1. The Punctuation of Film-Making Transitions The Punctuation of Film-Making

2. Transitions The selection of transitions between shots is an important aspect of continuity editing, which is designed to create the illusion of continuous time and space in relation to a sequence of on-screen events. Continuity editing involves suturing (stitching or connecting) together different shots into a sequence, in order to determine the order of screen events. Different transitions, such as the cut, fade, dissolve, and wipe, imply particular changes in space (location) or time (between on-screen events). They need to be used cautiously and carefully, as they are metaphorically a form of on-screen punctuation. Thus, they should not be inserted ; randomly... just because your / editing software / makes them available!!!!

3. Cut A cut in some sense is the absence of a transition. It involves literally switching from one shot to the next. It implies almost undetectable, incremental shifts in space and time. They act like commas “,”. Transitions: Cut

8. Transitions: Fade Fade Usually used at the beginning (fade in from black) or end (fade out to black) of a scene, to indicate a long gap in time between scenes, or a character’s loss of consciousness. They are the equivalent of writing dot, dot, dot...

9. Transitions: Fade

13. Transitions: Dissolve Dissolves Two images are momentarily superimposed. Indicates a significant shift in scene. The longer the dissolve takes, the greater time is suggested to have elapsed between scenes. Perhaps they are most like colons “:” and semi-colons “;”.

14. Transitions: Dissolve

18. Transitions: Wipe Wipes Flashy transitions that draw attention to the constructed nature of the text because there is a visible line on screen between one shot and the next, as one shot appears to push another shot out of the way. Usually used in quirky films to contribute to a non-realist sensibility. Some wipes act like exclamation marks!! Some wipes act like exclamation marks!!

19. Transitions: Wipe