An Introduction to Film

9

11

13

10

12

14a

WAYS OF LOOKING AT MOVIES 29

(when the direction a character looks corresponds

with the angle of a point-of-view shot or another

character’s responding look) or cutting on action

smoothes each transition from one shot to the next.

Each shift to a new perspective has been orches-

trated to keep the viewer neatly oriented in space

and time.

Now the scene is about to shift gears, and the

filmmakers use a shift in style to let us know it. The

cut between shots 14b and 15 is a jump cut: a sud-

den “jump forward” in the action that intentionally

defies our expectations of continuity. One moment,

Harry is on the left side of the screen looking to the

right toward Hermione [14b], but the cut pops him

instantaneously into the middle of a twirl [15]. The

next cut jumps forward again: suddenly it’s

Hermione who’s twirling [16]. It’s as if the editor

took a shot of the dance, snipped out a couple of

pieces of the action, then stuck the remaining

pieces back together again—which is essentially

how most jump cuts are achieved. Defying the rules

of continuity disorients the viewer, which is why

this technique is often employed to convey chaos

or confusion. But in this case, the technique

defuses the tension and triggers a sort of giddy

catharsis. With the aid of the music, the actors’

playful performances, and the rapid pace of the

action and cutting, the discontinuity transforms

what appeared to be a somber seduction into a

good-natured game. The lighthearted mood contin-

ues through the next eight cuts, five of which are

jump cuts. Harry and Hermione’s friendship has