Editing & Post-Production

Jump cut

Also called: jumpcut, jump cutting

Filmed as a single take, then a chunk out of the middle is removed and the two halves joined. The frame stays put, so the presenter appears to jump. Talking-head YouTube runs on this. Every stumble, pause and false start comes out, which is how a 40-minute recording becomes a 12-minute video that holds together. Cinema uses the same edit as a deliberate jolt, and that is where its reputation for looking wrong comes from. Cutting on a natural gesture, or hiding the join behind a b-roll frame or a small punch-in, keeps the pace without the visual hiccup.

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