continuity tricks or pb

[Delorme Jean-Marie]

continuity made by the lightning is not my point on this post.

 

make the takes to match so you can tell a situation properly is a real job in the film.

director, DOP/operator, script and editors are involved in making it happens but who is finaly responsable when it doesn't match exactly, when you discover(when editing) it doesn't work?

i'm talking about :

-movments

-large shot or close up

-understanding a discution at 2 or 3

-follow a character from A to B location

-make undesrtand you are the next day, month, year

 

do you have exemples of tricks for continuity that works good and other that doesn't work at all

except the rule of 180° which is the first one .....

[Dan Salzmann]

I believe that the responsibility is with the director.

Most of these problems can be prevented with good pre-production.

If the director was too arrogant, naive or lazy to recognize the need for this preperation it is their fault.

I do not count on miracles.

[David Mullen ASC]

It's the director's ultimate responsibility but he has to have the support of every department checking continuity (script supervisor often double-checks things like prop and wardrobe continuity, as well as screen direction issues.) Most departments like wardrobe, hair, make-up, etc. bring the actor to set having checked continuity and someone from the departments keeps an eye on it between set-ups. And the script supervisor has overall responsibility on continuity but there are limits to how much that person can catch.

 

The DP has to look out for lighting continuity issues as well as screen direction, the DP / operator may also notice hair & make-up continuity just before the camera rolls, but that's why the hair & make-up people are supposed to do "last looks" before the camera rolls.

 

A lot of people checking continuity on the little things. That's why so many people have polaroids and digital still cameras on a set. More eyes the better.

 

In terms of clear screen geography, that's really the director's job (helped by the DP and maybe the script supervisor.)

 

But ultimately all of this comes down to EDITORIAL. The editor ALSO has to care about screen direction, continuity, establishing screen geography, etc. He could easily make everyone on set look like idiots by the shots he chooses and the way he cuts them.

[Laurence Avenet]

do you have exemples of tricks for continuity that works good and other that doesn't work at all

except the rule of 180° which is the first one .....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Storyboards help catch problems with movements and geography. On our shoots, in addition to the storyboards, I create a continuity binder with a page for at least each scene which contains stick figures for all characters involved. All changes in continuity (lighting, wardrobe, special effects, props, location, time issues) are noted throughout the whole movie. If something changes during the shoot which affects other scenes, I update all possible changes on the continuity book. I take polaroids of particular lighting setups (or anything else for that matter) that need to be replicated later on and attach it to the scene page in the continuity book. It's tedious to create in pre-production but helps catch problems when it's hectic on the set. Anyone in the cast and crew can check it, and as a team, anyone can notice continuity problems. This method, in addition to the storyboards, has been working for us.

 

Laurence Avenet-Bradley