Prop Continuity in Coverage The principle of overlapping applies to foreground props as well as three shots. If, for example, there is a candlestick on the table between two characters, you need to pay attention to its continuity as well as that of the actors: this is where having a good continuity supervisor really pays off. Although all types of continuity are ultimately the responsibility of the director, keeping an eye on such things is the primary job of the script supervisor (another name for the continuity person, although on sets they are often referred to as scripty). However, the DP and even more so the camera operator (if the cinematographer is not also functioning as the operator) has to keep an eye on such things. Since the operator is constantly scanning all parts of the scene, it is often the operator who picks up on small mistakes in continuity, screen direction, and eyelines. If it is left in its position from the master, it will seem to jump back and forth as you cut from medium shot on one actor to medium on the other. Your choices are to cheat it out of the mediums altogether (the safest) or cheating it back and forth for each medium, which is a bit riskier. Mistakes in prop continuity are easy to make, especially on small productions where you may not have a full prop crew on the set or when you don’t have an experienced continuity supervisor. It is important to stay vigilant for even the smallest details, as bad continuity is something that will mark your project as “amateurish.” On the other hand there is such a thing as “too much continuity.” Sometimes, fledgling script supervisors can become so obsessed with tiny details that won’t really be apparent to the audience that they can start to get in the way of the production. It is important to find a balance; only being on the set and then watching the finished production with an audience provides that experience.
Figure 6.29. (left) A three shot with a character in the middle. Figures 6.30 and 6.31. (middle and right) If coverage is not clean singles, then you need to be sure that hand and head continuity match for the character that appears on both sides of the coverage. In this example we see that he is gesturing with different hands. This will drive your editor crazy. The safe way to shoot a scene like this is to shoot each actor as clean singles. Even if you shoot it as shown here, shooting clean singles in addition will provide safety coverage if you need it.
Eye Sweeps When an off-screen character walks behind the camera, the on-screen character may follow with her eyes. Many inexperienced directors are reluctant to do this, as they think it won’t work. It’s perfectly OK as long as the eye sweep is slightly above or below the lens. As always, it is important that the actor not look directly into the lens, even for just a moment. The most important thing about eye sweeps is that they match the direction and speed of the crossing character. This means that the on-screen actor will move their head in the opposite direction of the movement of the crossing, since we are essentially crossing the line in a reverse. If you are shooting the eye sweep first, it may be desirable to shoot a few different speeds because when the crossing is shot later, the speed may not match. cinematic continuity
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