open it, then a cut to the opposite side of the door where you see the scene continue, however from a different perspective (you don’t notice they are two separate shots because the flow of the scene remains).