Always Outnumbered Continuity Analysis

Continuity

• The first shot of the scene, the establishing shot of the diner, has a sound bridge over it which continues into the next shot of Socrates talking. This makes it clear that he is inside the diner and makes the previous scene flow into the new one.
• When Willy enters the diner, shot steps are used so that there is no sense that the audience has jumped into the action. A long shot is used, which moves to a mid shot and eventually a close up when he sits down, as if the audience has stayed in the same place and Willy has walked towards them.
• When Willy is ordering the pies, the 180 degree rule is used, but in three directions, and shot reverse shot is used; it is as if the audience is positioned in one position for the whole of the conversation and the camera has been rotated to see each character.
• During the conversation between Socrates and Willy, shot reverse shot and the 180 degree rule is used to see the other character from each persons point of view.
• The master shot is of the waitress; a cut away to her is used to give variety and to break up the action. Without this, the scene would be very boring.
• During the conversation, shot variety is used to give a greater sense of emotion. MCUs and MSs are used during 'normal' conversation and CUs are used at moments of tension between the two.
• When Willy stands up, a HA is used to show him from Socrates's point of view to put the audience in his place to increase the sense of feeling.
• When Socrates puts the knife on the table, match on action is used to make the sequence flow, as if he had taken the knife out of his pocket and put it on the table all in one go, when in reality it would have been shot at different times, and has been edited to get the timing right.

Continuity Sequence Analysis

1. What did you think was the point to the activity?

• To get us to think about continuity and narrative structure and to put it into practise, without having learnt any techniques so we would make mistakes in our sequences to learn from.
• To get us used to the process of storyboarding and how a storyboard can help us to shoot a sequence successfully.
  

2. In regard to your finished sequence, what worked well?

• The establishing shot at the beginning of the sequence works well to create a sense of character and setting.
• The close up of the feet and the tilt up as the runner starts moving works well as it fits the rule of match on action and includes movement into the sequence, without making the movement obvious. Without this movement the sequence would seem very static. The close up brings the audience right in on the action to give an increased sense of involvement.
• The shot from the point of view of the cone introduces the cone's character and shows the direction that the runner is runnig, and the handheld shot puts the audience in the place of the runner, increasing audience involvement.
• These two shots also follow the rule of shot-reverse-shot.
• The final shot of the fall pulls the audience right out of the action which means they are an onlooker to the accident. This allows them to see the whole fall and adds to comic effect.

3. What would you aim to improve about your sequence?

• The pose that the character is doing in the first shot doesnt really fit and isnt really needed.
• The first and second shot transition breaks the 30 degree rule. It looks jumpy and doesnt flow as the two shots are too similar

4. What did you learn from doing this activity?

• A lot of the rules of continuity.
• The importance of narrative flow in a sequence.