Continuity (media)
In the media, continuity refers to the consistency of content in several completed productions, such as B. parts of a film or book series or episodes or parts of a television or comic series, to each other. The concept of continuity is therefore of particular importance when continuing franchises . This often results in continuity errors, especially in the production of previous stories or intermediate pieces to existing productions. Depending on the type and extent of such a continuity error, it can possibly be eliminated again in future productions. If this is not the case, increasing continuity problems can sometimes also be a reason for initiating a new edition of the franchise.
If an established fact is reinterpreted or ignored within a continuity, or is radically changed due to information that is too new, then a retcon can exist. The term "Retcon" is a short form of the English retroactive continuity and only describes cases where a corresponding change is made afterwards, not where it is planned from the outset, part of the plot or a case of " unreliable narration ". One of the best-known examples of a retcon is the 9th season of the series " Dallas ", which is declared in season 10 as a dream of a character.
A stylistic device related to the Retcon in relation to the continuity is the deliberate loss of continuity (English intentionally lost continuity ). An example of this is the television series The Simpsons , in which some parts of previous episodes are retained in later episodes (continuity), but not all (lost continuity). This is especially true for the age of the figures - they do not age noticeably, although dates and technical progress are included in the series according to reality.
In addition, the term in cinematic art also describes the consistency of content within a production, especially when transitioning between two shots , see connection (film) .
The continuity of a work with the canon should not be confused . The latter indicates which publications are to be included in the continuity. For example, there are non-canonical doctors in the Doctor Who franchise .