7 - CUTTING ON ACTION

Cutting on action, a hallmark of continuity editing, has been a central component of narrative film editing for more than a century.

Put simply, the principle is this: when cutting between camera angles, the action in those shots must match, to give a sense of continuous time.

Take a simple example of a girl walking her dog. If your first angle is a wide shot, with the dog walking to the girl’s left, then the dog’s position relative to the girl should remain consistent when you cut to another shot. The dog should not be suddenly lagging behind the girl or running ahead or on her right.

Ideally, when you cut between shots, your subjects should be moving at the same pace, with the motion of their bodies matching closely (look for details like the positioning of limbs). In doing this, you create a visual bridge for the viewer, allowing their eyes to interpret the movement as one single action without distraction.

The movement must always be true to its own internal logic. If a frisbee leaves your frame to the right, it should re-enter in the next shot from the left (this is known as the 180° rule). If your footage breaks this rule, there are work-arounds: most editing programs allow you to apply a ‘flop’ filter, to flip the image horizontally. Be careful: if there are words on clothing or signs, they too will be flipped!