ISL 2 - Glossary Of Terms

Glossary of Terms

Editing Techniques

Editing - The work of selecting and joining together shots to create a finished film.

Cut - A visual transition created in editing in which one shot is instantaneously replaced on screen by another.

Continuity editing - Editing that creates action that flows smoothly across shots and scenes without jarring visual inconsistencies. This establishes a sense of story for the viewer.

Cross cutting - Cutting back and forth quickly between two or more lines of action, indicating they are happening simultaneously.

Dissolve - A gradual scene transition whereby the editor overlaps the end of one shot with the beginning of the next one.

Eye line match - The matching of eye lines between two or more characters. For example, if one person looks to the right in shot A, the other will look to the left in shot B. This establishes a relationship of proximity and continuity.

Fade - A visual transition between shots or scenes that appears on screen as a brief interval with no picture. The editor fades one shot to black and then fades in the next. This is often used to indicate a change in time and place.

Final cut - The finished edit of a film, approved by the director and the producer. This is what the audience sees.

Iris/Masking - Visible on screen as a circle closing down over or opening up on a shot. Seldom used in contemporary film, but common during the silent era of Hollywood films.

Montage - Scenes whose emotional impact and visual design are achieved through the editing together of many brief shots. The shower scene from Psycho is an example of montage editing.

Wipe - Visible on screen as a bar travelling across the frame pushing one shot off and pulling the next shot into place. Rarely used in contemporary film, but common in films from the 1930s and 1940s.