Continuity Editing

The 180° Rule

When filming two characters talking the 180° line must be established. This is crucial as it helps the audience know where the characters and settings are placed.

It may help to imagine that where the two characters are facing each other is a straight line, this is known as the line of action. Usually the camera will show a side-on view of the characters to establish the mise-en-scene of where the characters are. From this point onwards the camera does not cross the line of action, always keeping the same left/right relationship with each other.
      However if the director wants to swap onto the other side of the 180° line they may do this by panning the camera around the back of one of the characters to show this change.




Match-On-Action

This form of editing shows the action or movement of a character or object in one shot continuing into another. For example, a character walks towards and through a door frame away from the camera in one shot. And it is then cut to another shot from inside the room and the character is still walking through the door frame, but is now walking towards the camera.

Shot/Reverse Shot

When a character is shown looking (often off-screen) at another character, and then the other character is shown looking 'back' at the first character.


(Shot/Reverse shot is shown at 1:50 - 1:55)


The Eyeline Match

When the director wants for the audience to see what the character is seeing, also known as a POV (point of view) shot. This begins witht the character looking off-screen, then the shot will be cut to the object that the character is looking at.