Auckland Movie Makers

Continuity Editing
Telling the Story with Images

Continuity Editing
The technique of creating an illusion of an ongoing continuous reality
But is an illusion

Continuity Editing
Continuity editing enables us to create a believable visual story that appears to be real people or objects participating in real interactions in real time…

Editing enables us to:
To manipulate time… usually by compression... sometime by expansion
To give a particular interpretation of reality

Editing also enables us to:
To enhance the telling of a story… for dramatic effect
To join together material shot at different places and at different times

Why?
Without artful editing we end up with intolerably... long... boring films punctuated with continuity problems such as “jump cuts”.

The four techniques at the editor disposal are:
· “On screen” or “off screen” action
· Cutaways or cross-cutting
· Cut-ins or inserts
· Match-cuts

“On screen” or “off screen” action
It is... shooting action that is moving on to screen
“Or… shooting action that is moving off screen” action

“On screen” or “off screen” action
· It allows us to compress time
· It may be used within a sequence
· It can provide a beat for emphasis
· It allows large advances in time and space to advance the story

Cutaways or cross-cutting
· Provide reaction shots to reveal emotion and develop characters
· Allows us to compress time
· Allows us to develop pace & rhythm
· Allows parallel story development

Cut-ins or inserts
· Narrows the audience’s view
· Keeps the focus on the main action
· Intensifies the drama
· Allows time compression and the solving of continuity problems

Match-cuts
· Show another view of the same thing
· Must be a full size change... or
· Must shift at least 30° in camera angle
· May require overlap if covering motion

Analyse & Learn
Choose a short segment of the film renowned for editing
Watch it closely, repeatedly to identify the techniques and the motivation
Revision: What are we looking for?
Look for examples of the following and ask yourself what was the motivation for this cut?
· “On screen” or “off screen” action
· Cutaways or cross-cutting
· Cut-ins or inserts
· Match-cuts