Editing Cuts

There are many different kinds of editing cuts that can be used within films and TV shows. Later on this year I will need to identify the types of editing cuts that are used within the TV drama that we will be watching within our exam. Not all cuts I am going to mention are used within TV dramas but there are a number which can be commonly used.

A cutting on action cut is mainly used within an action scene within films, but can be used within a simple action, whilst the audiences focus is on the action taking place within the scene. This cut is usually placed within the action taking place in the scene so that I can flow within the scene and not disrupt the audience whilst also helping to make the edit less dramatic.

Another kind of cut is a cut away, this kind of cut can be inserted to a show or film to show what character is seeing as well as what is in their head. These cuts are normally shown by having a shot of the character, then jumping to what is in their head or what they can see then going back to the original or a similar shot of the character. This kind of cut can also be used to help direct he audiences focus to an object or person within a room. This type of cut is one of the ones that is less likely to be used within a TV drama but within the preparation for my exam it is good to acknowledge this kind of cut in case it is included within the TV drama clip.

Within older films a cut away may have been used to avoid showing the audience someone being shot. They may use this cut but showing a shot of someone holding a gun to their face and then hear a gun shot, whilst at the same time see a shot of some birds flying away etc. A cut away can also be used within scenes in older times where sexual intercourse is implied to have taken place. Within this situation it may occur that when the couple start to become close the shot may pan away to the fire in the corner of the room. At this point there may be a time when the fire starts to die down to show that time has passed. This may then cut away so that when the shot pans back it goes to a shot of the couple now in bed.

A cross cut is usually used within films and TV to show a phone call or a series of shots that show different locations. This kind of cut can be used to help assist the build-up of tension as well as clearly show the cuts between stories, for example showing two different peoples routines as they get ready in the morning. These cuts can also be used like a cut away to show what is going on within the characters head.

Bump cuts are used to show the passing of time. This can be done within the same shot if wanted to help make the time progression look convincing and effective. The use of this cut can help to show urgency and can be effectively used to show a time progression within a baseball game. These cuts are normally used within a montage.

A match cut is a cut that is used to switch from a scene to another where this is through a similar shot or a completely different one that has some kind of a kink, such as a tear falling down a check, which is then followed by the match cut to a shot of a window when rain is falling down it.

A fade in and fade out is where the shot fades to black and then goes from the black to fade into the next coloured shot.

A dissolve cut is used mainly within montages to help show the passing of time. This is where the shots melt and dissolve into each other so that the smooth contrast takes place and so that the audience doesn’t get distracted by the editing not been very effective and professional.

A j cut is a cut where audio from the following shot starts in a shot and is carried over before the following shot is visible, like a sound bridge. An L cut is an audio based transition where shots are linked together by the use of sound. Within this one the sound is carried on from the first one into a following shot.