Jump Cut
Our textbook has shown that cut is the simplest form of transition from one shot to another in filmmaking (P225). This helps us understand what a jump cut would be like. A jump cut is a common technique used in filmmaking. it means cutting together two discontinuous points of a continuous action without changing the setup. When using a jump cut, the audience are allowed to see the same object are taken from a camera position varying slightly because the way the shots are framed in relation to each other. The filmmakers often take the technique of jump cut to create a jump superficially but to create a sense of time passage in the film. For instance, in the video “Royal Tenenbaums”, the actions of the man shaving off his beard varied without changing the position of the camera. These use a lot of jump cuts give a rapid succession of the frames between shots to shots. It not creates a unique visual effect to the audience, but also absorb the audience to consider the implications behind the jump cuts. The audience notice the abrupt transition of the shots that give different looks of the character in a fast way, which appears to pave some clue for the upcoming and unexpected death of the character. Some early use of the jump-cut technique is in the film Breathless by Jean-Luc Godard in the 1960s. In addition to the use for passing of time, jump cuts also are used by filmmakers for other purposes such as the comedic effects and space and mood.
The jump cut effect is even more disconcerting when it happens between two different subjects. For example, if a shot of one person is followed by a shot of a different person in the same position, it looks like the first person has transformed into the second one. When cutting between different people, pay attention to looking room and other positioning elements.
Sources
“Five explanations for the jump cuts
in Godard’s Breathless” https://pov.imv.au.dk/Issue_06/section_1/artc10.html