Key Shot Types - Continuity

Continuity editing in filming is extremely important. Not only does it reflect on the professionalism and thought process of the film itself, but it allows the audience to easily grasp the narrative, mise en scene and character intentions without feeling disorientated or confused. There are three main techniques that are used throughout and religiously in filming:

MATCH ON ACTION
The match on action technique consists of two shots which simple give the illusion of a continuous single shot. It is very clever and commonly used widely across television and films. One shot cuts into another shot finishing the action of the first shot. The viewer is so used to this, that they often don't even realise that it has happened. 

SHOT REVERSE SHOT
This is used most frequently during a conversation between two people. The camera switches from behind one person shoulder (an over the shoulder shot), to the opposite person's shoulder. Emotion can often be captured through this technique as the person listening to the dialogue has their facial expressions on show.

THE 180 DEGREE RULE
This is an important rule all camera operators should follow. It consists of an imaginary horizontal line of which the camera should abide by. Particularly during Shot Reverse Shot/Over the shoulder shots, the camera must stay on the correct side of the line (correct shoulder) to prevent the audience getting confused of the mise en scene and character's viewpoint.