Directors hate to make them, viewers love to spot them.
Continuity errors sneak their way into even the most polished, big-budget productions. But while they might frustrate filmmakers, they often go on to become iconic moments in cinematic history (looking at you, Starbucks cup).
From subtle to glaringly obvious, we’ve rounded up some of these memorable mistakes from movies and TV shows below. Scroll down to check them out and let us know if we missed your favorite!
#1 Crew Member Visible
Just as Jack says, "On deck, you scabrous dogs," to the very left edge of the screen over Jack's shoulder is a grip crew member with a tan cowboy hat, white short sleeve tee shirt and sunglasses, just standing there looking out to sea. (02:12:35)
Image credits: Super Grover
#2 Buys Detergent, But Doesn't Fall Out Of Bag
When Kevin goes to the grocery, he buys Tide detergent. While walking home, the two bags break, but no Tide detergent falls out.
Image credits: zenee
#3 Starbucks Cup In Front Of Daenerys
During the scene in the banquet hall, as Tormund says "most people get bloody murdered, they stay that way", look at Daenerys in the background - a disposable coffee cup is on the table in front of her. This brown cup with a white plastic lid is nothing remotely like the style of cups they're all drinking from in the scene. HBO acknowledged the slip up and digitally edited it out on streaming services, reruns and future DVD releases.
Image credits: Ssiscool
To understand how mistakes like these slip past countless pairs of eyes and make it into the final cut, Bored Panda reached out to Aimie Smith, a 21-year-old film student based in Manchester.
According to Smith, film sets can be quite hectic. “So unless there’s someone specifically looking out for continuity errors, they can often go unnoticed,” she explained.
Shots are typically filmed in the order that makes the most sense based on factors like lighting, set availability, and actor schedules—not as they appear in the timeline of the story. “This means the crew has to go back and forth between scenes and may forget smaller details that are easy to spot when viewers watch the finished product.”
#4 Cup Changes From Blue To Clear
In the bedroom scene the girl is holding a clear cup full of beer. The camera goes off her and when it comes back she is holding a blue cup. The camera goes back off her then on her and the cup is clear again. [This mistake does not appear in the unrated version - the blue cup scenes were shot specifically to secure an R rating from the MPAA because the contents are obscured.]. (00:13:20)
Image credits: unknown
#5 Fell In Muddy Pig Pen Yet Is Spotless
In the beginning while Dorothy is still on the farm, she walks along the pig pen fence and then falls in. When Bert Lahr picks her up out of there her dress is perfectly clean. (00:03:45)
Image credits: Super Grover
#6 Tall Wood Stool Shrinks To Half Its Height
At the start, when the camera pans through the doorway of Ms. Darbus's classroom, Zeke sits on a tall stool that is about 3 feet high. Oddly enough, in the following shots, the munchkin stool he now sits on only reaches the height of about 1 foot. (Did they really think we wouldn't notice?) The wood stool also moves forward a few feet. (00:00:50)
Image credits: Super Grover
Knowing this, filmmakers put safeguards in place in the form of script supervisors. “It’s their job to notice every last detail, right down to how much liquid is left in a cup,” said Smith, who took on this role in her most recent film, Three’s a Crowd (not yet available to the public).
A script supervisor closely observes each scene, watching out for anything that may affect continuity, including costumes and prop placement. “They make notes on any continuity errors and alert the director,” Smith explained. “At the end of each shooting day, they also prepare a daily report to track the progress so far.”
#7 Plane Loses Two Engines From A New Angle
Right before they rob the police car, a Boeing 747 (four engines) is seen in shots of the plane coming into land. When the plane is shown from behind, it is a Boeing 767, with only two engines and fewer main landing gears. (00:30:10)
Image credits: jle
#8 Guns Disappear During Bullet Time
On the skyscraper, when Neo and Trinity [end] all of the soldiers, Agent Brown comes to the roof. Neo immediately draws his guns and fires until both of his clips are empty. After that, Neo drops his guns, just as Agent Brown aims at him. During Bullet-Time there are no guns on the floor. When he hits the ground, then the guns are left and right of his legs. (01:41:50)
Image credits: uknown
#9 Frodo's Scar Changes Sides
In the second half of the film, Frodo has a scar on his lower right cheek, close to his chin. Many times throughout the rest of the film the scar changes position and size on his right cheek. It also appears on his left cheek in flipped shots (most obviously on the slopes of Mount Doom when Sam is cradling his head). (02:31:05 - 02:34:00)
Image credits: Super Grover
Smith admits that being a script supervisor can be quite tedious, as even the smallest details must be carefully examined.
“Whilst working on my recent film, my biggest issue with continuity was the direction of the mugs between shots,” she shared. “I only realized after filming a few scenes that the mug handles had changed direction, which would make the mugs appear to jump around in the final cut. To fix this, we added an extra shot of the actors turning the mugs around.”
“A lot of my time on set was spent with my head down, vigorously writing notes for future shots as well as for the editor,” she added. “It’s a very difficult job, but it’s also incredibly rewarding when the finished product is on point.”
#10 Shirt Changes From Long-Sleeved To Tank Top
When Jesse is going to race Johnny Tran at Race Wars for pink slips, and Johnny Tran pulls up in his Honda S2000, Tran has on a black long-sleeved shirt. When the camera goes from side to front view, Tran has on a black tank top. (01:12:41)
Image credits: unknown
#11 50 Star Flag In 1945 - Should Be 48 Stars, Below
After the successful Trinity test in 1945, people in a crowd are holding small US flags with 50 stars on them (offset rows). At the time there were only 48 states and the flag had 48 stars in even rows. The 50 star flag didn't exist until 1960, after Alaska and Hawaii were made states in 1959.
Image credits: Jon Sandys
#12 Plane Number Changes
When John and Catherine are in the hangar at the runway, the Cessna's tail number is N3035C. When the plane is shown in the air, the number is N3973F. When they land, the tail number has changed back to N3035C. (01:22:25 - 01:25:50)
Image credits: unknown
#13 Door Opens Before Man Swipes Card
When Bond is in the car following the goons heading into the facility, it shows the techie guy scan a card and then swipe it to open a door. Before he swipes it, the door is already opening. (01:13:15)
Image credits: Ssiscool
#14 Bridge Section Gone But It Still Casts Shadow
If you look at the missing part of the bridge, and look at the shadow underneath, the shadow is of a full bridge. (01:02:35)
Image credits: unknown
#15 Wreckage In Background Disappears
On Utapau, when Obi-Wan faces off with Grievous, Grievous sends 4 MagnaGuards against Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan Force-pulls something from the ceiling to crush the droids. But in the ensuing fight between Obi-Wan and Grievous, the ceiling thing and crushed droids are gone.
Image credits: Casual Person
#16 Jessica's Brown Boots Morph Into Pumps
When Jessica walks from the house to the barn at the end, she is wearing knee high brown boots. By the time she reaches the barn they have been replaced with court shoes.
Image credits: Super Grover
#17 Crew Neck T-Shirt Changes To Henley T-Shirt
There are two scenes during which Harry is shown having visions of the Dept of Mysteries while he is asleep. The first scene occurs after Harry's confrontation with Seamus in the Gryffindor common room. There are shots of Harry lying in bed wearing a short sleeve, crew neck tee shirt, but when he is startled awake by the vision of Voldemort, he sits up wearing a buttoned henley tee. The next day is the first day of Defence Against the Dark Arts class with Umbridge. That last shot of Harry in the henley tee shirt was cut from a later scene. Later in the film, when Harry has the vision of Arthur Weasley's attack, he is wearing the henley tee shirt. (00:34:00 - 01:09:35)
Image credits: Super Grover
#18 Stunt Cable Visible
During their fight at Orthanc, in the wide overhead shot, as Saruman flies backwards towards the large doors, the wire attached to the back of Christopher Lee's outfit is visibly pulling his clothes. (00:50:45)
Image credits: Super Grover
#19 Gas Canister In Back Of Chariot
In the "Battle of Carthage" in the Colosseum, one of the chariots is turned over. Once the dust settles you can see a gas cylinder in the back of the chariot. (01:22:55)
Image credits: unknown
#20 Ship Design Changes While At Sea
The design of the ship's bow changes significantly while at sea. The white form on top of the bow used for mooring first does, then doesn't have an indentation on top, possibly with a bolt in the center. The point where the curved railing meets the straight side railings either is or is not connected by a top horizontal bar, and the gap between the vertical posts changes size. Another mistake on this site mentions the anchor design change, but also the metal walkway is made of tubular metal bars -or- flat bars that are more numerous and closer together. (00:30:15 - 01:21:00)
Image credits: johnrosa
#21 Visible Modern-Day Plastic Water Bottle
At the end of the song "Wait," when Sweeney and Lovett hear Anthony running up the stairs, Sweeney runs behind the door to his shop. For a quarter second, as Sweeney places his back against the wall, there is a modern-day water bottle on the window ledge. This, however, cannot be seen on the DVD or Xbox, though on laptops and probably computers also, when streaming you can see it around 00:43:10. (00:43:10)
Image credits: Super Grover
#22 Windscreen Repairs Itself
The T-1000 punches his body through the window of a helicopter to get inside. An instant later, the hole in the windshield is gone. (01:56:35)
Image credits: unknown
#23 Louboutin Signature Red, Then Tan Soles
When Pierce's wife is walking in her auto shop they pan down to show her red Louboutin heels, then they cut to her walking in her office, and when they show her shoes again they have a tan sole.
Image credits: Super Grover
#24 Eyeline Suddenly Changes
In the beginning when Brendan Fraser is looking around the tunnels he turns around to see his kid and they scream. As they are screaming they are at eye level but when a few seconds later when they are standing the kid is like 2 feet shorter then Brendan Fraser, and if you look around there is nothing for the kid to have stood on. (00:05:55)
Image credits: unknown
#25 Visible Crew And Camera
When the men are pushing the catapult to the gate look at the far left of the screen for a few seconds you can see a crew member in a baseball cap and then a large movie camera. There's also a twig palisade next to him where two more crew members are visible.
Image credits: Sacha
#26 Camera And Reflector Screen Mounted On Boat Bow
When the fishermen start out on the hunt, Ben Gardner appears in a close-up leaning on the windshield at forward deck, while talking to his boatmate about how stupid some of the others are. In the next wide shot of the boats, Ben's green boat is towards the left of the screen, and the large reflector screen and camera, that are mounted to the bow of his boat, are visible in front of the forward window where Ben was seen in the previous shot. (00:30:25)
Image credits: Super Grover
#27 Page Flips Itself To Show Different Photo
When the dry cleaning arrives and Holly lays it out on the table, right behind her is the large flip-over wall hanging, with a picture of balloons. When she pulls the leather jacket out of the plastic, the wall hanging is flipped open to a picture of a bird. (00:53:10)
Image credits: Super Grover
#28 Roof Becomes Solid - Glass Panels Vanish
The Saturn that Mikaela is driving has a moonroof that encompasses most of the roof, over the front and back seats. When the Decepticon Grindor captures them, in the interior shot looking up at Leo as Grindor seizes the Saturn, the car has a solid roof over Leo, which is also seen in the interior shot as they fall. (00:54:05 - 00:55:05)
Image credits: Super Grover
#29 Hands Jump In And Out Of Pockets
At the beginning when Indy is talking to Spalko, his hands keep alternating from being in his pockets to just resting at his sides between shots.
Image credits: Cubs Fan, edited by Super Grover
#30 Swap Sides Between Shots
In the final scene where Roxie and Velma are dancing in the concert hall, Roxie is on the right and Velma is on the left. They then turn around, and from behind (same point of view as before) they're suddenly the other way around. (01:44:20)
Image credits: Rooster of Doom
