Intro
The purpose of doing this assignment was to show our understanding of continuity editing. We applied several techniques to show continuity in our video.
Synopsis
The purpose of doing this assignment was to show our understanding of continuity editing. We applied several techniques to show continuity in our video.
Synopsis
A family is eating dim sum. When the last fishball is
left, they all offer it to each other for their own reasons. As the
argument gets more intense, the fishball is flung off the plate. One of the
brothers comes out of his room and gets hit by the fishball. He then picks it up
and eats it.
Continuity editing
Continuity editing is a process used in film and video
creation that involves combining and organizing shots or different components
cut from a single shot into a sequence. This sequence is meant to make those
shots work together to maintain a smooth flow throughout the that helps the viewers
stay orientated the story across both time and physical location. Continuity
editing can be divided into two types of continuity which are spatial continuity
and temporal continuity.
Spatial
continuity
Spatial continuity involves creating a unified space by
editing shots that vary in use of angles and framing.
Establishing shot
An establishing shot reveals the overall space the
scene takes place in in order to orientate the audience to the placement of
things in said location.
The film we made starts off with an establishing shot
of the characters sitting at the table. This was done in order to allow the
audience to get familiar with the positioning of each character across the
table.
Shot/Reverse Shot
Shot reverse shot
is a film technique where the characters are shown facing the opposite
directions, indicating they are looking at each other. This can be shown
through one character looking at another character which often are off-screen,
vice versa. This gives the sense of continuous action which indicates how the
scene happens linearly in real time.
We implemented
this technique when the characters are talking to each other across the table.
We made sure to have the characters facing the direction of the person they
happen to be talking to in that moment in time.
Shot reverse shots
can also be done through over-the-shoulder shots, conveying to the audience who
the actors/actresses are looking at. This also enables the audience to immerse
in the scene though they are the ones being looked at.
Match on
action
Matching on action,
or cutting on action, is a film editing technique that involves cutting from
one shot to a shot from a different view that matches the action of the
previous shot. An example of this would be a person walking towards a door and
reaching for the door knob. The scene would focus on him reaching for the knob followed
by a cut to a shot of him opening the door from the other side. This technique
can help introduce the audience the environment by displaying different backgrounds
through changes in scenes that are linked by a particular action.
An example of
where we applied match on action editing would be when the fishball flies off
the table towards Yhie Hong’s direction. The camera follows the fishball through
a series of shots that finally lead up to it hitting him in the face.
Temporal
continuity
Temporal continuity refers to the arrangement of shots
so that the story is in flow in relative to time. All the shots are presented
in a 1-2-3 order which also means that the shots all appear once and once only.
Typical temporal continuity includes all shots regardless of relevance to the
plot. In terms of duration, the timeline is rarely expended in classic version
of temporal continuity. The duration is either equal to the plot time (also
known as complete continuity) or amount to a longer story time (elided).
Avoiding ellipsis
Several methods can be utilized to keep temporal
continuity in check. The first method would be avoiding the use of ellipsis. An
ellipsis is a gap in natural time implied in story of the film. Ellipsis in
films are expressed through different methods. Some approaches back in the day
include cutaways, empty frames, transition effects as a signal to ellipsis.
In our film, the series of events shown in those 3
minutes are meant to take place over the span of 3 minutes. We avoided jumping
between scenes to avoid creating the illusion that time has passed. There are
no gaps in the narrative progression of the scenes.
Match on Action
Besides that, we have to ensure the consistency of the
match on actions. For example, we would assume that the space and time are
continuous if an action carries across the cut, like a leap through a window.
An example of where this was applied in our film would
be when the characters are eating. There are close-up shots of the plate as the
characters pick up food off the plate that cut to medium shots of the
characters eating the food. The action of the characters picking up food
carries across the cuts to make it appear continuous.
Conclusion
Upon completing this assignment, we know that continuity is important to ensure the flow of the story. We have also learned ways to create continuity while shooting our video.
Conclusion
Upon completing this assignment, we know that continuity is important to ensure the flow of the story. We have also learned ways to create continuity while shooting our video.
References
Lai, Sean. 2012. Editing - Intensified Continiuty
| Limited Fuss. May 18.
http://limitedfuss.blogspot.com/2012/05/editing-intensified-continuity.html.
Paul, Johnathan. 2016. How to Compose a Cinematic
Shot Reverse Shot. February 4.
https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/cinematic-shot-reverse-shot/.
Group Members:
Chin Xin Tong 1704092
Daniel Yeoh Guan Soon 1701329
Edrean Ee Rei Shawn 1704173
Foo Jia Qi 1803806
Ricky Ken Vasco 1802890
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