Movies for TV - Early Television Foundation

186
FUNDAMENTALS
each speaks his lines. This gives added impact to what is being
said. For this reason, if the scene is not active, for example, a love
scene, and there is no conflict, a close two-shot will often be more
suitable than a series of cuts.
There are really two main types of cuts, action and reaction
cuts. The former is used to show the cause of the action, and
where and how it started. For this reason, it is desirable to show
how the action concluded; therefore, any cuts should be made
after the action is well under way and the continuity returned to
the original shot before the action is completed so that the audience
can see what really happened. It is most important in this type
of shot to be sure that viewers are not confused by a super abund-
ance of angles and shots which confuse them by presenting many
apparently different viewpoints. Thus the cut to an action shot
should be made just after the action has commenced but still in
time to show why. Fades and cuts must never be mixed in the
same sequence.
On the other hand, reaction shots which are intended to show
what happens after some words are spoken are most effective if
cut to the subject a fraction of a second before the reaction occurs.
This highlights the contrast between the normal and the forced ex-
pression.
Every other effect used for continuity purposes is a variation
of the dissolve or fade, in one way or another. Superimposition is
probably the most widely known since it was one of the first
effects used in films and is one of the easiest to produce. This is
simply a combination of two shots, one on top of the other. Of
course, care is taken to ensure that the areas which are particularly
desired on one are not obscured by light areas on the other. The
much overdone trick shot of two piano keyboards invariably used
whenever a musical film is made is a superimposition. They are
often used to show titles over action, or even trademarks. The
method of making superimpositions is discussed fully in the chap-
ter on special effects.
Dissolves can be divided into three categories; the matched
dissolve, the straight dissolve, and the lap dissolve. Taking the