Continuity Exercise- Write Up

Continuity Exercise

During lesson, I booked the video camera to film my continuity exercise. I included two actresses in my scene and found a spacious area where I could film on a 180 degree angle. From here, I began to film my scene.

In the first scene I used ACTRESS 1 to walk up to the door, filming from the right, as this is the side that I would be filming from to comply with the 180 degree angle rule. She pushed down on the door handle and paused, where I cut it and moved inside of the room. Here I filmed (with the door handle still pushed down) her opening the door and walking inside, panning from left to right-still filming from the right hand side. ACTRESS 1 pausing when she pushed down the door handle was used so that there is match on match action when she opened the door, so that she was not using the door handle twice. She then walked into the room and the camera shoots a mid-shot of the door closing, however I cut the shot before it shut. I then moved across the room in a mid-shot, panning from left to right (still on the right hand side) and filmed her walking across the room, in the background I also made sure that the sound of the door shutting was heard by the the audience, this is an example of match on match action.

As she stops and stands still on the right hand side of the screen, I then cut to ACTRESS 2 where the shot-reverse-shot edit would take place. Once I cut to ACTRESS 2 in a close up-she says "I didn't think you were gonna' come"- cutting to ACTRESS 1 in a close up, replies- "Well I'm here now aren't I?" in a angry tone. I then cut back to ACTRESS 2 in a close up, saying - "Fine, then let's talk business".  Here is where the shot-reverse-shot conversation ends. In addition, to match with the conversation, I filmed a final close up of ACTRESS 1 and ACTRESS 2 shaking hands, still on the right hand side to obey with the 180 degree rule. The scene then cuts and is finished.

In this exercise I learnt about the 180 degree, match on match action and shot-reverse-shot. I learnt a lot about how to obey the 180 degree rule and additionally make sure the shot-reverse-shots were in line and not at different angles. I made this scene look professional.

Amber Salomone