Abstract
We investigated phenomenal continuity across mid-action cuts in motion pictures. When a change of perspective is used in the midst of a dynamic event, film directors tend to agree that a straight-match cut is not advisable if the impression of smooth continuity is desired. Such a cut would embody an instantaneous transition from one camera angle or position to the next. Some film theorists recommend that some overlap of the action is desirable, surmising that the visual system needs time to digest the cut and to reorient. Others disagree and prefer a gap. We report two experiments that provide an empirical test of competing continuity hypotheses. We systematically varied the temporal parameters of a dynamic scene that continued across a camera jump. Computer-animated sequences had to be adjusted until they looked maximally smooth and temporally correct. Observers very consistently preferred gaps (ellipses). Implications for film editing and film theory are discussed.
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