Continuity editing is a process that takes place during film production to seamlessly join shots together and tell a coherent narrative. It uses techniques like match-on-action editing, shot/reverse shot cutting, and following the 180-degree rule to make the viewer forget they are watching something artificial and engage with the story. Match-on-action editing matches the same action, like tossing a ball, across two shots from different angles. Shot/reverse shot cutting shows the perspective of two characters conversing back and forth. The 180-degree rule maintains the spatial relationship between characters and objects in a scene. Together, these techniques create a sense of realism and believable storytelling.

1. Continuity Editing
By Abbie Lloyd

2. What is Continuity editing?
* Continuity editing is a process that takes place during the production stages of
many famous films. Continuity editing is all about the cropping together of bits of
film in order to create an ongoing and believable string of footage that the viewer
can identify with.
* Overall, 'classic Hollywood editing' or 'continuity editing' - is designed to create
classic narrative realism to make the audience forget that what they are watching is
artificial. Overall this process is really a way of bringing a film to life and making it
easy to believe and engage with for the viewer.
* factors associated with the classic Hollywood style might include the use of
authentic costumes, the 180 degree rule, narrative causality, match-on-action
editing, shot/reverse shot and synchronised sound

3. Match-On-Action
During the filming of many Famous films and
TV programmes, it is very common for Actors
to have to act out the same scene several
times – especially is the director wants to
achieve a shot/reverse shot effect in the
scene. This is where match on action can help.
A match on action is when some action
occurring before the temporally questionable
cut is picked up where the cut left it by the
shot immediately following. For example, a
shot of someone tossing a ball can be edited to
show two different views, while maintaining a
continuous flow of action by being sure that
the second shot shows the arm of the subject
in the same stage of its motion as it was left
when cutting from the first shot.

4. Match on Action continued…
 Another good example would be a girl running
down a hallway and opening the door at the end.
We could have two shots going on in this clip: one
of her running down the hallway cutting to a close
up of her reaching for the door handle and
opening the door. For this scene to be made
possible, two takes of the same scene need to be
filmed.
 If match on action is not used to join together
the two different shots that you have taken, it
can make the final product look unrealistic and
amateurish because we don’t have a continuous
string of action happening. Film and cinema is all
about providing people with entertaining content.
A large proportion of making something
entertaining for the viewer comes from making it
believable. This is exactly what match on action
does.

5. Shot/Reverse shot
 Shot/Reverse shot is a continuity editing technique that is used commonly when shooting
conversations between characters, or even just two characters looking at each other or at an
object.
 A shot showing what the character is supposedly looking at (either a point of view or an over
the shoulder shot) is soon followed by a reverse angled shot of the character themselves
looking at it, or the other character in the conversation looking back at them, for example.
 The Shot/Reverse shot idea usually ties In with the 180◦ rule in order to retain continuity by
not disorientating the viewers ideas about the location/location of the characters in the
scene

6. How A shot/Reverse shot works:

7. The 180⁰ Rule In film making, the 180-degree rule is a basic
guideline regarding the on-screen spatial
relationship between a character and another
character or object within a scene. In basic
terms, it means that the two people should have
the same left and right relationship to each other
in a scene.
If the camera crosses the axis that connects the
two characters (otherwise known as the line of
action) this is called the reverse because we are
now seeing the characters in the reverse of their
original left and right relationship.
Overall I would say that the 180 degree rule gives
the viewer of the footage much more awareness
of the characters roles and positions within the
surroundings. It gives us a more rounded
idea/greater sense of location in the scene.

8. Narrative causality
Narrative causality simply means that everything that
happens in one of these films happens for a reason; to get to
the 'point'. Nothing is random, and actions follow in logical
sequence. This aids the viewer in following the storyline and
the journeys/progressions of the characters.
You'll notice that many of these techniques aren't actually
very 'realistic' at all; in life for example, stuff often happens
for no particular reason, or none that leads towards a neat
resolution (equilibrium or conclusion.) In this case, directors
are striving to create the appearance of realisim - a
forgetfulness in the audience - rather than seriously
attempting to create a mirror-image of the real world.