Importance of continuity

AN INTRODUCTION TO CONTINUITY FOR THE MAKE-UP ARTIST

In the majority of film and TV productions, the scenes are shot out of sequence. This can be for a variety of reasons:

• Access to locations
• Availability of certain actors
• Weather conditions
• What this means is that you could be working on the last shot of the film with actors continuing a scene that was shot a year before. (In fact, it is quite normal for a film to be completed and then scenes to be re-shot unexpectedly when the producer decides this is required.)

Typical Continuity Issues
Crew members - including the make-up department - may be working on other productions by then, so new people are often hired to film these pick-up shots. When the film is played back, it is essential to take notes on the continuity. Actors must be dressed the same, have the same skin tones, wear their hair at the same length, and have the same make-up. If this is not the case, the result will be sadly noticeable when the film is edited.

Should a producer of a TV soap series decide to do some pick-up shots of close-ups of actors shot four months before, for instance, the make-up artist has a number of continuity problems to solve:

• Matching the clothes when many costumes may have been hired and returned to the hire company
• Matching hair. Various hair pieces may have to be tracked down from hire companies or wig makers - or recreated
• Matching make-up. Foundation, lipstick, eyeshadow, and blusher may have been used up or simply lost

Whilst such scenarios may be stressful, they are an accepted part of the job. In feature films, there is a script supervisor> who deals with the general continuity issues of filming. This includes film stock, camera lenses, and dialogue changes.

Taking Photos And Notes
It is still up to the individual departments to work out their own continuity, either by taking photos of all the main actors - front, back, and profile views - as well as extensive notes. All changes to hairstyles, costume, and make-up should be logged with a scene number and day number of the film sequence.

To make life easier, a make-up artist will keep a hairstyle the same shape. When the action of the filming calls for the hair to be wet or untidy, photos must be taken. The action may take place in a rain storm exterior which might gave to match up to the actor walking into an interior with wet hair. The interior scene might actually be shot in the studio months later and must match up to the exterior shot.

Make-up and hair artists often have to apply beards and moustaches to match an actor’s natural facial hair which he subsequently shaved away, or supply a wig because the actress has had her hair cut short.

As you can see, continuity is extremely important in television and film making.


Design Development

Research and evaluate It can be helpful to try and deconstruct why certain characters and their characteristics work and why some don't.  Study other characters and think about what makes some successful and what in particular you like about them.

• Who is it aimed at? Think about your audience.
•  Visual impact 
• Colour 
• Conveying personality
• Express yourself 
• Goals and dreams The driving force behind a character's personality is what it wants to achieve. Often the incompleteness or flaws in a character are what make it interesting.
• Building back stories 

Continuity in Film

On the set it is the responsibility of the script supervisor to see that continuity is maintained between takes and between the setups. This means that the actors must be wearing the same clothes, the same jewellery, the same hair style. If a candle or cigarette is half burned down in one take then it must be the same in all takes.

Without visual continuity a movie becomes a series of unnatural jarring moments that take the audience out of the illusion that your movie is a depiction of real life. Carefully planned lack of continuity can be an effective technique to create tension and confusion in a scene but shouldn't be overdone.

Careful notes need to be maintained. A digital camera can be a big help in maintaining continuity. Take a shot of the actors after each setup or at least at the end of the day and do a quick printout of the picture.

The script supervisor should also be marking the script with any changes in dialog that occur during filming.

References:

• Academy, D. (2016) An introduction to continuity for the make-up artist. Available at: http://www.delamaracademy.co.uk/blog/2009/06/an-introduction-to-continuity-for-the-make-up-artist (Accessed: 17 February 2016).
• PowerPoint presentation on MyCourse.