Continuity in Film

When creating make-up looks on film and Tv you are always going to have to complete the look more than once due to filming taking weeks or even months to complete. If you are completing the make-up for a character on different days, it is essential that it looks exactly the same. Continuity is therefore extremely important. 
Continuity is broken down into four main areas:

• Acting continuity
• Props Continuity
• Costume Continuity
• 180 Line

Actors will have to complete scenes multiple times for it to be of the standard of the director. They therefore have to make sure that they do everything exactly the same, whether that being turning round in the same direction, or picking up something with the same hand. Similarly an actors costume needs to be the same in every take. The wardrobe department often take photos of the actors before and after they complete a scene so that they know exactly how the clothes should look in the previous or next scene. It is important that every item is worn by the actor and is positioned in the same way. Issues with actors clothing is likely to happen, therefore the wardrobe department tries to limit this as much as possible. It is something that can be easily picked up on when watching a film. Continuity in the actors make-up and hair is also extremely important. The same make-up is likely to be applied to the actor's face multiple times throughout the shooting process. therefore the attention to detail is important. If an actor has a cut on his face, then it needs to be the same every time it is completed. It should be in the same place, same length with the same colouring. When blood is involved it should be the same colour and in exactly the same place. It is also important to look at if it has affected any of the clothing or any other parts of the face. The make-up and hair departments will photograph everything before and after a scene to ensure that the looks are consistent. It is also important for the team to right down the products they used and how they applied them and any other additional notes that would improve the continuity. 

In our seminar with Kat, we looked at the importance of continuity in film and tv. She wanted us to focus on one area of the face and to complete it twice. This would therefore give us an insight into what we need to do for something to look exactly the same. I decided to complete a bruised eye because there will be a large focus on the eyes with my characters profile. To help me with achieving a similar look twice, I wrote down all of the products I used and the colours that I mixed together, as well as photographing each step. 
Products used:
Supra colour palette
Range of brushes

To begin with I found an image of a bruised eye online that I used to help me in creating a realistic interpretation. I first started off by mixing together red, pink and yellow to create a pale red colour to apply as a base of the bruised eye. I placed this on the eyelid, inner corners of the eye and underneath. I found using my finger to blend the product worked really well. To enhance this I then added a darker red colour over the top, however I focused the colour in certain areas. I found building up the colours worked really well because you could then see whether you needed to add more product or blend more. Using the purple, blue, yellow and a hint of black, I added this over the top and blended the colours together. The purple starts to make the bruise a lot more realistic. In the inner corners of the eye I then added a mixture of yellow and orange. To finalise I made sure that everything was blended together. I photographed every step to help me in ensuring I complete something similar the next time. I took this make-up off and then completed it again, using all my notes and images. 

1st Attempt

2nd Attempt

The red that I created was a lot brighter than the first time however I just focused more on blending the colour out. When adding the purple over the top this was also a lot darker than before. I looked at the two final images of my bruised eye and I was really pleased with how they turned out for my first attempt at creating something twice. The only things that were different between the two was the intensity of the colour which is something that I could easily work on and the shape of the bruise. My second attempt was a lot rounder and not as blended which I would have liked. I prefer the first bruise that I completed on the eye however I was pleased with continuity that I achieved. 


References

Posted (2013) What is continuity? Why it is so important when making films. Available at: http://colmomurchu.com/?p=154 (Accessed: 15 February 2016).

Robert (2012) Maintaining continuity. Available at: http://www.videomaker.com/article/c14/12988-maintaining-continuity (Accessed: 15 February 2016).