Movie Continuity: the Challenge Faced by All Those in the Film Industry - Essay Example

? Movie Continuity: The challenge faced by all those in the film industry BY Abdumoeen Alfaraidy Id 1071113355 Background Background of the Research Continuity is from the word continuing, which is to make or to keep the progress running without a break. Continuity is the opposite of ceasing, taking a break, or halting. Continuity in film-making is a term used to describe the relationship between one shot to another and how it maintains the flow of an action without any pauses. There are theories regarding continuity originating in the film industry such as: the ‘180 degree rule’, the ‘30 degree rule’, ‘Axial cut’, ‘jump cut’, and ‘long take’. Continuity is a task for all the production team as it has to be maintained at all levels of the production team. From the script supervisor, film director to the most important touch in postproduction - the editor, continuity is important. By identifying the connections that form continuity among the production team members, it can minimize the number of errors that usually occur in the production of a film. There are too many production team members to describe each and every connection in detail. In this thesis, the focus is on the director and the editor. This will allow us to go through the preproduction process, the postproduction process, and most importantly the understanding and the ability to identify the responsibilities, of each team member at each stage of production. Although not including many of the individual pieces, to get a better understanding of the basic cinematographic process I have included a basic description of the overall process. Visuals are pictures and sequences of motion pictures is a film, which captures the motion or action, so the camera by recording these events, does its job. The person who controls the camera is the cameraman. This person is in charge of moving the camera in predetermined directions which can serve the purpose of achieving the best shot is taken. The director provides the direction, how the camera moves or what should be shown in the frame gate, based on their interpretation of the script of the story, provided by the script writer. After completing the shots and sequences, the editor gathers the footage and compiles them in a way that they match and gives the feel for the entire footage. The editor is also responsible for matching the sequences shot, which gives the illusion of continuity. Justification of the Research To create a motion picture, regardless of expertise of the crew, there is a requirement to achieve continuity. Continuity requires more attention and especially during a large film production as it requires script, budget, and equipment. All of these processes have to be combined together to make a film. It is a complex process and can involve a large number of people to work together in a film project. One fact is that, no matter how easy it is to see the movie or a motion picture, it is a much more complicated process especially when it gets to the structure of making it. Historically films have been made by three main countries; Great Britain, France, and the United States. It hasn’t been until the last couple of decades that other countries such as India have joined in the cinema field with successes. Not only have other countries joined in the film making business, but so have amateur filmmakers with low budgets and fresh ideas. The growth of the motion picture making around the world is expanding and most of the developers are young which means the future of filmmaking is bright. The growth of video making is exponential, especially with the advent of Youtube.com and the fact that at any time in 2012 most people have at least one camera at their house. Many of those individuals would like to tell a story, so to tell a story visually the fact of continuity has to be present. As the visual creation needs to be in the right composition angle and camera movement, all of data collected has to gather to tell a cohesive story. Methodology and Case Study A focused theoretical study on the continuity editing process and an over view of the application of continuity in film production, by understanding what is continuity and discontinuity. The case study that I have chosen to use is a full length movie "Wanted” Directed by Timur Bekmambetov. This film was created in 2008 and was highly regarded in the genre that it was created for. This movie is a thriller, crime, action film so many of the elements that may be present in other genres may not be present here. Scope This study is extremely useful to many film students, as it helps with their general course of study. This will also help students to have an overall view of the process of film making. An education of maintaining the connection between the stages of film production is important in understanding the basics of film making. Those who want to break into the film industry could use research on this topic to better understand what the individuals who have been in the industry for a long time use during the film making process. Individuals who are already in the field, from production to post-production could use documents such as this to horn their talent and see what other directors and production staff is doing in their films. What are the possibilities to achieve continuity in a film?: 1- Understanding the theories. 2- Pre production stage of a case study, and understanding what it takes to provide a process that enables continuity. 3- Production stage over view on application of theories. 4- A focused study on the post production stage of continuity and editing. Outline of the Thesis The literature review section views the literature that is already published regarding the common rules of continuity. This literature review will establish the difference between continuity and discontinuity. Establishing a discussion of the existing theories and literature is needed to better understand the common rules of continuity as well as how to produce a film using the rules. By knowing the existing literature, gaps, if any, will present and can be addressed in this paper. The next section to address is to discuss the theories and how they are integrated into the film making process. The rules are important in very stage of the film making sequence. A case study to see the application in the preproduction stage, a view of visualization of shots, and story board, so to show how the rules are also applied in the first stages of the production. Initiate a platform of the production stage, the actual shooting and how it matches the preproduction stage. The fourth section is a focus of the most important part of the continuity process, the editing phase. This section will also discuss the pros and cons of the different styles of editing in the final phase. This section will also provide an analysis of the information provided in previous section. The final chapter is a wrap-up of the paper and how new and existing film producers, editors, and cameramen on the current procedures to create the best possible film with continuity as possible. Literature Review When discussing film making, there are many books for those who want to get into the field. These books are written by professionals in the field, as well as academics that are interested in the theories behind current film making. To get a good scope of the material that is available. The main four books that will be reviewed and analyzed for this paper are: Thomas A. Ohanian and Michael E. Phillips’ Digital Filmmaking: The changing art and craft of Making Motion Pictures, Russell Evans’ Practical Dv Filmmaking, Jean Pierre Geuens’ Film Production Theory, and The Major Film Theories: An Introduction by J. Dudley Andrew.1 Thomas A. Ohanian, a professional film making editor, best known for movies such as “Code of Ethics”(1999), “Beyond Paradise”(1998), and “Patriots”(1994). Ohanian is also an Academy and Emmy Award recipient who is considered one of the leading authorities of digital editing and filmmaking.2 Not only is Ohanian an editor, but he has produced a documentary regarding the Armenian Genocide. Ohanian’s co-author has also been a co-editor in the “Patriots” (1994). Although Phillips has been an editor for a few movies, he is more well knows as a consultant in both digital editing and post-production processes.3 Digital Filmmaking is a strong book that highlights all of the different stages of the film making process from a digital point of view. Due to their professional careers, this book also includes personal view points from those in the industry versus academics. While many books may stick with one specific style or final product, Ohanian and Phillips write about both cinema and television which assists in understanding the differences and similarities between the two, which can require two sets of expertise. Both of these men have worked though the evolution of filmmaking and can speak from personal experience. This assists in the overall feel of the book because some individuals still desire to use the old style of filmmaking and not the digital filmmaking that is seen in many of the recent block busters. Ohanian and Phillips both believe that continuity should be controlled by the script supervisor and that this individual should be the one to ensure that continuity is kept intact at all stages of development. This work is extensive in the fact that it includes everything and it a very large book because of it. Due to the size, it is not something that is a casual read, but when a question presents itself, this book set up topically in the form of a loose dictionary and can be used as a resource. Due to the trite writing of some of the topics, this book is not written for the first time film student, but more for an upperclassman or para-professional who is looking for guidance on the fly. To understand the basics of theory and all other elements of film making, both analog and digital, this is a strong representation of what is common in the field, written by professionals who want to teach others what they have learned through years of study and work. There are some issues with this book, both the lack of citations, column length, and the bibliography. There are no citations, which I attribute to the professions of both writers.4 They believe they know the field, and therefore detailed citations are not needed. This book is published with two columns which hinders the reading experience. The bibliography is one two pages long, which due to the overall length of 302 pages is not sufficient enough to be of an academic quality and when used, the writer should be aware of that. The second resource that is important to the overall examination of filmmaking and specifically continuity is Russell Evans’ Practical Dv Filmmaking. Russell Evans is a lecturer of film and video. Evans is also a freelance writer and a magazine editor. Although Evans is not in the profession, he has written many works on filmmaking and has assisted many film makers break into the field and become successful.5 This book was chosen due to the difference between the authors; the first two being in the profession, and Evans being a writer and not in the profession. Many of the elements of Evans’ book is similar to that of Ohanian and Phillips’. However, the overall set up of the book is better than the previous described book. One thing that Evans’ book excels at is the overview that shows how to make a film on a low budget while making it look like a much larger budget film. He follows with a extensive amount of information starting with the basic structure of any film making scene to detailed chapters on how to create a film. Evans goes so far as to speak about what professions one may achieve by going into the film making profession. While he may not write about specific perspectives, Evans talks about specific projects, such as Polymedia Movies and Montage Editing.6 The topic of continuity not only comes up, but Evan’s has dedicated an entire section on what continuity is, and how to effectively use it. Evans book is one column which leads to a better reading experience. While Evans bibliography is still scant and does not include all of the necessary information that is needed for further research, what Evans does include is internet links throughout the book which relates directly to the information that he is presenting. Each chapter, part, and section has bullet points that summarize the information as well as allowing for quick reference when needed.7 Due to the extent that he explains things, and the depth that he does, this book is for undergraduate individuals or people who are looking to break into the field. However there are sections that are adapt for those already in the profession looking for some additional information on specific elements. The sections of how to get into the field as well as how to succeed are for both those getting into the field and those already in the field. The following two books are less about the overall filmmaking experience and more about the specific theories that surround the profession. Theories are strong in a variety of professions, specifically science and math. However, there are theories about how to create a better picture and to streamline the entire process. Film Production Theory written by Jean Pierre Geuens is a good example of a book specifically on the theories behind film production. Geuens, part of the camera department for movies in the early 1970s has not been active in the field since then. However his professionalism and continued activity in the field has produced many special thanks in mostly indie films. Film Production Theory starts off as a broad topic based book that then condenses down to chapters specifically on elements of cinema making. Due to his beliefs, Geuens believes that serious film making in the United States is no longer serious, and film makers are more involved with creating things that go away from the basic theories. His belief is that by understanding the theories, no matter what one decides to do with that is not as important as having a strong base knowledge. Throughout his first chapter, he writes in-depth about the history of film making, and uses specific film companies and producers to highlight some of his major arguments.8 Geuens’ writing of film making continuity is broken and placed throughout the book. A lot of the broken discussion on continuity mostly has to do with the way that his book is structured. This book is well written and at a higher academic level than the previous two books. Geuens utilizes endnote citations which allow readers to easily use this document as a resource for further study. This book also has a simple writing style that is acceptable by different levels of student and professionals. Unlike the other authors, Geuens does not have a basis in the film making field, which I think gives him a good view of the field and allows a more objective look at the film making industry. Many may look at the table of contents and feel that there may be some repetition between the first three chapters and the following seven because of the separation between an overview of the industry, and an in depth look at specific elements of the industry. However Geuens does a good job at separating the two and maintaining what could be two books into one, successfully as well. To learn about the general element of filmmaking one can read the first part, while those looking for specifics can find the chapter that directly assists them. J. Dudley Andrews’ book The Major Film Theories is the final book that adds to the general knowledge of film making and how continuity plays a substantial role in the film making process. J. Dudley Andrew, currently a professor at Yale University was the founder of the Institute for Cinema and Culture at the University of Iowa. Although he was not active in the field, Andrew comes from a strong academic background and therefore this work should have a strong theoretical approach versus how some of the others use an approach to directly assist those in the field. J. Dudley Andrew writes from a completely different aspect than the others who wrote by film making subject or genre. Andrew however writes by filmmaker in his book. What this means is that he takes those producers and theory makers and explains what they have added to the industry. The writer’s belief is that while each theory is important, the individual behind the theory is just as important. It was their professional and personal life that affected how they influenced the film process and industry. Andrew goes past just explaining theories but actually puts each theorist in a direct comparison to other theorists. The method that he does this is by using certain aspects of the profession that are relatable by all; raw material, methods and techniques, forms and shapes, and purpose or value.9 While the other authors wrote on continuity as an independent factor, Andrew writes about continuity in conjunction with the theorist. This allows for a direct correlation between the theorist and the theory, while it also brings a disadvantage to the book that you have to search though multiple pages for the information that one may be seeking. Andrew, being an academic uses in-text citations which allows for direct review of other sources. His writing is set for an academic and not someone in the profession. This can be seen in his writing and the way the book is set up. There are minimal instances where a professional will need to know the name of the theorist behind something that they have been doing for years. For the student, this book however is great as it has the references needed for further research. This book could also easily be required reading for a film major taking a film theory and methods class. Methodology and Case Study Methodology When discussing film making continuity, first the five main types of continuity have to be described to better understand the issues that can befall the new film professional. The five types are; “180 degree rule”, “30 degree rule”, “Axial jump”, “Jump cut”, and “Long Take”. All five of these can be used in conjunction with each other, or can be used as desired by the producer and script supervisor. After understanding the different theories regarding continuity, a case study will be presented that deals directly with the issues that are present during the film making process that could result in issues with the continuity of the film. A basic guideline for all cameramen is the “180 degree rule”. This rule concerns where the camera can be before the actors positions change on the screen. When a camera stays within 180 degrees of the original point of filming and is essential to maintain continuity.10 If the cameraman “jumps the line” or goes further than the 180 degrees, the characters positions on screen will change and can confuse the audience. This camera rule is especially important when action is occurring behind and around the main focal point, by allowing additional action to be filmed. This rule coincides with another film maker rule, the “30 degree rule”. The “30 degree rule” is one which is common in many films. What the “30 degree rule” states is that when using the “180 degree rule” the cameraman should move at least 30 degrees before taking another shot. This is to keep the scenes different enough that during post production it is not confusing for the staff to separate the two shots.11 This maintains motivation to take the shot and also keeps the continuity intake. If the frames that are shot are too similar it produces a somewhat harsh transition. While the 180 and 30 degree rules are regarding moving around the focal point, usually an individual or fixed element, “Axial Cut” is about distance from the subject. Although not used in contemporary cinema as much as other theories, this was a very popular method used during the early 20th century. This produces an illusion of continuity instead of actual continuity. Unlike the degree rules, this method works best with static displays or events as the camera works best if stilled in one location. It is possible to use multiple cameras and cut the extra footage out during post-production. The “Jump Cut” is against the typical laws of continuity and actually works against what one would expect from a scene.12 This type of filming results from a difference in time, while axial cut was distance. This can be explained by scenes that jump between times or space, such as a person driving a car that cuts from the drivers side to the passengers side of the car. By utilizing the 30 degree rule you eliminate the possibility of having a jump cut. The Long take is the possibly the easiest shot, but also the one used the least. This shot is where the camera continues to roll during an entire scene. This shot is easy because there is no camera movement and it focuses on the same characters or focal point. This however is long because there is no break and actors could move in the wrong fashion or if there is a mistake, the entire shot has to be redone. This shot can contain movement and other events, but is usually used during scenes of tense emotional phases where cutting to reposition the camera may take away from the overall effect.13 There are some directors that are known for their long shots, such as Orson Wells and M. Night Shyamalan. Both of these individuals used the long shot to increase the tension of the scene for the audience. This version is extremely useful with regards to continuity because of all the rules discussed this is the one that is the epitome of continuity. The only editing that is done with some productions is to chain together all of the individual film rolls. Case Study and Analysis For the case study I have chosen the movie “Wanted” directed by Timur Bekmambetov. The plot of the movie is that a young man, who believed he was ordinary. This young man, Wesley has a dead end job, no father, a cheating girlfriend, and a best friend that is a backstabber. The movie starts with a man being killed who circumstantially is also Wesley’s father. This throws Wesley into a moral and ethical decision regarding all aspects of his life. Does he go with the individuals who may be attempting to save him, or does he stay in the safe environment that he has created around himself. Wesley and the movie develop with his decision and how Wesley becoming the man that he was meant to be.14 The movie starts with an ordinary enough individual who in fact he was actually descended from an ancient line of assassins. The movie continues with training, and then the climax of the movie where he has to fight what is believed to be the antagonist. This movie has a lot of fight scenes and other scenes that have little to no conversation present. This movie is a great example to dissect and analyze the type of filming that is present. Due to the nature of this movie, the first 30 minutes is a long enough period to determine the overall theme of the movie as well as view many of the main theories regarding film cutting. During the first main scene of the movie, a woman is shot, at which point a man jumps across one high rise building to another. This scene uses Axial Cut when the camera is in the position of the man focusing on the window he is planning of jumping out of. There are also jump cuts through the entire first scene, which actually is a common style for this movie. 180 degree rule along with 30 degree rule are both used when the main character is in his office.15 The one take that rarely is used during this movie is the long take. There appears to be segments that have short 20-50 second fragments that are a continuous cut. This movie is about individuals who have almost super human abilities and because of that there are a lot of short cuts to exaggerate this element. Due to the genre of the film as well as the style of the director, this film does not have very many long takes. Most of the movie consists of jump cuts and 180 degree rule. This technique is used to increase the tension that the audience member feels as well as highlight more information than a long shot may provide. As this is a thriller and not a movie that needs much conversation, the need for long takes is obsolete. At every stage of this movies’ creation there is a tremendous amount of editing that is required. This editing begins with the scene of Wesley, the main character speaking about his life with cut shots to his girlfriend, his best friend, and his boss. The scene cuts between all of the issues that he is having, and does not do anything to change his situation. Another scene that requires a lot of editing is the scene of Fox fighting with Cross in the pharmacy.16 Due to the camera views, the editing for these two scenes took place with different cameras and was edited together by the post-production staff. Other scenes such as when Wesley is first walking though the textile factory is an example of 180 degree rule. The camera follows him for a time, and then changes the perspective without going over the 180 degree line, therefore not creating a jump scene. Another scene that is an example of a 180 degree line theory is when Wesley first meets The Repairman. The view is almost always from Wesley’s perspective but then it switches to a side perspective while still maintaining continuity. The main example of the 30 degree rule is at the very beginning when Wesley is in bed and he is talking, this is also a long take as there is no camera change until his girlfriend gets out of bed.17 When Wesley is in the healing vats, this is also an example of a long shot along with the 30 degree rule. The camera stays focused on Wesley’s face, all at the same time that another character is speaking to him. Both of these examples are of a cut that could be made during production by the director and producer with camera angles. It could have been cut together with post-production, but that was not necessary. Much of this movie has been completed in the post-production phase as the tempo is a fast one and there are entering and exiting of characters that may prove impossible in a long shot format. CONCLUSION Creating a movie for the big screen is not as simple has buying a camera and filming something. However, in the last decade there have been many more indie films that have a simplified production compared to that of major studio productions. What this does to the industry is create a dichotomy between those studios that have the money to hire large crews and able to have multiple films in post-production at the same time. Smaller studios or individual film makers like those of the “Blair Witch Project” do not have the resources or the space to dedicate a large amount of time for the filming or the post-production process. For this reason there are notable differences between major studio films and those of independent film makers in style and overall quality. As cameras and home equipment gets better, these differences are going to lessen. Other countries are starting to utilize that film making and production equipment is cheaper and easier to acquire to make films like “Slum Dog Millionaire”. Where once only those with the proper education and connections could become part of the movie industry, now almost anyone with the right drive can create a movie. This has opened up the doors to a lot of talented film makers who may not have had the proper education or connections. No matter the education of the film-maker it is important to understand the theories behind the production process. Without that knowledge, films would be not put together and not as fluid. For that reason, all film makers no matter the actual position should study the theories and understand how they fit in to movie making. While only one movie was used as a case study, any movie that has been made can be used to highlight the theories that are essential to the movie making process. With the existing literature, the future could be a continuation of how important the theories are to the actual film making process and not something that is theoretical. Bibliography Alexander, Victor. Film Making A to Z. Burbank, CA: Self Published, 1995. Andrew, J. Dudley. The Major Film Theories: An Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Inc., 1976. Barnwell, Jane. The Fundamentals of Film-Making. London: AVA Publishing, 2005. Evans, Russell. Practical Dv Filmmaking. Burlington, MA: Focal Press, 2002. Gaskill, Arthur L. and David A. Englander. How to shoot a movie story: technique of pictorial continuity. Dobbs Ferry, NY: Morgan & Morgan, 1970. Geuens, Jean-Pierre. Film Production Theory. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2000. Miller, Pat P. Script Supervising and Film Continuity. 3rd ed. Woburn, MA: Focal Press, 1999. Ohanian, Thomas A. and Michael E. Phillips. Digital Filmmaking: The Changing Art and Craft of Making Motion Pictures. Woburn, MA: Focal Press, 2000. Thompson, Roy and Christopher Bowen. Grammar of the Shot. 2nd ed. Burlington, MA: Focal Press, 2009. Wanted. Dir. Timur Bekmambetov. Universal Pictures, Spyglass Entertainment, Relativity Media. 2008. Film. Read More