HW 3b - Existing film continuity sequence analysis (BLK)

This scene from 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' uses many continuity techniques in order to create narrative flow, such as:

• Despite how busy the action is there is always match on action between all of the shots. A good example of this would be when Elizabeth falls into the sea and then we switch to Jack, but you can still see her falling. Similarly to this, when Jack jumps in to save her we get the 'seamless' shot of him jumping in from a perspective both in and out of the water.
• There is also quite a lot of cross cutting between the sets of Elizabeth in the water, the soldiers on the dock, and the soldiers running to Elizabeth. This gives the audience an understanding of what all of the characters are doing and creates narrative flow.
• The use of elipses allows the audience to fill in the missing bits themselves - such a the soldiers running to the docks - this means that the shots focus only on the important bits that are vital to the plot.
• There is a small use of shot-reverse-shot when Jack it handing all of his items to the members of the navy (at 0:30). This emphasizes how sudden and quick the actions are but also builds tension as we then expect Jack to jump.
• Another continuity effect is that there is always eye-line match. This means that the audience always knows who is talking to who and where everyone is standing.
• As well as this the 30° and 180° rules are never broken. This makes the scene coherent and gives it a polished feel.