Film Intro Continuity Analysis:
Mission Impossible 2
Mission Impossible 2
Here is the opening sequence to Mission Impossible 2. I chose it not only as a fan but for it's successful, convincing continuity. It begins with an extreme wide scenic shot which zooms in at super fast motion then rapidly slows as it closes in on the subject, ending at MLS framing, all in one shot. It also features several difficult match-on-action shots as Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) slips, swings and jumps attempting to scale a canyon, one of the best being the series of shots where he swings to face outwards from the canyon, then back in after a CU to portray emotion and physical strain. We cut to an extreme long master-shot regularly to give perspective of the protagonist's position but also see closeups on important details such as his toes just about digging into an edge, homing in directly on the action. John Woo, the director at times does actually go from some very wide shots to quite close up, which is controversial, but the perspective of the wide shots, often arcing from the helicopter they are filmed from is excellent to the point where we know where we are in each shot. The 180 degree rule is also taken into account successfully, for example when he kneels into a crack in the rock we see it from two perspectives in a shot reverse shot before he climbs higher. The 30 degree rule is not broken either, as shots have great variety in distance and angle with no unnecessary or erroneous jumps.
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