9 Cuts Every Video Editor Should Know | Filmmaking Tips

1 - 0:32 Standard Shot - putting two clips together, no fuss, no flare 2 - 0:42 Jumpcut - jump around scene to speed up time, one long cut, cut out spaces and putting it all together into one piece 3 - 1:06 J-Cut - Leading into the next scene with the audio.. allows audience know what's going to happen next. Drag audio clip of next clip onto tail of current clip 4 - 1:40 L-Cut - Audio from current clip overlaps into next clip - Good for conversational themes 5 - 2:10 Cutting on action - cut when a character moves a certain way, allows audiences eyes to stay on the action 6 - 2:30 Crosscutting / Parallel Editing - Have two narratives playing out at the same time 7 - 3:00 Cutaways - Cut to show viewer where you are in the scene 8 - 3:28 Montage - Sequences, light jumpcuts over an extended period of time over different locations 9 - 4:17 Matchcut - Matching characters actions into the next scene

"Make your work as weird and original as possible" will do.

“Make your work as weird and original as possible” - I might just frame that on my wall

So, I'm still new to editing / filmmaking. Ive noticed these different types of cuts in big hollywood shows and never really had a platform to label them or why and where to place them. This helped me confirm, and learn a lot. Simple shit goes a really long way! Thanks.

An actual sample of each of the cuts would’ve been nice. ....

Standard Cut 0:33 Jump Out 0:42 J-Cut 1:05 L-Cut 1:40 Cutting on Action 2:08 Cross-Cutting (Parallel Editing) 2:29 Cutaway 2:59 Montage 3:26 Match Cut 4:14

Summed up my entire course in Editing 1 in film school in just 5 and a half minutes! That was an entertaining tutorial of the basics while still providing some insight on how even the novice can make something amazing! Good work

i do most of these things just cuz they "feel right" never knew like they were actual techniques! no complaints doe, helps me improve even more!

Here are the cuts mentioned in the video - plus a few extra ones for good measure :) Additionally, I have grouped them into two different contexts (Mechanical & Narrative), since a cut is often more than one thing. It usually has two components - it's physical form and it's narrative function. Tony 1) Mechanical - How is the film assembled? - what is the editor actually doing to edit the footage. a) Straight Cut: This is your basic cut. It's literally putting two clips side by side. You'll most likely use this more than any other kind of cut. b) The Split Edit: i) J-Cut: This is a big one, mostly because it offers a smooth transition from one shot to the next by having the audio of Clip B play at the tail end of Clip A. In other words, as you watch the first clip play, you begin to hear the audio from the next clip before you see its visuals. ii) L-Cut: It's a J-cut in reverse. Instead of transitioning into Shot B with Shot B's audio, you're transitioning with Shot A's audio. So, as you watch the first clip play, you see the next clip as the audio from the first clip overlaps it. This is used all the time with dialogue scenes. c) Jump Cut: These transitions are interesting because they fracture time in a very noticeable way. To pull it off, just take one of your longer clips, cut bits and pieces out of it, and put the fragments you want to include in your timeline back together. It'll look like the clip is "jumping" around through time. d) Cutting on Action: To put it simply, "Cutting on Action" just means cutting in the middle of your subject's action, whether it's a punch, a head turn, or even someone reaching for a doorknob in one shot and then opening the door in the next. Mastering this cut is crucial because it helps hide edits that occur during an action. 2) Narrative - What does the cut say? What is the outcome of the cut in terms of story and meaning. a) Match Cut: These stylish cuts are a great way to highlight your editorial creativity. On a technical level, it's a standard cut (from one shot to another). However, what makes it special is how it matches the similar actions of both shots. A great example of this is the shower scene in Psycho, where we see the shot of the water circling down the drain and then crossfades into a close-up of Marion Crane's eye, which is roughly the same size and in the same position within the frame as the drain. Match cuts can be done for video, audio or both. b) Contast Cut: Drawing a connection between two things. To imply that they are an extension of one another or to creat commentary. An example being cutting from a crown of shoppers to a herd of sheep. c) Cross-Cutting: Also known as parallel editing, this technique can get a little hairy if you're not careful, mainly because what you're doing is editing two different stories so they play side-by-side. You see this all the time in action movies, but my favorite example of this comes from Silence of the Lambs. Watch how director Jonathan Demme and editor Craig McKay use this technique to mislead the audience. d) Cutaways: Also called an Insert Edit. These kinds of cuts are helpful if you want to add shots that give more information and context to a scene, like shots of the location to establish the setting or shots of props and other objects that a character is referring to. Because many editors use them to incorporate supplementary footage, it might be helpful to think of cutaways as "b-roll cuts." e) Montage: You know what montages are, right? They're all over the place. A boxer wants to train for the big fight? Work out montage! A student needs to cram for finals? Study montage! A recent divorcée goes shopping before a big date? Fitting room montage! They are sequences of different shots that condense information, at least in the examples I just gave, but they also do the same for time and space (but that's more of the technical definition of montage). f) The Transition: Any kind of mixing effect that merges clips together, like a fade or dissolve. For example, showing the passage of time or giving the audience time to breath when an intense scene ends.

Thanks, Ryan Gosling.

I love how you not only explained but also used the cuts while explaining them, so far havent seen anyone else use it like this, and its incredible, liked and subbed

Great tutorial: short, sweet, and to the point with examples. Well done, sir!

The best use of the "J- cut" that I've seen was in Scary Movie 3 where Cindy (Anna Faris) was startled by a boat horn in the next scene. Genius. Lol

Love how fast you shared all these (and the b-roll and examples). Thanks for sharing!

I LOVE this video! I watched it and will keep watching it many times, every time I just need a quick and clear and cool summary of all the editing cuts :) thanks! Really well done and easy to understand, and to remember as well!

Being an 80s kid my personal favorite is the montage, a staple of 80s films. And my pick for the best montage of all time is the one in Monster Squad. At first it seems like it'll be a typical 80s montage but it goes to great lengths to not only show every important character's preparation for the third act, it also has a couple of great gags in it while also setting up several great payoffs in the final act. All set to the catchy tune, Rock Until You Drop.

I do all that without knowing what they're called

I’ve been studying the algorithm and learning from all these youtubers. It’s crazy to know that I’m essentially on the path to film making and not just a YouTuber. I’ve loved making home movies since I was in middle school and that’s how Robert Rodriguez started out. I live for editing my content. It’s my natural high.

Condensed several classes of film school into a single, concise, video. Very well done and very informative. If I were to add anything it would be the power of the "fade/dissipative" cut (that's technically not even a cut) that can add so many layers to a shot. E.g. Character is writing a letter to someone he/she cares about, throughout the writing (which is boring unto itself) the scribbling hand or character himself/herself fades or dissipates to where they're barely on the screen yet still visible, and other images or scenes bleed over them to show their thought process or who what they're thinking about/envisioning. Can be used to great effect to really convey a scene of heart ache, inner turmoil, romance, hardship, victory, etc.

This was the literally one of the coolest and most helpful videos I’ve ever seen thank you Laz - viva las vlogas