Creative video transitions and scene transitions explained, including J cut, match cut, fade in and more.
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Chapters:
00:00 - Intro - 9 Essential Editing Transitions
01:19 - Editing Basics: The Cut
02:10 - Fade
04:47 - Dissolve
06:43 - Match Cut
08:53 - Iris
10:24 - Wipe
12:16 - Passing
13:19 - Whip Pan
14:06 - Smash Cut
16:02 - J-Cut / L-Cut
18:11 - Honorable Mentions
18:36 - Get your FREE Editing Transition Shot List
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In film editing, transitions between scenes are sometimes overlooked opportunities to help tell your story. While most scene transitions use only a simple cut, there are many more creative and cinematic transitions filmmakers can use. In this video, we’ll review the various video transitions and film transitions, their particular qualities, and what they add to visual storytelling.
One of the most common film transitions is the fade in and fade out. Typically, these are used to open and close a film but they can also be used in between scenes to create a more definitive separation. Besides the cut, one of the most frequently used transitions is the dissolve (or cross dissolve). This is when one scene gradually fades out while the next scene gradually fades in. The dissolve is just one of the techniques used to create seamless transitions but also to suggest a passing of time or to switch to a flashback or dream.
The match cut is a film transition purely meant to create a connection between one shot to the next or one scene to the next. That connection can be made with shapes, colors, movement, or even sound. The match cut is an instant scene transition but a match dissolve accomplishes both the “connection” of a match cut with the “smoothness” of a cross dissolve. The iris transition is an old-fashioned technique that is rarely used unless you’re going for a nostalgic or retro style.
Similarly, the wipe transition is a bit archaic in terms of film and video transitions. George Lucas built the wipe transition into the visual language of Star Wars as a nod to his two biggest inspirations for the Skywalker Saga - the Flash Gordon serials and Kurosawa’s Hidden Fortress. A modern approach to these same cinematic transitions is called a passing transition (or pass-by effect). This involves using movement in the frame to wipe seamlessly into the next scene and it’s one of director Edgar Wright’s favorite film editing transitions.
Next, there’s the whip pan, when the camera pans quickly to create a blurry image (where a cut can be hidden) leading into another whip pan to start the next scene. These types of film transitions not only create smooth transitions, they help sustain the momentum from one scene to the next. A smash cut is perhaps the most abrupt film transition because it is built on contrast between loud and quiet, or active and still, or sometimes both.
Finally, there’s the J cut and L cut, two ways to use a split between audio and video for a variety of effects. For example, an L cut is often used when a character begins narrating a flashback. And a J cut is commonly used to build anticipation for the following scene. These are just the most common video transitions and new transition effects are created all the time. Your job as filmmakers is to find the right scene transitions that help tell your story.
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