Cut, Jump Cut & Cutaway

Cut

Cut is an instantaneous change from one shot to another.

Doing cut seamlessly is an editor’s most basic yet most important skill.

Jump Cut

Cut between such two shots: they are made from similar camera angle, similar distance away from object, have similar image composition.

Jump cut looks like a technical mistake. You can get a typical jump cut by removing several frames from a single shot. And audience will think exactly the same way: something is missing.

Jump cut is generally not acceptable, but as you will find later, one segment of this book is devoted in doing jump cut intentionally.

Because editing is creating!

Cutaway

Within a sequence, you may edit out of one shot to another shot, which is different in subject matter from the previous one. This added in shot is called a cutaway.

You can use cutaways to show reaction, parallel action, environment, or to avoid jump cut.

Cut, Jump Cut & Cutaway - Video Editing Glossary & Terms

Cut, Jump Cut & Cutaway