Continuity Editing

Continuity Editing is the act of purposefully making the visuals as simple to understand as possible by ensuring that what the audience sees is the same throughout a scene.

The main rules are:

• 180 degrees
• Shot-reverse shot
• Eyeline match
• Establishing-Re-establishing shot
• Match on Action

180 Degrees Rule:

This rule proposes that the camera will always be on a single side of the action/characters. This helps the audience keep track of where everything is in the space. Essentially, there is an invisible barrier that the camera can not cross, but can look anywhere on a 180 degree axis.

Example from nofilmschool.com

Shot-Reverse shot:

Commonly used in dialogue scenes and also referred to as "reaction shots", these allow the viewer to see how the character on the receiving end of dialogue is reacting. With this, there are a few rules. The composition of the shot must be the same each time, unless we see the changes happening. The character's eyeline must match that of the character's who is speaking.

A good example of this is in The Wolf of Wall Street, during the scene in which Dicaprio and Mcconaughey's character eat at a restaurant.

While the characters are talking, we get shots of both characters reacting to what the other has said. Since the shots are static, this helps to add visual interest while still keeping track of who's talking.

Eyeline Match:

Going hand-in-hand with Shot-Reverse shot, Eye-line match says that wherever a character that's off-screen is in the space of the film, the other character should look in their direction. This helps the audience understand angles that are maybe tilted or canted.

In this clip, the camera is tilted down, which is where we see spider-man's gaze to be in the next shot. As he lands, we see him look towards us but down, as the camera moves back to reveal the body that he's looking at.

Establishing-Re-establishing shot:

When a film moves to a new location, it will use an establishing shot to inform the audience of the geography in which as scene is taking place. If enough has changed in the scene, i.e. the characters have moved positions, or something has happened to the place itself, it'll use a
re-establishing shot to, re-establish everyone's position in the world.

In this opening scene from Doctor Who 4x12 The Stolen Earth, We open with shots of the street they're on, showing that it is earth. After the planet is moved, we see the Doctor open the TARDIS doors to reveal space. This shows us what's happened. The explanation is also helped through dialogue The Doctor gives about them being in the same place.

Match on Action:

This proposes that if something happens in one shot, it shouldn't happen again in another. This would lead to a duplication and makes the viewer feels as though they've missed something.

This video highlights how the character is shown to turn to close the door, but repeats this action in the next shot. This makes the viewer feel like they've moved backwards in time slightly.