Week 3: Continuity Editing & Camera Coverage

Module Notes

Skyfall Trailer Assignments

• Lindsey
• Nathan
• Brianna
• Sophia
• Jamie
• Miac

Framing Assignments

Submit urls to both Slack and Canvas.

• Miac
• Teanna
• Jenny
• Jack
• Nathan
• Taylor

Continuity Editing: Key Concepts

Continuity editing is much bigger than screen direction. Look for continuity in four broad areas: spatial (where everyone is), movement (where they are going), time (when things happen), and sound (how cuts are smoothed aurally).

• Continuity System – editing that maintains spatial, temporal, and causal coherence so the viewer can easily follow the action.
• Establishing Shot – a wider shot that establishes the location, characters, and spatial relationships before moving closer.
• Re-establishing Shot – returning to a wider view to remind the viewer of the spatial relationships in a scene.
• Master Shot – a shot covering the main action of an entire scene, often used as the spatial foundation for closer shots.
• 180° Rule – keeping the camera on one side of the axis of action to maintain consistent screen direction and spatial relationships.
• Screen Direction – maintaining consistent left-to-right or right-to-left movement across cuts.
• Crossing the Line – moving the camera across the 180° axis, which reverses screen direction; usually motivated or shown visually if used.
• 30° Rule – changing the camera angle by roughly 30° or more between similar shots to avoid a distracting jump cut.
• Shot / Reverse Shot – alternating views of two characters, commonly used for conversations.
• Eyeline Match – cutting from a character looking offscreen to what the viewer understands that character is looking at.
• Point-of-View Shot (POV) – a shot framed to approximate what a character sees.
• Match on Action – cutting during a movement so the action continues smoothly across the edit.
• Empty Frame – allowing a character or object to leave the frame, cutting, and then having them enter another frame; often used to connect spaces and maintain the direction of movement.
• Entrance / Exit Match – matching where and how a character exits one shot and enters the next to preserve spatial continuity.
• Cut-in – moving from a wider view to a closer view of a detail within the same action or space.
• Insert Shot – a close view of an important object or detail, such as a phone, letter, clock, or hand.
• Cutaway – temporarily cutting away from the main action to another subject before returning.
• Reaction Shot – showing a character's response to an event, statement, or action.
• Matching Position – keeping characters and important objects in consistent positions within the frame across cuts.
• Matching Movement – maintaining the direction, speed, and progression of movement between shots.
• Temporal Continuity – arranging shots so actions appear to unfold in a clear and continuous sequence of time.
• Elliptical Editing – omitting unnecessary portions of an action while allowing the viewer to understand that time has passed.
• Crosscutting / Parallel Editing – alternating between actions occurring in different locations, often suggesting they are happening simultaneously.
• Dialogue Overlap – allowing dialogue to continue across a cut, helping make separate shots feel like one continuous conversation.
• Sound Bridge – carrying sound across a cut to connect two shots or scenes.
• J-Cut – audio from the next shot or scene begins before the picture changes.
• L-Cut – audio from the previous shot continues after the picture has changed.

The Classical Hollywood Style: Silent 1895-1915 > Studio System 1915-1960s

• Individual characters are causal agents. Characters make things happen in story. Psychologically rooted
• Desire of main individual (protagonist) sets plot rolling > goal.
• Opposition to the goal > conflict
• Chain of cause and effect. We don’t see what is outside the chain of cause and effect. Plot will jump in time to show only the important links in chain. The deadline as defined time marker that motivates action.
• Objectivity. Omniscient pov. Unrestricted access to all events whether protagonist sees them or not.
• Closure. No loose ends.

Duel Scene Analysis

In-Class Exercise · Continuity Practice

Work in groups of 3–4. Each group will shoot one short continuous action using a single phone. After shooting, share all the clips with everyone in the group. Each student will edit their own version using the same footage.

Goal: Use continuity editing to make a simple action feel clear, continuous, and motivated by the character's goal or state of mind.

1. Create a Simple Action

Your scene should combine two connected actions. The first action establishes what the character is trying to do. The second introduces a change, discovery, obstacle, or reaction. It helps to assign the character a simple quality or motivation

Example Actions

• Rushed: A student enters a lounge looking for a place to sit. They cross toward an empty chair, but another student reaches it first.
• Distracted: A student leaves the classroom to fill a water bottle. Looking at their phone on the way back, they walk past the classroom and have to turn around.
• Sleepy: A student enters a lounge, sits down, and opens their backpack to begin working. They discover that they brought the wrong bag.
• Curious: A student notices an envelope or unfamiliar object across the room and walks over to investigate it. They pick it up and discover something unexpected.
• Impatient: A student walks down a hallway toward an exit. They reach the door, try to open it, and discover that it is locked.

2. Plan the Scene

Before shooting, draw a simple overhead map and/or storyboard showing:

• the character's starting and ending positions
• important objects
• direction of movement
• camera positions
• the 180° line

Think about what each shot is narrating. Ask:

• What does the viewer need to understand first?
• What does the character want?
• What motivates the next cut?
• When should we move closer?
• When should we see what the character sees?
• Where does the action change or turn?

3. Shoot 8–10 Shots

Your footage must combine the following continuity techniques:

• Establishing Shot – establish the space, character, and direction of movement.
• 180° Rule / Screen Direction – keep movement and spatial relationships consistent from shot to shot.
• 30° Rule – when cutting closer to a medium close-up or close-up, change the camera angle or position enough to make the cut feel intentional rather than like a jump cut.
• Match on Action – cut during a movement so the action continues smoothly into the next shot.
• Empty Frame – allow the character to leave one frame and enter another. This can imply that distance or time has passed without showing every step of the journey.
• POV / Eyeline Match – show the character looking, then cut to what they see.

Use a variety of framings, including wide shots, medium shots, medium close-ups, and close-ups.

5. Share and Edit

1. Use one phone to shoot all footage for the group.
2. Share all clips with everyone in the group.
3. Each student edits their own version of the scene.
4. Use straight cuts only.
5. Focus on clear screen direction, seamless movement, motivated cuts, and narrative momentum.

Final Goal: The viewer should understand where the character is, what they are trying to do, what changes, and how they react — while the action feels like one continuous event.

Mini-Assignment · Continuity Scene 5%

DUE Thursday 9/24

Goal: Film and edit a 30–60 second scene (10–20 cuts) that uses continuity editing to tell a simple, coherent story. Your shots and cuts should clearly establish space, movement, time, character motivation, and a change or turn in the action.

1. Create a Two-Part Action

Write a simple two-sentence action that combines two connected activities. The first establishes what the character is doing or trying to accomplish. The second introduces another action, distraction, obstacle, discovery, or consequence.

For example:

A student goes to the kitchen to make eggs. While the eggs are cooking, they become distracted scrolling on their phone and discover that the eggs have burned.

The two actions give you opportunities to cut between different kinds of information: what the character is doing, what they are looking at, what is happening elsewhere, and how they react.

Give the character a simple quality or motivation that can influence the performance, framing, and rhythm of the editing: rushed, sleepy, distracted, nervous, curious, impatient, excited, careful, etc.

2. Plan the Scene

Before shooting, plan how you will cover the action visually.

• Draw a simple overhead diagram showing the character, important objects, camera positions, direction of movement, and the 180° line.
• Plan at least 4 different camera positions or angles.
• You may also storyboard important shots by sketching the frames.
• Think about what each shot is narrating and what motivates the cut to the next shot.

3. Use Continuity Techniques

Combine the following techniques within your scene:

• Establishing Shot – establish the space, character, and situation.
• 180° Rule / Screen Direction – maintain clear and consistent spatial relationships and direction of movement.
• 30° Rule – when cutting closer to a medium close-up or close-up, change the camera position or angle enough to avoid an accidental jump cut.
• Match on Action – cut during movement so an action continues smoothly from one shot to another.
• Empty Frame – allow the character to leave one frame and enter another, implying distance or time covered between the shots.
• POV / Eyeline Match – show the character looking, then cut to what they see.

Use a variety of framing sizes and camera positions — wide shot, medium shot, medium close-up, close-up, high or low angle — based on what the viewer needs to see at that moment in the story.

4. Compress and Expand Time

Continuity editing does not have to show an action in real time. Editing can compress or expand time while maintaining the feeling of continuous action.

For example, making eggs might take 5–10 minutes in real life, but the important actions can be presented as a continuous 20–30 second sequence:

Crack eggs → stir → pour into pan → check phone → scroll → look up → eggs have burned.

An empty-frame cut, match on action, POV shot, or cut to another simultaneous action can allow you to skip unnecessary time while keeping the sequence understandable.

You can also expand a brief moment by showing an important action through several shots — for example: the character looks up → POV of the smoking pan → close-up of the burned eggs → reaction shot.

You do not need to show every step. Select and emphasize the moments that move the action and narrative forward.

5. Shoot and Edit

1. Shoot enough coverage to create a 30–60 second scene with approximately 10–20 cuts.
2. Edit for clear spatial continuity, screen direction, movement, and narrative momentum.
3. Use straight cuts. Each cut should have a reason: following an action, revealing information, changing our attention, showing a POV, compressing time, or showing a reaction.
4. You may use environmental sound and sound effects, but no music or dialogue.
5. Export at 720p or 1080p, H.264.
6. Upload to Vimeo or YouTube.
7. Share the link in Canvas and the Slack channel.

Final Goal: Use continuity not simply to hide cuts, but to control what the viewer sees, when they see it, and how the story moves forward.

Post-Continuity Editing or "Chaos Cinema" (Matthias Stork)

Post-Continuity is when spatial/temporal coherence becomes secondary to immediate affect, sensation, energy, or spectacle. Continuity may still be present; it simply stops being the dominant organizing principle