Continuity in Filming

Continuity is very important in filming as it helps to make the film look as realistic as possible. If there are any breaks in continuity it can remind the viewer that what they are watching is not real.

There are several rules regarding continuity:

180 ^o Rule

The 180 degree rule means that the camera must not cross the imaginary line in the shot. The diagram shows the line which the camera cannot cross as the line between the two people.

The different locations where the camera can film while still keeping the continuity is shown along the dashed line.

Shot Reverse Shot

Shot reverse shot is a filming method which increases the realism of the scene, and also helps the viewer to engage with what they are watching. The 180 degree rule applies to shot reverse shot to help make the scene look much more realistic and to ensure that it flows correctly. A shot reverse shot is produced by switching which character is on screen depending on who is talking at that time.

Match Cutting

Match cutting is when you cut from one scene, to a completely different one - but objects on each scene match.

What are you doing here? - Camera and Editing Testing

Evaluation

I am pleased with our first attempt at filming and using the editing software, although the content of the test clip may not be brilliant, all of the editing and shots worked really well. We had to film this without a tripod, which instantly made this a challenging task, however, we did our best to stabilise the camera ourselves, and the end result was almost shake free.

Next time we use the cameras again we would make sure that we would be using a tripod, as this helps to ensure that the shots look professional, we would also spend more time in the editing phase, making sure all of the transitions are as smooth as possible.

Children of Men - Opening 2 Minutes Analysis

The first thing the audience hears in the opening scene of Children of Men is a news report against a black background. This instantly creates an enigma and makes the viewer want to know why nothing is being shown, and what the news report is about.

About a minute into the scene and the shot changes and shows a group of people all watching the news report on TV all looking saddened by what they are being shown.

We then see a man push his way through the crowd of people and order a coffee. This tells us that he is likely to be an important character later on in the film. He also contrasts greatly to the other characters in the same shot as the sad news story does not seem to affect him at all.

The next shot is an establishing shot, and sets the scene for the viewer. Along with the London subtitle at the bottom, there are also many object stereotyped with London included in the shot. This helps to make the film accessible for people worldwide.

The character stops on the street for a second when suddenly there is an explosion. This is a genre indicator that the film is going to be an action film. We also see a character standing screaming holding a limb. This creates yet another enigma and will entice the viewer to watch the rest of the film.

The plain background being used at the beginning during the news broadcast is very effective at drawing people into the film as they are almost forced to pay full attention to what is being said.

The camerawork used follows a point of view style, this makes the viewer feel like they are playing one of the characters and will draw them in to watching the rest of the film.

Skyfall - Opening 2 Minutes Analysis

At the beginning of the opening scene we can hear a sound motif. This lets the viewer know that the film will follow the same pattern as the rest of the films on the James Bond franchise. Seeing the silhouette of the character in the distance of the shot creates a sense of mysteriousness, as the viewer begins t wonder if the character will turn out to be James Bond. As soon as the character is close to the camera, he stops, and his face is illuminated. He then draws his gun up quickly and aims it around, suggesting that there are going to be people trying to stop him.

James walks past two bodies on the ground, and then sees a colleague bleeding out on the chair right in fron of him. The person James is speaking to does not seem to care about the man's injuries, and asks James to look for the hard drive. This shows the audience that the person speaking to James is very ruthless, and heartless.

James briefly searches for the hard drive, but cannot find it. He then goes to help his injured colleague, this would make the audience empathise with him as he is doing the right thing. James helps to stop the bleeding, but then carries on his mission, this could indicate the seriousness of the mission he is on to the audience.

James stops to look at his injured friend and thinks for a minute, obviously not sure if he is doing the right thing, and then rushes off, maybe deciding that it was for the best. This shot of James looking back at his injured friend really helps the audience to form a connection with him - as it shows he is human.

Background music then begins to play and James steps out onto a busy street. This is a huge contrast to the quiet scene we have just been shown. James' expression as he leaves the building almost makes it appear that he does not feel phased by the things he has just seen, and that he is used to it.

Dredd - Opening 2 Minutes Analysis

Firstly in the opening scene of Dredd, we are shown an establishing shot of the setting for the film, with the voice-over saying "America is an irradiated wasteland.". This instantly signals to the viewer that they could be watching some form of an action film.

Next the camera begins to pan on the empty, deserted dessert. Next follow some more establishing shots, these are setting the scene for the viewer and are instantly creating enigmas. For example, the viewer is going to want to find out why the area looks broken down.

Now a fairly slow backing track is played, while we are shown shots of futuristic looking towers, with planes weaving in and out. This one shot has a huge effect on the reader, as it is one of the biggest genre indicators shown in the opening scene. Seeing the planes set against the background of towers will instantly tell the viewer that they are watching a sci-fi film. The viewer is next shown a clip being shot from a plane, with futuristic looking displays on the sides, this is yet another sci-fi indicator, telling the audience that sci-fi is going to be a huge part of this film.

The futuristic scenery included in the opening two minutes highlights how important mise-en-scene is at indicating the films genre to the viewer, and also gives an idea of what the effect might be on the audience if they were to be misinformed of the genre.

The background music begins to speed up, and we are shown a close up shot of a character wrapping a bandage around his hand. This shot tells the audience that he is likely to be a heavily featured character in the film.

We then see a group of people throwing things, quickly followed by another shot of the character this time placing on a leather jacket. This could suggest to the audience that he is against the people who were throwing things.

One of the shots seen next shows a group of people wearing hoodies all walking down the street together, with a cloud of dust following them. This could suggest that trouble and chaos is following them wherever they go. This shot could also be creating a false representation of people who wear hoodies - suggesting that they are all out to cause trouble.

The same character as before is now seen picking up a weapon, this would further suggest that he is out to fight against the hooded people, and also the people throwing things.

Towards the very end of the opening scene the background music instantly become much faster, and we see a motorbike speed across a road. This would suggest that there will also be elements of action embedded throughout the film.

Hot Fuzz - Opening 2 Minutes Analysis

At the beginning of the opening scene for Hot Fuzz the audience is shown a a long shot with a person walking towards the camera at a fast pace, this would suggest to the audience that he has something important to do.

As the man gets to the camera, the audience is shown a very fast paced insight to the characters life, with bits of humour added.

This is a very unusual opening for a film, as hardly ever do they give such a detailed insight into a character. It is a very effective opening however as the quick changes between shots gets the viewer excited for the film. The bits of humour that have been inserted also alert the viewer that the film is likely to be a comedy.

Using such an opening has been very effective in this instance, however, there would be certain types of genre/films it would not work with - for example, it would not be appropriate for an action or a drama because the speed of this intro adds a certain sense of slapstick to it, this would damage most other genres and could become slightly confusing the the viewer.

Kick Ass - Opening Scene Analysis

The first thing we hear is a dramatic sound track in the background, this immediately tells the audience that the film is extremely likely to include a superhero.

The effects on the title of flying through the clouds is a really strong genre indicator of action and also helps to set the scene. As the camera eventually leaves the clouds, the camera pans down on what appears to be New York City - a popular location for many action/adventure films.

The viewer is immediately presented with an enigma - who is the man?

Showing the man looking down on the city with a birds eye view shot makes the scene look very dramatic, and the character brave. There is also a genre indicator here - the big city. This establishing shot of the big city tells the audience what the film will be about and where it is set, it may also make them begin to wonder why that location was chosen.

The audience then gets a feeling of suspense, as the character jumps down from the building and begins to dive directly down to the ground. This creates a very short lived enigma, and encourages the viewer to watch on to find out what happens. The character then crashes into the car, and the music comes to an abrupt stop. Stopping the music so quickly adds a sense of humour to the film, and also indicates to the viewer that everything which this character will try to do may backfire at him.

Next, the camera begins to pan to the rear end of the car which the character just crashed into. It then zooms in to show the license plate of the car, which reads "KICK ASS", incorporating the title into a prop of the film is very effective and makes the film seem much more realistic.

I really like this opening scene because I feel that it gives a rough idea of the plot, without digging to deep. It also creates several enigmas which make you want to watch to find out the answer and watch on.