FA8-SCRIPT CONTINUITY AND SHORT FILM

Shooting is organized according to the practicalities of location and availability of cast rather than the unfolding of the story.

TRUE

Action and movement inconsistencies are the most common continuity errors in film and TV.

FALSE

Acting continuity include actors using a different hand when picking up a prop or looking in a slightly different direction in each take when delivering lines to an off-camera character, creating a fluctuating point-of-view.

TRUE

Examples of errors in time continuity include significant changes in weather or season, or different lengths of shadows between shots.

TRUE

Technically, any film shorter than 30 minutes will qualify as a short film for the film festivals, such as Sundance, whilst any film with a run-time under 20minutes is eligible for the shorts categories at the Academy Awards.

FALSE

The 10-minute range is just enough to allow for the audience to get to know the personalities for the characters involved, and to allow for character development and for detailed storylines to play out.

TRUE

You can get rid of the unnecessary parts of the film by showing your treatment to people and asking for honest feedback.

TRUE

Examples of errors between takes include different color mugs being used throughout a scene, or different numbers of buttons being buttoned on an actor’s coat.

Prop and Costume Continuity

Filmmakers often shoot several takes of the same shot to give editors as many options as possible during post-production.

Acting Continuity

This type of continuity includes significant changes in weather or season, or different lengths of shadows between shots.

Time Continuity

Filmmakers need to take special care to ensure they’re using the same equipment and correct settings for each shot in a scene.

Camera and Audio Continuity

Production designers prepare a continuity breakdown during pre-production; this is a document which analyses the script in terms of cast, actions, wardrobe and props in scenes and story days.

FALSE

A lapse in the self-consistency of the scene or story being portrayed.

Continuity Error

The scripty’s bible is a log of everything filmed on set, shot by shot, with various notes.

TRUE

Front page is an overview of all the notes that relate to every shot that was done as well as every take for a specific scene.

FALSE

A script supervisor can circle the director’s favorite takes so the editor can immediately use it without needing to go through every shot.

True

Log line is a reference of the shots taken on any given day, in the order they were shot in.

FALSE

Pre-production report is the daily reports prepared for the production team.

FALSE

Most production reports will also contain information from the previous day as well as what still needs to be done.

TRUE

A continuity error is a lapse in the self-consistency of the scene or story being portrayed.

TRUE