ISL Week Five - Effective Continuity Editing

 Week Five – Effective Continuity Editing

Inception (2012) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3-a58Wt2tk

Effective continuity editing is shown here by not breaking the 180° rule. We see here her face over the shot of his shoulder showing the reactions of what he has said or done. 

Followed on in the next shot it shows a shot over her shoulder showing the relationship between the two actors and the reactions from both of them. Also known as a reverse shot between two actors it shows the audience that a conversation is going on between both of the actors through them speaking to each other’s faces. However, if the camera was changing sides, over the 180° line, it would look like they were speaking to each other from the same direction not showing a conversation. 

Whereas effective continuity editing has been done here implying they are talking face to face through shot reverse shots on the third image.

Another effective continuity edit is shown here as the camera has moved back and still not crossed the 180° line. If the camera was going to change it would have to show the audience it crossed, for example, going behind someone showing the change. Although it has moved back to a long shot it has not crossed the line but still showing conversation between the two actors.

Later on in the scene, the camera shows the audience that someone is going through a door by following them to the door opening it and walking through. The camera has to stay on the right-hand side of the actor as he would have crossed over the 180° line and would have been walking the opposite direction to what he should have been.

This shot shows the actor walking the other side of the door, but the camera still on the right of him when he walked through the door so he is not back-tracking on himself from the audience’s point of view.

The camera can move anywhere behind the line, it can get as close to or as far back at any angle but cannot cross it unless it goes behind or in front on the actor or object which cannot be edited out as the audience would not know and it would look as if the actors are talking to themselves.