Raccord is a cinematic technique that ensures the continuity between different scenes, so it can be described as a form of connection between the last images of a shot and the first images of the next shot.
The term raccord is French, but it is also used in many different languages to transmit the idea of continuity in cinema. This technique is essential to transmit to the viewer the idea of a sequence, and it allows him to understand better the story, making it more believable and closer to reality, hence the changes between shots are as imperceptible as possible, so the viewer can concentrate his attention on the action and narrative of the movie, without being distracted by abrupt cuts or changes between shot that don’t make sense.
There are two types of raccord, physical, which can be obtained during the production of the scenes, or virtual raccord, that is created through editing
Physical raccord concerns the positioning of the elements in a given shot, it can be divided in the following categories:
Action raccord – it refers to the movements in the shot, the entry and exit of characters and all their gestures and positioning on the set;
Scenery raccord – this includes several sub-categories, such as the clothes of the characters, all the physical elements that appear on a given shot, like the furniture, the colors of the walls, a garden in the background, and all the accessories that may be used (for example, if a character appears lighting a cigarette, and there is a cut for other shot for a brief moment, when said character appears again, the cigarette must still be in his/her hand, and it must be in the beginning, and not totally smoked, even though in reality, this change between shots can take several hours, or even days or weeks);
Technical raccord – it’s about the continuity of the visual technical elements, such as lighting, framing or type of lenses used, as well as a logical connection between sound elements.
As mentioned before, the raccord is not only applied during filming, it has to be taken into account during the editing process; this visual raccord is guaranteed during editing, and it serves the same purpose and the physical raccord that is to make sure that all shots combined make sense and have a connection. The edition of a movie must then respect the narrative, and select changes between shots that are almost “invisible” to the viewer, and that are logical and coherent, maintaining the space-time continuity throughout the entire movie.
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