When following a single character (e.g. Paddington clinging to toilet system and it beginning to fall, which is continued in the next shot from a different angle) this is a purely technical device.
However, when an action match is used for intercutting, it can heighten the parallels/contrasts between two different characters in two different situations and offers an opportunity for juxtaposition.
EYELINE MATCH
Eyeline match usually provides insight to a character's private thoughts.
e.g In Paddington, Paddington is using the London Underground. He feels nervous, emulated by him glancing down at the escalator. Camera cuts to a high angle shot of the descending escalator from Paddington's point of view. This is an eyeliner match as Paddington looks at something, and the the audience see what he's looking at. After this we see Paddington look up. The camera cuts to a high angle shot of a sign saying "Dogs must be carried"- again another eyeliner match, however it portrays a different atmosphere due to the low angle shot emulating Paddington's glimmer of hope at conquering the London underground.
FINAL SHOT
In any scene, which character or characters are shown in the final shot of the sequence? This is often the character with which the audience is expected to identify.
e.g in Paddington, we see Paddington put his ticket in the gateway, but it closes before he has a chance to walk through. The audience, particularly Londoners will relate to this. This is the final shot as not only is it relatable and leaves the audience laughing but also involves only the main character.
INTERCUTTING: JUXTAPOSITION
Although typically a narrative device, intercutting can set up juxtaposition between parallel storylines, exaggerating the impact or meaning of each by highlighting a point of difference e.g. in East Enders: Wedding Night, the warmth, light and music of the happy pre-wedding feast is in stark contrast with the two unhappy families represented in the cold and dark whenever we cut away. This provides a more favourable representation of Asian family life over white Londoners.
INTERCUTTING: TENSION
When intercutting is used to draw two storylines together, this can be structured to create tension, and therefore heighten the audience’s identification with a particular character.
e.g.: in Primeval, intercutting between the tiger’s pursuit of Cutter and Abby’s running in with the rifle is action code and prompts the question: will she get there in time? In Hotel Babylon, intercutting offers both tension and juxtaposition: just as Adam is saving his colleague’s life with a jar of jam, another African immigrant, Ibrahim, is being lost. The tension and juxtaposition lead the audience to identify with both characters.
gif here of paddington
JUMP CUTS
These are rarely used in TV or film; when they are, they tend to suggest either a) chaos and disorder, b) self-conscious ellipsis (drawing attention to the rapid pace of the action) or c) a director who likes to break the rules!
e.g. in Primeval, two jump cuts accelerate Cutter’s preparation to slide down the zip-wire; this could be read as speedy and decisive.
gif here of paddington
MOTIVATION
A motivated edit is any transition forced on the editor by the development of the action, narrative or character. Whenever shot (a) refers to the existence of an event outside the frame, and we then cut to (b) which shows that event, that’s a motivated edit. We can sometimes judge a character’s worth or importance by the number of cuts they motivate.
e.g. in Primeval, Cutter runs away from the tiger, drawing it away from Abby.
His constant motion motivates many of the cuts in this sequence, again reinforcing his status as the protagonist, if not the Proppian hero.
gif here of paddington
PACE OF EDITING
This can imply character qualities, especially if only one or two characters are in the sequence. A fast pace might suggest energy or panic (depending on context) while infrequent cuts (long takes) might suggest calm, a casual attitude, or provide documentary-style realism (as in Cast Offs). Similar effects can be achieved with speed ramping and slow-motion.
BRIDGING SHOT
EYELINE MATCH
Eyeline match usually provides insight to a character's private thoughts.
e.g In Paddington, Paddington is using the London Underground. He feels nervous, emulated by him glancing down at the escalator. Camera cuts to a high angle shot of the descending escalator from Paddington's point of view. This is an eyeliner match as Paddington looks at something, and the the audience see what he's looking at. After this we see Paddington look up. The camera cuts to a high angle shot of a sign saying "Dogs must be carried"- again another eyeliner match, however it portrays a different atmosphere due to the low angle shot emulating Paddington's glimmer of hope at conquering the London underground.
FINAL SHOT
In any scene, which character or characters are shown in the final shot of the sequence? This is often the character with which the audience is expected to identify.
e.g in Paddington, we see Paddington put his ticket in the gateway, but it closes before he has a chance to walk through. The audience, particularly Londoners will relate to this. This is the final shot as not only is it relatable and leaves the audience laughing but also involves only the main character.
INTERCUTTING: JUXTAPOSITION
Although typically a narrative device, intercutting can set up juxtaposition between parallel storylines, exaggerating the impact or meaning of each by highlighting a point of difference e.g. in East Enders: Wedding Night, the warmth, light and music of the happy pre-wedding feast is in stark contrast with the two unhappy families represented in the cold and dark whenever we cut away. This provides a more favourable representation of Asian family life over white Londoners.
INTERCUTTING: TENSION
When intercutting is used to draw two storylines together, this can be structured to create tension, and therefore heighten the audience’s identification with a particular character.
e.g.: in Primeval, intercutting between the tiger’s pursuit of Cutter and Abby’s running in with the rifle is action code and prompts the question: will she get there in time? In Hotel Babylon, intercutting offers both tension and juxtaposition: just as Adam is saving his colleague’s life with a jar of jam, another African immigrant, Ibrahim, is being lost. The tension and juxtaposition lead the audience to identify with both characters.
gif here of paddington
JUMP CUTS
These are rarely used in TV or film; when they are, they tend to suggest either a) chaos and disorder, b) self-conscious ellipsis (drawing attention to the rapid pace of the action) or c) a director who likes to break the rules!
e.g. in Primeval, two jump cuts accelerate Cutter’s preparation to slide down the zip-wire; this could be read as speedy and decisive.
gif here of paddington
MOTIVATION
A motivated edit is any transition forced on the editor by the development of the action, narrative or character. Whenever shot (a) refers to the existence of an event outside the frame, and we then cut to (b) which shows that event, that’s a motivated edit. We can sometimes judge a character’s worth or importance by the number of cuts they motivate.
e.g. in Primeval, Cutter runs away from the tiger, drawing it away from Abby.
His constant motion motivates many of the cuts in this sequence, again reinforcing his status as the protagonist, if not the Proppian hero.
gif here of paddington
PACE OF EDITING
This can imply character qualities, especially if only one or two characters are in the sequence. A fast pace might suggest energy or panic (depending on context) while infrequent cuts (long takes) might suggest calm, a casual attitude, or provide documentary-style realism (as in Cast Offs). Similar effects can be achieved with speed ramping and slow-motion.
a shot (cut) used to cover a break in time, or other break in continuity.
A shot used to cover a jump in time or place or other discontinuity. Examples are the falling calendar pages, railroad wheels, newspaper headlines, and seasonal changes.
A shot used to cover a jump in time or place or other discontinuity. Examples are the falling calendar pages, railroad wheels, newspaper headlines, and seasonal changes.
PREVALENCE
How much screen time does a character get? The more time we see them on screen, the more important their role. This can develop during a scene to change character’s status.
e.g. in Hotel Babylon, Adam is invisible (‘just one of many refugees’) until he steps forward to treat the diabetic maid. Suddenly, the editing favours him, and we realise his importance and skill, despite his menial status in the hotel.
gif here of paddington
SELECTION: to show or not to show
As film-makers yourselves, it can sometimes be interesting to ask what information has been included or omitted in an edit.
e.g. in Primeval, as Jenny comes under increased threat from West, at no point do we cut away to her colleagues approaching the barn. To do so might have reduced the tension in the scene; not doing so arguably increases Jenny’s apparent vulnerability. Narratively, it is also a nice surprise when the team arrive in a single cut, which contrasts with the early tiger chase (see intercutting).
gif here of paddington
SHOT / REVERSE SHOTS and REACTION SHOTS
S/RS indicates the relationship between two characters: it signifies and sometimes exaggerates their closeness or their opposition (depending on the context). The amount of time given to a character’s reaction shots can convey their status in the scene. For example, if two characters are in S/RS conversation, do they get equal screen time, or do we spend more time looking at one character, speaking and reacting? Equally (though this is also a function of camera, are the two characters framed equally?
e.g.: in Doctor Who, the S/RS between Martha and the Master gives Martha CUs and the Master MCUs, conveying Martha’s greater status as a character, even if narratively she appears defeated.
gif here of paddington
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