Continuity Techniques

No Country for Old Men (2007, Coen Brothers)

The scene above illustrates how continuity techniques can be used simplisticly to be made unnoticable. In this particular scene the use of shot reverse shot shows the viewer everything while being seamless and unintrusive on the scene. The shot reverse shot technique is partnered with a master shot, which is improtant to keep the viewer understandng. The camera does get closer up at points to show more emotion (as little as Javier Bardem shows) but essentially the same shots are used throughout. There is one match on action shot at 1.38 to show a wrapper get put down. I think the style of the continuity in this scene is clinically effiecient, like most high budget films. In order to attain these high standards no errors must be made, because the key to good continuity is for the viewer to not notice it at all. This allows them to get more immersed in the film.

Infernal Affairs (2002, Andrew Mau and Alan Mak)

(Spoiler Alert - Final scene)

Just watching this scene up to 2.33 I think that it shows enough continuity techniques. I think that the camera work in particular is amazing, and even though I am concentrating on continuity rather than camera work I thought it was worth a mention. The camera is slowly introduced towards the character ina way that allows the audience to see the setting, and the character. This is done though a VLS, to LS, to VLS, to MS, to CU. While jumps are actually quite big they are in series enough to keep audiences attention. The opening conversation has an obvious master shot and mixes this with lots of shot reverse shot, for particular speech sections. This is simple enough but is mixed in with lots of matches on action and some eyeline matching. The directors also put in a couple of insert shots and buffer shots to mix thing up. The 180 degree rule is never broken. I think that the way that they have not made big jumps in shots makes the scene easy to follow. While the camera often jumps out to show more of the setting, it always systematically jumps back in in about 3 shots, to make things easy to follow. The audience is made to see important things, with the use of focus shots, and the reaction shots add to the emotion which is shared with the audience. I think the scene is very well directed, because it is really impressively shot, while sticking to continuity rules.