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Production2 min read

LESSON 110

Continuity on set

Making shots from different days match.

IN THIS LESSON

  1. What continuity means
  2. The script supervisor
  3. Before and during the shoot
  4. Practice: continuity on a small shoot

What continuity means

Continuity is the consistency of people, objects, places and actions that the audience sees from shot to shot. It matters especially in film and television, because errors are hard to fix once filming ends, and because scenes are almost never shot in story order. A conversation might be filmed wide in the morning and in close-up after lunch, or weeks apart on different sets. If a glass is full in one shot and empty in the next, or a jacket changes buttons, viewers notice, and the edit is forced to work around it.

The script supervisor

Most productions employ a script supervisor, also called the continuity supervisor, to keep track. They watch every take and make sure dialogue and action match the shooting script, and that wardrobe, props, set dressing, hair and make-up stay consistent. They keep detailed notes on each take, including camera positions and equipment settings, and gather photographs and paperwork. Those notes help the editor cut scenes together, and the supervisor also tracks the unit's daily progress. A good script supervisor goes unnoticed, because nothing goes wrong.

Before and during the shoot

In pre-production, the script supervisor prepares reports from the script, including a one-line synopsis of each scene with its time of day and its day in story order. Departments use these to plan the order of shooting and to keep the passage of story time consistent: costume changes, wounds that heal, a beard that grows. They may also time the script to estimate running length. On set they act as the editor's and writer's representative, making sure the film can be put together later.

Practice: continuity on a small shoot

This is working practice. Even without a script supervisor, give one person the job. Take a phone photo of every actor, prop and set after each set-up, and label it with the scene and shot. Note which hand holds what, and when lines are spoken during an action, such as a sip of water. Keep props in labelled bags between days. When a mistake happens, tell the director and decide on the spot whether to reshoot or cover it with a cutaway.

Try it today

  1. 01Film a person drinking tea in a wide shot.
  2. 02Change a small detail, then film the close-up.
  3. 03Cut the two together and see if you notice the change.
  4. 04Reshoot, this time with photographs and notes from the wide.
  5. 05Make a one-page continuity template for your next shoot.