Match on Action

What is Match on Action?

Match on Action is a continuity editing technique, used to make cuts look more fluid and therefore make action on screen seem more realistic and believable. This is achieved by starting an action in one shot, then cutting to the next shot from a different angle or distance, in which the action is completed.

Here is a brilliant example of a simple Match on Action, from the 1938 film Bringing Up Baby:

Here is a break down of the match:







At 0.22, the character strikes a match on the table.



At 0.23, the character is halfway through the action- her hand is moving towards her face to light the cigarette.

At 0.23, there is a cut to a different camera angle as we see the characters hand come up to her face. This is a fluid movement, completing the action started in the previous shot.



At 0.24, we see the character light the cigarette- the action is completed.

 

Match on Action is used many times in this Buster Keaton clip, in order to make the action fast paced and fluid, which adds to the comedy of the clip as it is more realistic.

How many Matches on Action can you spot?