Visual Editing Techniques and Transitions

Film editing techniques that still read as images: match cuts, jump cuts, smash cuts, wipes, iris, split screen. An image model given only one pretty frame cannot invent a relationship. Describe both sides of the join.

A Match Cut rhymes shape or motion across a splice. A Jump Cut skips time inside a continuous setup. A Smash Cut slams unlike worlds together. Split Screen and Iris make the join visible on purpose. Write the outgoing frame and the incoming frame. If nothing is shared, you do not have a match. You have two shots.

See also Time and Motion In-Camera and Optical Effects Composition