Even if you don't have a special effects generator, you can still punctuate transitions between sequences with visual effects. The easiest one is a freeze frame--if you have a source deck or camcorder with a rock-solid Pause function. At the outpoint of the last shot in a sequence, hit Pause on the source deck and leave it for a second or two. Then continue assembling your program as before. That's all there is to it.
Another transition that requires some preparation is the swish pan (also called a "flick pan" and several other names). Wherever you happen to be shooting, put the camera on a tripod, frame a shot aimed as far to the left as you can reach, roll tape, then pan the camera as fast as you can and as far as possible to the right (try for 180 degrees).
The trick is to lay just the whipping blur part between the end of one sequence and the start of the next, for a stylish trans…
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