Editing Terms - definitions

Cut: A visual transition created in editing in which one shot is instantaneously replaced on screen by another.


Editing: The work of selecting and joining together shots to create a finished film.

Establishing Shot:  A shot, normally taken from a great distance or from a "bird's eye view," that establishes where the action is about to occur.

Action Match: An action match is when two different views are shot of the same action, and are edited together so that the action appears to continue uninterrupted.

180 Degree Rule: The 180 degree rule is a cinematography guideline that states that two characters in a scene should maintain the same left/right relationship to one another. When the camera passes over the invisible axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line.

Shot Reverse Shot:

Shot reverse shot (or shot/countershot) is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character (often off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character.

Eyeline Match: An eyeline match is a film editing technique associated with the continuity editing system. It is based on the premise that an audience will want to see what the character on-screen is seeing.

Cross Cutting: Cross-cutting is an editing technique most often used in films to establish action occurring at the same time, and usually in the same place. In a cross-cut, the camera will cut away from one action to another action, which can suggest the simultaneity of these two actions but this is not always the case.