A good video is determined by its ability to leave a lasting impression on a viewer. In order to do so, the video must be able to connect with its audience. One of the most powerful editing techniques that enables you to do this is – cut to action – video cuts!
The term ‘video cuts’ usually makes one think of transitions. But there are layers to this technique. They are a storytelling tool that can take the audience on a journey that you choose for them. With the clever use and placement of cuts, one can play with tension, create action out of relatively steady scenes, and even alter time. In fact, cuts can dictate the entire tone of a scene.
A good cut can have a deep emotional impact on your audience and boost viewer engagement, whereas a bad cut can turn excellent raw footage into a forgettable experience. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the fundamentals of cuts in video editing!
Understanding The Impact of Cuts on Viewer Psychology
Put simply, cuts in video editing are our strings to emotionally manipulate the audience. Every choice that you make regarding cuts must stem from the question: “What do I want the audience to feel?”. So, to use cuts cleverly, it is crucial to understand the psychological impact of cuts.
Cuts, or even the lack of them, can evoke a variety of emotions from the viewer. Fast, sharp cuts in sequence can amp up the action in a scene. On the other hand, smooth, seamless cuts can make a scene more immersive. A classical example that demonstrates the power of cuts in video editing is the Kuleshov effect.
So, what is the Kuleshov effect? Named after the Russian filmmaker Lev Kuleshov, it is an effect created on audience perception by the interaction between 2 sequential shots. In this case, one shot was focused on the expression of a man, and the other shot was of a bowl of soup, a child in a coffin, or a woman. Without changing the first shot, the audience’s interpretation of the man’s expression – hunger, grief, or desire – was influenced by the second shot. This proves that editing can influence context, and via context, tweak audience perception.
When to Cut and Its Impact on Pacing
One of the first and recurring decisions that an editor has to make is: “When do I cut this shot?” Sometimes, this is obvious – say, a character exits the frame of the shot or stops talking. In other instances, there may be no such reference points to use. Hence, it is important to understand the target of the scene and its rhythm, to get the timing of the cut right.
Without careful placement, a cut can either break the scene’s flow when placed too early or arrive after the audience has already lost interest in the shot. Another factor to keep in mind is pacing – when aiming for thrill, quick, snappy cuts work well. For emotional impact, it’s best to let the shot linger and cut sparingly.
But how does this work? Let’s take a closer look:
Deploy Fast Cuts To Create Excitement
The way you cut a video determines its rhythm and the tone of the scene. Fast cuts that line up one after the other indicate urgency to the viewer. When used throughout the video, they lend the story a fast, adrenaline-pumping pace. Alternatively, when used occasionally, they do a fantastic job of ramping up the excitement of a scene, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.
Lean Into Slow Cuts for Emotional Depth
Since rapid cuts build excitement or pace, it is easy to get carried away and use them a tad too much. Letting a shot play out without interruption is also a vital skill that an editor must develop. Lingering shots are important when you’d like to add emotional depth to the scene. Slow cuts that are strategically placed help build drama and increase audience immersion.
Use Sudden Cuts to Add Tension
You can use both fast and slow cuts to push the scene forward with a clear sense of continuity. But what if continuity is not your endgame? What if you want to disrupt the flow to trigger a response from your audience? You go for a sudden cut.
Sometimes referred to as jump cuts, sudden cuts are a powerful tool to use in scenes that have built up suspense. When placed at the peak of tension, they will evoke a physiological reaction from the viewer, creating a thrilling experience.
To summarize, the way you place a cut can strongly influence the emotional state of the viewer. But remember to take a step back and examine the overall impact on the scene to ensure that you haven’t strayed too far from the intended rhythm and flow of the video.
The Bread-and-Butter Cuts and Their Emotional Impact
It’s not just the time and placement of the cut that matters. It’s also the impact. Not all cuts have the same effect on the viewer. Here are some of the different types of cuts that you must know about and the way they influence the audience’s emotions:
Match Cuts
A fundamental way to cut your video to create a smooth transition and a sense of continuity. You can intuitively think of this as having a poetic flow to your edit which communicates a sense of calm and connectedness to your viewer.
Smash Cuts
The exact opposite of a match cut, a smash cut is an abrupt transition from one shot to the next. It can be used to create a comedic effect or to give your audience a bit of a shock.
Jump Cuts
Think of a jump cut as a hybrid of a match and smash cut. There is a very thin thread of continuity between the two shots. Use it in action to create a sense of urgency or boost the energy of the scene. You can also incorporate storytelling aspects such as time jumps, leaving the viewer with a bit of disorientation.
Cross-Cuts
Cross-cutting, a technique used in parallel editing, involves a back-and-forth style of presenting multiple threads of a story. Experienced editors can wield this technique to build suspense and create a sense of anticipation in the viewer.
Fade and Dissolve
Strictly speaking, this is not a “cut”, but an editing technique that gradually replaces one shot with the next. In the case of a fade transition, the next shot is usually just a black screen. Meanwhile, “dissolve” involves two shots that briefly overlap. This is a standard method to indicate a change in time to the audience. You can move ahead to the future, or you can travel back in memory to reflect upon the past and spark a sense of nostalgia in the viewer.
Maximize Impact with Strategic Cuts
To conclude, clever use and placement of cuts is a must-have skill in video editing. Hone your video editing skills to use different types of cuts and evaluate if you’re able to get the desired emotional responses. Always keep the storytelling vision in mind to ensure that your editing decisions align with your goal to maximize impact.
At Kween Media, our editing prowess stems from understanding the intended narrative of the story before we define our strategy. Our editors have an intuitive sense of what cuts to use, and where, to interweave shots for a cohesive storyline.
If you’re looking for professional video editing services that utilize expert cutting techniques to transform raw clips into a powerful video, get in touch with our team today!