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Introduction to Film Editing Techniques – Terminology

This is some of the terminology that I have come across during the last couple of lessons:

Matched cut (or Continuity) – Where the audience should not notice the cuts between shots – so
that the shots flow into each other smoothly and therefore the sequence should be continuous and
not broken down by the change between each shot.

Hollywood Montage (or Montage Sequence) – Condensing all of the character’s life or certain
information that we need to know about a character in a short period of time. This could be also
narrative that has been condensed in order to let the audience know about something quickly.

Soviet Montage (or Jump Cut) – This is when the flow of a sequence of shots is broken because of
the obvious cuts that have been made. This makes the audience very aware of the cuts and can be
used for dramatic purposes or to get a message across (such as the highly political soviet style of the
1920s).

Cross cut (or Parallel Editing) – Shows the similarities between two events and makes a point clearly
to the audience (this could be of a memory being represented by another person experiencing the
same event).

Transitions – The movement of one shot to another – this could be dissolving, wiping or fading.
Dissolving is between two events that are similar (bringing them together).

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