Continuity Editing Summary

Continuity Editing summary

What is continuity editing?

It is a way or style of filming that gives the audience a sense of a chronological story/ narrative. This is done through editing shots of film together at correct tempo, changing from shot to shot to capture an ongoing picture.By doing this it creates a relationship between the audience and the piece of media, establishing an orderly, and comprehensible narrative. 

Where is it used?

Continuity editing is used in most pieces of media on television, for example in a tv drama during a piece of narrative for example, a conversation between two people in the same room, shots will cut and be editing going back and forth between various shots to make it interesting for the viewer. For example over the shoulder shots going from one person to another during a conversation is effective as it shows the two different sides of the conversation.
It will also be used in films in the same way. Another way of using continuity editing would be through the use of a phone conversation, two people in different areas, speaking at the same point in time. Again different camera shots would have to be used and edited together to create a sense of chronological narrative.
Continuity editing can also be used for live television, a good example would be a football match, various cameras in different places, at different heights that capture different shot types for example close ups of the action, or a classic 'tele' shot where the whole pitch can be seen.

Another example would be stand up comedy, it is a live piece of media being filmed and then is edited and represented in such a way that it is visually interesting for the viewer.

Why is it used?