A Complete Guide to Continuity Editing in Film and Short Videos

Continuity errors are one of the easiest ways to break your audience's focus. Let's discuss how to solve continuity issues in post-production.

Script Supervisor vs. Editor

For the most part, the script supervisor is in charge of ensuring all the continuity is consistent from one shot and scene to the next. Their job is to be mindful of what characters are doing and where they are in all of the coverage that takes place in a scene.

Overall, the script supervisor is watching for wardrobe, props, styling, and set changes that could happen in between takes.

Different Types of Continuity

Aside from physical props, set decoration, hair and makeup, and wardrobe, there are other, more technical types of continuity including eye line, matching cuts with movement, and scene changes. You're also keeping the audience from getting disoriented due to breaking the 30 and 180-degree rules.

Cuts and Movement

According to Moving Image Theory, approximately 95% of editing boundaries are cuts, which are the simplest form of cutting and the most important and effective way to tell your story. Cutting on action and movement entails cutting from one shot to the next once a character performs some action.

Matching Eye-Lines

Eye-line matching is critical, as this nonverbally communicates that two characters are having a conversation. If you include a shot of a character looking off-screen and to the right, you'd need to cut to the second character looking off-screen, but to the left.

30 and 180-Degree Rules

The 30 and 180-degree rules state that the camera should never cross an invisible 180-degree line when covering a scene. This ensures that your audience understands where the characters are in relation to each other and the environment around them.

How to Approach Your Edit

The simplest form of continuity editing follows the very idea that the audience needs to see what happens in a scene