Filming techniques

Filming techniques

• Match on action

Match on action is an editing technique used to keep the continuity of the film going. This is done by cutting from scene A to scene B and making scene B a reaction of an action that happened in scene A.

This helps to make the video change scenes in a way which feels smooth.

Here is an example of a match on action cut:

• Shot/reverse shot

Shot reverse shot (or shot/countershot) is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character (often off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other.

• 180 degree rule

The 180° rule is a cinematography guideline that states that two characters in a scene should maintain the same left/right relationship to one another . When the camera passes over the invisible axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line and the shot becomes what is called a reverse angle.