Intensified Continuity

David Bordell believes that continuity in films has intensified because of rapid editing, lens length, close framing, and a free ranging camera. Basically film has become more focused on close ups and quick cuts with less camera movement. Many recent films have quick cuts throughout rather than moving the camera itself. It allows close ups to be seamlessly integrated into a film to deliver a more intense idea or emotion. "As we'd expect, action films tended to be edited more briskly than other types..." (Bordell). Action scenes in films are complemented by quick cuts because it increases intensity. For example in a scene where a protagonist and villain are crawling for and object -like a gun- cuts between the surrounding, the actors faces, and the distance from the object can be shown seamlessly. This event in a film would be much more boring in one longer shot. Of course this choice is left up to the director or editor. On the other hand "musicals, dramas, romances and comedies didn't really favor long takes" (Bordell). These types of films require smoother pacing, slow pans, and minimal cuts. Any cuts that are made should be slow and far in between in order to keep the audience involved in what they are watching. The pacing of shots and cuts is important to the emotion and effect of a film on an audience.


Lenses have drastically changed, today the telephoto lens can provide a wide range of shots with only one camera and even one shot. In addition, new technology like cranes and hovering rigs allow the camera itself to be moved around to provide coverage. "The new lenses yielded several stylistic byproducts..." (Bordell). Since cameras today are so maneuverable, shots like close ups can be gotten much more quickly than before. In dialogue scenes, no longer is a director limited to having a two shot, they have have the option of cutting between close ups and long shots. In a romantic scene, shots may get tighter and tighter to match the emotion being portrayed. 


New technology has also made showing different scenes from a film easier. Using two cameras can make continuity much easier in edit. Getting two angles at the same time can make a cut more convincing since a shot would be the same. This would be much easier and less time consuming than using one camera and having to re-shoot one scene. For example in a scene where there is an explosion, fire or collapsing building- multiple cameras can be setup to allow the most coverage without the need to re-do expensive scenes. Dramatic scenes can be shown from different angles giving the viewer more time to see something that looks cool through a heightened sense of reality. This may also be true in a scene where a character shows some great emotion that would have to be matched, if two cameras had not been used.


Skip to 2:30 on this video for a great example of using multiple angles to get the best coverage of a one time shot.