Edit Suite: Aesthetics of Editing (page 2)

Start With the Cut

Since the cut is the one type of edit almost all of you can make, it's the transition you should start with when trying to improve your videos.

But beware of the jump cut. A jump cut is a cut from one scene to another that is very similar. It is very distracting. You can cause a jump cut by cutting from a scene at one camera angle to another shot of the same scene from a similar camera angle, or by cutting from a shot where the subject moves in one direction, to a shot where the subject moves in the opposite direction. In either case, the effect of the cut is that the subject seems to "jump around" inside the frame, hence the name. Jump cuts leave viewers confused and unsettled. Make it your editing goal to avoid them.

The easiest way to fix jump-cut problems is with cutaways. Cutaways visually move away from the main storyline for an instant to show details about a different but related part of the story. They give you a great way to "hide" or eliminate jump cuts. Although a cutaway interrupts the flow of the main visual story on screen, it leaves the story intact in the viewer's mind. As long as the cutaway itself is short, usually a few seconds or less, a viewer will perceive that whatever happens in the cutaway appears to happen simultaneously with the main story. You can use that effect to your advantage to show the audience extra details about your story while avoiding jump cuts.

Another way to solve a jump-cut problem is with a neutral cut. Instead of cutting away from the action with a cutaway, use a neutral cut to diffuse the edit's jolt, yet stay with the main action. In a neutral cut, also called a z-axis cut, you cut from a shot where the subject moves across the screen, to a shot where the subject moves either toward or away from the camera. Aesthetically, the neutral cut diffuses the jolt of a directional jump cut. It lets you cut scenes with action moving in different directions without disrupting the action or confusing the viewers. If you sandwich a two- or three-second shot of a group of runners heading away from the camera between two shots of them taken from different directions, the action will appear continuous, moving in the same direction.

Hiding the Cut Edits

A trick called a split edit can help make your cut edits even more transparent.

In split edits, the sound from a scene cuts in either just before or just after the picture. Edits with sound first are called audio-lead-video splits. Those with picture first are called video-lead-audio.

You may recognize the split-edit technique from news programs and documentaries on television. In them, you often hear the voice of an interviewee a moment before you see him. Hearing his voice first smoothes the visual transition to the interview segment. It's almost as if you lure the audience's attention to the sound of the interviewee's voice, and then sneak in the visual cut when they re not looking. It's a slick technique, and documentary editors use it regularly to get back and forth between interviews and narration.

Split edits can also hide minor flaws on your raw footage. If you bumped the camera during the first few seconds of your interview, an audio-lead-video split can keep the audience from seeing the bumpy footage.

All edit controllers can make cutaway- or neutral-cut edits. But you ll need a more advanced controller if you want to make an automatic split edit, where the controller handles the "overlap" of sound and picture for you.

With a standard controller, you can simulate the split edit by making two edits. First, edit the complete interview clip into place. Then go back and insert a video-only shot to overlap the cut to the interview as little or as much as you need.

When to Use Different Edits

As a rule, cuts are the best edits. A fancy visual effect every now and then can enhance the video. But keep in mind that wipes, dissolves and other special effects leave a mark on your program, and in the mind of your viewer. A barrage of slick edits may look flashy, but it can also draw attention away from your story and toward the edits themselves. Use digital effects sparingly to accent particular moments or events.

A good way to learn more about editing aesthetics is to study major motion pictures. Most use the basic cut to tell the entire story, with an occasional wipe or fade to help mark major events. You can greatly improve your projects by adopting the same techniques.