Life on Mars

Saul Bass

Continuity Exercise

Whilst filming for the continuity exercise, we had to follow a number of rules in order to make our clip look as professional as possible. These included:

• Match on match action: this rule required that when two shots come directly after each other the continuity should be kept the same. This meant all props, the setting and actors would have to remain in the same state as they did in the previous shot. When doing this first time round, we had to re-film due to the fact we did this rule incorrectly.
• Another rule we had to follow was shot reverse shot. This was when the actor is shown to be looking at the opposing protagonist, then the following shot portrays them. The audience should assume that the actors are conversing with one another and without knowing the names of the characters, the audience should identify the difference between the characters.
• Lastly, the final rule we had to follow was the 180 degree rule. This referred to the camera being positioned on the same half of the actors. By doing so, it allows the audience to not get confused between the characters further helping them to understand the story and situation.