EDITING ‘TRANSITIONS’ ‘EDITING is the process of joining together the different pieces of footage that make up a film. Whilst editing is concerned with thinking about which pieces of film are put together with one another, it is also concerned with how they are joined up-what are known as ‘TRANSITIONS’. As you will see, there are different ways that two pieces of film can be joined together. Depending on which transitions are used in a sequence in a film, there can be different effects achieved with the viewer.
For example, the ‘pace’* of the editing can determine the level of excitement or drama. On the other hand, removing a piece of footage in the editing process can create a sense of ‘mystery’ for the viewer. So apart from being a practical process of just taking away the ‘fails’ and outtakes, editing can be a creative process!
(* i.e. How long each shot lasts on screen)
The ‘cut’ is the simplest form of transition. Because this transition takes place in around 1/24 of a second, cuts are therefore often not noticed by the viewer. In fact, a scene in a film can sometimes be viewed without the viewer really being aware of the editing that has taken place. This effect will be more pronounced if there is no obvious jump from one scene or location to another.
Below are the basic types of editing transition (increasing in complexity and visibility on-screen):
TRANSITION NAME WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE ON SCREEN POSSIBLE USES
‘STRAIGHT CUT’:
• Involves no change of scene or jump in moving from one clip to • To play down or hide the fact that footage has been
another. Smooth flow of images onscreen. removed from a sequence. Helps narrative time
pass quickly, but still appears ‘realistic’. Used in
‘JUMP CUT’:
• Involves an obvious and sudden jump in the action on screen-perhaps • To move the viewer suddenly and dramatically from
from one location to another. one location to another
• To create a ‘jump’ moment, when characters or
events appear unexpectedly on screen
• To highlight the passing of time in a film/scene.
‘FADE TO BLACK’
(also called ‘FADE • The image fades usually into black, but can be into white. • To signal the end of a ‘chapter’ or scene in the film’s
DOWN’ or ‘FADE OUT’) : story.
• Allows the viewer time to pause for thought before
the next scene appears.
FADE UP (or ‘FADE IN’)
• The reverse of the above -where the screen starts as one • To gradually introduce a film/ new scene.
colour (-usually black, but it can also be white), and the image • May signal a ‘new beginning’
fades up through the colour.
WIPE:
• Wipes can be vertical, horizontal or diagonal and the image on • Often used in films where there is a sense of action
screen can be effectively ‘wiped’ either with black or with and movement, which the wipe action ‘mirrors’.
another image which is introduced alongside it. • Wipes are often used in animated and children’s
films
• A ‘classic’ use is to show both parties involved in a
telephone conversation
• DISSOLVE:
• Two shots overlap and create a double image with the second • Dissolves are used to create a symbolic link
image gradually merging into (or ‘dissolving’) the first. This may between the first scene and the scene it is merging
involve only two shots or multiple shots which continue with into (e.g. to move from a character’s past into their
each shot dissolving into the next (as can happen in a ‘montage present. )
sequence’, or in a ‘graphic match’).