When to Cut (& Why)

• Four theories for making cutting decisions, each offering different frameworks for editorial choices

Theory 1: Grammar of the Edit (Six Basic Reasons)

• Information - what does the audience want to see next, how to meet/subvert expectations
  • Consider genre differences: romance vs horror approach information differently
  • Horror might withhold information to build suspense
• Motivation - why leave current shot at this exact frame
  • Character’s look directing attention elsewhere
  • Timing for comedic/dramatic effect (Barry Lyndon ribbon scene example)
  • Shot becoming uncomfortable or effects looking unrealistic
• Shot composition - when do we want to be at certain distances and angles
  • Wide to establish, medium for expressions, close-up for realizations
  • Compression/decompression concept
• Camera angle - how different are the camera angles you want to cut between
  • Too similar = jarring jump, too dissimilar = also jarring
  • Consider 30-degree rule for smooth transitions
• Continuity - does the action match between shots
  • Cut on action to hide edits (motion distracts from cuts)
  • Match action as closely as possible between shots
• Sound - is the sound good, does it match between shots
  • Least important factor (fixable in post)
  • Consider airplane noise, ambient inconsistencies

Theory 2: Walter Murch’s Rule of Six

• Ideal cut fulfills six features with weighted importance:
• Emotion – 51% (most important, trumps everything else)
• Story – 23% (does cut advance plot)
• Rhythm – 10% (pacing, equal time vs weighted time on characters)
• Eye trace – 7% (where audience looks on screen, control attention flow)
• Two-dimensional plane of screen – 5% (180-degree rule, character eyelines)
• Three-dimensional space of action – 4% (3D world translated to 2D screen)
• Key insight: audience won’t notice 90% of technical “mistakes” if emotion is right
• Prioritize emotional impact over perfect continuity

Theory 3: McKendrick’s “Invisible Imaginary Ubiquitous Winged Witness”