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Editing and finishing3 min read

LESSON 117

Cutting rhythm and the J and L cut

Where to cut, and when sound leads.

IN THIS LESSON

  1. Shots meet in the viewer's head
  2. Kinds of cut
  3. The split edit
  4. Practice: finding the rhythm

Shots meet in the viewer's head

Editing is cutting between shots taken at different times or from different places, and it is one of the central arts of film. A cut is never neutral. The Kuleshov effect, named after the film-maker Lev Kuleshov's experiments of the 1910s and 1920s, describes how viewers draw more meaning from two shots in sequence than from either alone. In the best-known version, the same blank face seemed to show hunger, grief or desire depending on the shot placed beside it. The rhythm of cuts shapes the feeling of a scene as much as the pictures do.

Kinds of cut

A match cut joins two shots whose composition or action line up, such as a long shot of a duel cutting to a closer shot of one fighter in the same movement; it is the basis of smooth continuity. A graphic match links shapes, colours or motion across a change of scene. A jump cut does the opposite: it removes a piece from one continuous shot so the subject jumps forward in time. Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless used jump cuts widely and made them popular in the 1960s. They draw attention to the editing, so they are used for effect.

The split edit

In a split edit, picture and sound change at different moments. Without it, a conversation can feel like a tennis match, cutting to each speaker exactly as they start. When the sound of the outgoing shot carries on over the start of the next picture, the cut is called an L cut. When the sound of the incoming shot starts before its picture appears, it is a J cut. Split edits hide transitions, let the audience see a listener's reaction, and allow an editor to pair the picture of one take with the sound of a better one.

Practice: finding the rhythm

This is working practice. Cut on movement where you can, because a turn of the head or a reach for a cup hides the join. Let a shot run until it has said what it needs, then go; a held shot gains weight, a quick one gains energy. In dialogue, cut to the listener for reactions and lead into new scenes with sound using J cuts. Watch the cut once with the sound off to judge the pictures, and once with your eyes closed to judge the sound.

Try it today

  1. 01Film a short two-person conversation with a shot of each speaker.
  2. 02Cut it first with every cut exactly on the start of each line.
  3. 03Re-cut it with three J cuts and three L cuts.
  4. 04Add one jump cut on purpose and see how it feels.
  5. 05Show both versions to someone and ask which flows better.