Operation Manual

318 Pinnacle Studio 9
Transitions
Cinematic timing requires some practice. It is not
always possible to film long events in their entirety,
and in movies they often have to be represented in
severely abbreviated form. Nonetheless, the plot should
remain logical and cuts should almost never call
attention to themselves.
This is where the transition from one scene to the next
is important. Even if the action in neighboring scenes is
separated in time or space, your editorial choices can
make the juxtaposition so smooth that the viewer
bridges the gap without conscious attention.
The secret to a successful transition is establishing an
easily-felt connection between the two scenes. In a
plot-related transition, the connection is that of
successive events in an unfolding story. For example, a
shot of a new car might be used to introduce a
documentary about its design and production.
A neutral transition doesn’t in itself imply a story
development or a change of time or place, but can be
used to smoothly connect different excerpts from a
scene. For example, cutting away to an interested
audience member during a podium discussion lets you
then cut back unobtrusively to a later point in the same
discussion, omitting the part between.
External transitions show something apart from the
action. For example, during a shot inside the marriage
registry, you might cut to the exterior of the marriage
registry, where a surprise is already being set up.
Transitions should underscore the message of the film
and must always fit the respective situation, in order to
avoid confusing viewers or distracting from the actual
storyline.