Editing vocabulary

Action match: A shot that cuts to another continuing a piece of action or movement between the shots.

Continuity editing: An editing style that aims to present the text in chronological order to emphasize the real-time movement of the narrative and to create a seance of realism for the viewer by giving the impression of continuous filming.

Cross cutting (also known as parallel editing): When an editor cuts between two separate scenes happening in two separate locations at the same time, The narrative technique of showing two ro more scenes happening at the same time by cutting between them.

Cutaway: A brief shot that is not totally necessary but is cut into a scene to show a related action, object or person, not necessarily part of the main scene, before cutting back to the original shot.

Dissolve: When the first shot is on the screen and the second shot starts appearing on top of it more and more until all you can see if the second shot.

Ellipsis: The removal or shortening of elements of a narrative to speed up the action, (e.g. an editor might use ellipsis on a sequence about a young man taking a drink by cutting straight to him as an old man, drunk and alone).

Eyeline match: A type of editing that maintains the eyeline or level when cutting from a character to what the character sees.

Fade: A type of moving image editing where the image gradually fades and disappears, leaving a white black screen.

Graphic match: A cut from one shot to another that look visually the same. This could be possibly linked by a similar shape or colour etc.

Jump cuts: A cut that moves to a very similar part of the same scene but missing a piece of action out.

Linear narrative: A sequential narrative with a beginning, middle and an end in that order.

Long take: Each time a shot is recorded it is called a take. A long take is one that is allowed to remain on screen for long periods of time.

Montage: This is a series of shots edited together to show time passing and something happening in that time.

Short take: A short take is allowed to remain on screen fro a short time before the editor cuts it to something else.

Shot/Reverse shot: cutting between two people having a conversation can help contrast them and make the seem different.

Slow motion: When the action is slowed down.

Split screen: the cinema screen being split into two or more parts to allow the showing of events that are taking place at the same time.

Superimpose: The appearance of writing/symbols or images on top of an image so that both are visible at once, increasing the amount of information the viewer has in one shot.

Visual effects: Often it depends on what the characters reactions to those special effects are. For example: a man who has no reaction to an explosion will seem brave and masculine.

Wipe: A moving image editing technique that involves one image wiping another off the screen.