Continuity Sequences

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

"There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination. Living there, you'll be free if you truly wish to be"
Gene Wilder

Skip to 5:23 to see key sequence. Finishes at 6:38.


I looked at the sequence in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in which Willy Wonka walks down the red carpet from his factory to greet the children with golden tickets.

The sequence opens on a LS of a door in a wall which is closed. While the camera remains static, the door opens and Willy Wonka appears in the door frame. As he steps down some stairs, the camera pans down to keep him the central image of the long shot. It then cuts away to a shot of the cheering crowd, through this is taken from behind in order to keep the 180 degree rule. In the distance we can see Wonka walking down the carpet towards the camera. A matched cut moves the framing to a MCU, where Wonka stumbles closer to the camera, whilst the sound of the cheering crowd is bridged throughout the scene. Another cutaway is used, this time it is a CU on Charlie's face as he frowns- this is to show that he is worried about Wonka's condition. The noise from the crowd is still heard, but it is quietening in anticipation. We are then shown another LS of Wonka, still abiding by the 180 rule, but to improve the match on action he is now closer to the camera. The sound of footsteps becomes overlayed across the shots as he moves closer to the camera.

Two cutaways are then used to show the crowd reaction. first a wide shot of the crowd, followed by a MS of Charlie, Verruca and their respective guardians. This lets the audience become aware of the central characters. We then move to a new camera angle as wonka approaches the crowd - a profile LS of him walking, which pans into a WS of his back and the faces of the crowd - however because it is all filmed on the same side of the carpet, this technically doesn't break the 180 rule.  Another match-on-action cut is used as we switch to his front, and he removes his hat whilst walking at the same pace. A CU of several children makes the audience feel like they are nearer to Wonka, and we cut to a LS of Wonka facing the camera, where he walks forward, leans over and does a roly-polly, ending up on his feet, larger in the frame.We cut back to Charlie's CU where we see him smiling, which lets us know that he is happy again.