Cross-cutting

Cross-cutting

Cross-cutting is an editing technique most often used in films to establish action occurring at the same time in two different locations. 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.

Suspense may be added by cross-cutting. It is built through the expectations that it creates and in the hopes that it will be explained with time. Cross-cutting also forms parallels; it illustrates a narrative action that happens in several places at approximately the same time. For instance, in D.W. Griffith's A Corner in Wheat (1909), the film cross-cuts between the activities of rich businessmen and poor people waiting in line for bread. This creates a sharp dichotomy between the two actions, and encourages the viewer to compare the two shots. Often, this contrast is used for strong emotional effect, and frequently at the climax of a film. The rhythm of, or length of time between, cross-cuts can also set the rhythm of a scene. Increasing the rapidity between two different actions may add tension to a scene, much in the same manner of using short, declarative sentences in a work of literature.

Cross-cutting was established as a filmmaking technique relatively early in film history (one example would be Louis J. Gasnier's 1908 short The Runaway Horse) and Griffith was its most famous practitioner. The technique is showcased in his Biograph work, such as A Corner in Wheat and 1911's The Lonedale Operator.[1] His 1915 film, The Birth of a Nation, contains textbook examples of cross-cutting and firmly established it as a staple of film editing. Mrinal Sen has used cross-cutting effectively in his agit-prop film Interview which became quite popular after this.

Notes

References

  • Bordwell, David; Thompson, Kristin (2006). Film Art: An Introduction. New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 244–245. ISBN 0-07-331027-1. 

See also



Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cross Cutting — For other uses, see Cross cut. Cross cutting Even though most classes in an object oriented programming model will perform a single, specific function, they often share common, secondary requirements with other classes. These secondary… …   Wikipedia

  • cross-cutting — /ˈkrɒs kʌtɪŋ/ (say kros kuting) adjective related; connected: cross cutting issues. Also, (especially in predicative use), cross cutting /krɒs ˈkʌtɪŋ/ (say kros kuting) …  

  • Cross-cutting — Eine Parallelmontage (engl. cross cutting) ist eine Technik der Filmmontage, bei der die aufeinanderfolgenden Einstellungen zwischen zwei oder mehr Handlungssträngen hin und her springen. Die Parallelmontage wurde bereits in frühen Filmen, wie… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Cross-cutting relationships — Cross cutting relations can be used to determine the relative ages of rock strata and other geological structures. Explanations: A folded rock strata cut by a thrust fault; B large intrusion (cutting through A); C erosional angular unconformity… …   Wikipedia

  • Cross-cutting cleavage — is a political term that refers to factors in society which cause division (such as race, political, religious divisions etc) in such a way that no group created by one cleavage is wholly contained within a group created by another hence cross… …   Wikipedia

  • Cross-Cutting Concern — (CCC) ist ein Begriff der Informatik, der im Kontext des Teile und Herrsche Prinzips so genannte querschnittliche Belange einer Software bezeichnet, die deshalb nicht einfach modularisiert werden können, weil herkömmliche Modularisierungsansätze… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Cross-cutting concern — In computer science, cross cutting concerns are aspects of a program which affect other concerns. These concerns often cannot be cleanly decomposed from the rest of the system in both the design and implementation, and can result in either… …   Wikipedia

  • Cross-Cutting Programs Committee — The Cross Cutting Programs Committee of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council for the African Union deals with issues not explicitly dealt with by other committees. They are: HIV/AIDS. International cooperation. Coordination with institutions …   Wikipedia

  • cross-cutting —   the editing technique of alternating, interweaving, or interspersing one narrative action (scene, sequence, or event) with another usually in different locations or places, thus combining the two; this editing method suggests parallel action… …   Glossary of cinematic terms

  • Cross-cutting — Поперечная разрезка (картона, ленты) …   Краткий толковый словарь по полиграфии

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”