Ben Houghton - Continuity In Film

Continuity In Film - Ben Houghton

180° Line of Action

Using an imaginary line to avoid the camera from taking shots behind the line further than 180°. If shots are taken beyond the line, the scene is flipped and can become confusing to the audience, causing them to miss out on dialogue.

Shot - Reverse - Shot

This is when two camera shots show one character speaking to another character, who is off the screen, then the shot changes when the other character speaks to show the second character speaking. The position of the camera is often over the shoulder. Shot-reverse-shot is often used for scenes of dialogue.

Match On Action

This is when two shots are edited together to show one shot matching another shot. An example of this, is when a character is shown walking towards a door, and a separate shot shows the man pulling the door handle. Then, one final shot shows the character walking through the door from outside. This technique allows the scene to flow and run smoothly.