Another camera technique that can be used as a transition is the swish pan, commonly used in old movie newsreels. This is simply a pan that moves so fast that the picture becomes a blur of horizontal lines. It's cut between two completely different sequences to say that we are now "swishing" from this subject to that one. You can finish the short end of a tape by simply putting the camera on a tripod and panning it rapidly for a few seconds. This creates a swish pan that you can cut between two sequences as a transition that both connects and separates them at the same time.
You can also use the sound track to create a transition. An effective technique is to use what is called a "sound bridge." You do this by starting the sound for the new scene over the last second or so of the video from the current scene. The audience hears a sound that doesn't seem to belong to the present picture, which rouses its curiosity. This curiosity is satisfied when the new picture appears, resolving the unexpected sound. Thus the sound bridges the distance between the two scenes.
You don't need to spend a lot of money to create effective transitions in your videos. Using the techniques we've presented here, you can move your story across time and space smoothly even if you don't have access to a switcher. And if you do have access? Well, paying attention to these tips will make your optical effects even b…
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