This is my first blog post is towards the preliminary task of AS level media studies. I have researched three different continuity editing techniques; match on action, shot/ reverse shot and the 180 degree rule. In this post are the definitions and some examples of each.

Match on action: Cutting on action or matching on action refers to film editing and video editing techniques where the editor cuts from one shot to another view that matches the first shot's action. A common example is a man walking up to a door and reaching for the knob. Just as his hand touches the knob the scene cuts to a shot of the door opening from the other side.
 

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·
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80-degree rule: In film making, the 180-degree rule is a basic guideline regarding the on-screen spatial relationship between a character and another character or object within a scene. An imaginary line called the axis connects the characters, and by keeping the camera on one side of this axis for every shot in the scene, the first character is always frame right of the second character, who is then always frame left of the first. The camera passing over the axis is called jumping the line or crossing the line; breaking the 180-degree rule by shooting on all sides is known as shooting in the round. The object that is being filmed must always remain in the center, while the camera must always face towards the object.