Film Editing Lecture

Basic Cuts:

A jump cut is is an abrupt transition, typically in a sequential clip that makes the subject appear to jump from one spot to the other, without continuity. These can be used to cover interviewing mistakes.

Cutaways: In film and video, a 
 cutaway shot is the interruption of 
a continuously filmed action by inserting a view of something else.

B roll is a collection of shots away from the main action that can be cut 
 in to add context etc.

In a J-cut, the sound of the next scene precedes the picture, and in an L-cut, the picture changes but the audio continues.

When to Cut:

Cut on motion: One way to make the edit between two shots seem invisible is by cutting on a gesture. The viewer watches the beginning 
 of a motion that begins in one shot 
 and follows it as it crosses the edit 
 and finishes in the next shot. The completion of the gesture 
 masks the edit.

Cut on words: When someone is speaking, the sound of a word, especially if it contains a hard consonant, can make an edit feel less obvious. When the word is one that is relevant 
 to the main point of the speaker’s talk, the edit can also highlight that word 
and make it more memorable. 


Basic Transitions:

Dissolve: Also known as a cross-dissolve, you see it everyday and probably don’t even notice it: and that’s the point. Often used as a subtle way 
of showing a passing of time 
or in a web context to make 
 a video less jarring (backgrounds, slideshows etc)

Fade to/from/through black: They create suspense right away by fading in and out of black instead of cutting between shots. Then, when they want to pick up the pace and show more action, they start using quicker edits.

Light flash: Quickly dissolves the screen to white for a fraction of a second so it resembles a camera flash. This effect is a little bit more of a novelty compared to the fades and dissolves, but it still has some professional uses.

"Natural" Wipes

N.B. Don't forget composition and audio!