Research on Shot Continuity

We were asked to watch film clips and indentify different techniques used to create continuity so that the sequence of shots makes sense to the audience. For my first clip i chose to watch the bike scene from Charlies Angels Full Throttle. I chose this scene because i feel the way it is edited adds to the whole effect and it needs to be shot in a certain way to make it make sense as it is such an action packed scene.

At the beginning of the scene there is a ECU of the motorbike wheels spinning up dirt and then a CU of the motor bikes driving off. This is an example of matched cut and use of shot order. The matched cut is created because the first shot is of the bikes just driving off and the second one is also of them just driving off. This therefore tells the audience that no time has passed between the two shots and that the are continuous. It makes sense because if in one shot they are just starting up, they wouldn't have gained full speed by the next shot. Also the use of shot order is created because it jumps from ECU to CU which is a gradual change in camera position and not a huge jump across space. It makes for an easier viewing experience for the audience.
When the bad guy kicks a person's bike off the course there is a shot from in front and then a shot from behind. In both shots the bad guy is slightly behind the person's bike that he kicks. This is another example of a matched cut because it shows that things haven't changed between each shot and that they are a continuous sequence. It also doesnt confuse the audience as it makes sense that he is in the same position in both shots.
When the bike is kicked you see a shot from behind the bike of it crashing next to a parked lorry. You then see profile shot of the bike as it crashes onto the ground. In both shots it crashes in the same place, next to the lorry on the right of it. This again is matched cut because the sequence makes sense due to the way it has been cut. In both shots the lorry is there and the bike has crashed in the same place therefore the action is believeable to the audience.
Later there are a sequence of shots of people jumping on their bikes. It shows these jumps from many different angles and distances, however in each shot the bike and rider are in the same position we left them in from the shot before. This therefore creates a chronological sequence that the audience can understand and they can therefore believe it is happening. It is less confusing for the audience and makes the sequence more realistic as we know that you would not be able to change position in the space of a cut on a bike. It also tells the audience that no time has passed since the last shot, it is just a carry on.
There are mid shots of Cameron Diaz going over bumps in the bike course and then it cuts to a long profile shot showing her bike going over these bumps. This is a matched cut as one shot leads onto the next shot seamlessly and both shots show the same action taking place.
There is a LS of Cameron Diaz going over a jump on her bike from behind then the camera cuts to a MCU of Drew Barrymore and Lucy Lou putting on their motor cycle helmets and starting up their bikes. This is an example of cross cutting as the audience know that both actions are occuring simultaneously but at different places. It links the characters without having to tell the two stories one after the other. It makes it make more sense to the audience.
Throughout this scene of Charlie's Angels the director uses these continuity techniques so that when the audience watch it they barely notice the editing and it seems smooth. To us it looks perfect as it fits with the conventions and our expectations.

The second scene i chose to look at was from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory where Violet Beauregard eats the chewing gum as although it is a make believe story, the way it is shot and edited makes it seem plausable to the audience.

The scene begins with Mid Shots of the characters talking up to Willy Wonka. When we then see a Mid Shot of Willy Wonka he is looking down at the spot that we would expect the group of characters to be. This is matched eyeline because although the audience cannot see both sets of people at the same time their eyelines in each shot match up perfectly so we can guess where abouts the other person would be in the scene. It makes sense to the audience as the way the actor is looking seems plausable to them as this is where they would expect the other person to be.
There is a CU shot of Violet putting the chewing gum into her mouth, then a CU shot of her mother and then it cuts back to the CU of Violet chewing the gum. This is a shot reverse shot. The camera changes position to show each of the characters in the scene and their reactions to what the other person is saying however it does not show them both in the same shot. The audience have to assume they are talking to each other from the direction they are talking and their eyelines. As Violet is talking upwards off camera and her mother is talking downwards off camera it is obvious to the audience that they are talking to each other. However later in the shot, Violet starts to talk slightly to the right of the camera and then it cuts to a Mid Shot of Willy Wonka talking down underneath the camera. The audience can now assume that because of their matched eyelines she is now aiming her comments at Willy Wonka rather than her mother and this seems plausable to the audience as their head direction is showing where you would expect to see them talking to if both of them were present in the shot.
Violet later starts describing the chewing gum to all of them in a MCU shot. It follows with MCU's of many of the other characters looking off screen but in different directions. However because of their matched eyelines the audience can assume they are all looking at Violet as the direction they are looking is justifyable and makes sense as this is where you would expect them to be in relation to Violet.
When Violet begins to turn into a blueberry there is a CU shot of her face then a shot of Willy Wonka reacting then back to a shot of Violet. This is a cutaway reaction shot as it cuts away from the main action of the scene to show you how another character is reacting to it. It makes the audience know how they should also be reacting to it and breaks up the action so it isn't just one long, boring sequence. It also tells the audience that Willy Wonka is reacting at the same time that the action is occurring and that time hasn't changed.
As Violet is expanding the camera cuts from an ELS of her from the front to an ELS of her from a high angle. This is a matched cut as the action that is taking place is exactly the same in both shots despite the movement of camera. This shows to the audience that no time has passed since the camera moved and it does not confuse them.
When Willy Wonka begins to talk to Violet's mother there is a noise from the right off camera and both their heads turn to look at it then it cuts to a ECU shot of a machine timer. This is a motivated cut as the audience want to see where the noise is coming from and what they have both turned to look at and in the next shot it is revealed to them. It gives some suspense to the scene and holds the audiences attention because they want to witness what is going on. This also acts as a cross cut as it cuts away from the main action of them reacting to Violet expanding to the Umpa Lumpa's coming out to start singing. It allows another element of the story to be seamlessly revealed to the audience.
There is a LS of the Umpa Lumpa's singing and then a MCU of Willy Wonka dancing then back to the Umpa Lumpa's singing. This is another cutaway reaction shot as it shows that Willy Wonka's reaction is occuring at the same time as the main action and that he is reacting to them. This is also shown by eyeline match as he is looking to the left off camera and that is the position that the audience would expect the Umpa Lumpa's to be in relation to him, therefore they know he is reacting to them. It makes the sequence make a lot more sense to the audience and the shots all fit together effortlessly.
Right at the end of the scene we see a MCU of Willy Wonka talking to someone, then there is a shot of Violet's mother talking back at him, then another MCU of Willy Wonka answering her. This is an example of shot-reverse shot as we see both characters reactions and emotions but without changing to camera's distance from them. It is also an example of matched eyeline as when there is a shot of each of them they are looking in the direction that the audience would expect the other character to be standing therefore making the conversation between the two of them more believable to the audience.
Although people do not turn into blueberries in real life the look of Violet is plausible as this is what people would expect to happen if someone did turn into a blueberry. It is made up but yet because of the way in which it is put together we can believe that if something like this were to occur it would look almost exactly like how it is shot. It is still believable to the audience as it still creates a sense of realism, despite it being totally fantasy.