5 transition techniques commonly used by editors

In editing work, scene transition means changes in space and time. It is a time when the logical relationship between the film pictures and the content of the pictures make a big jump. When editing, you should always pay attention to natural and continuous transitions.

1 Action transition editing

With the help of the coherence and similarity of actions and momentum of characters, animals, vehicles or war tools, etc., as a scene or space-time transformation means. For example, use the momentum of cars, tanks, and airplanes to drive past or block the camera, and then pick up other vehicles or characters to leave the camera; another example is the heroine slaps the hero at the end of one scene, and the next scene The play begins with the hero throwing himself on his bed in pain. Usually, the scenes are changed by using the spinning wheels of cars and trains to connect with the propellers of airplanes, which is also an action transition editing.

2 Close-up transition editing

An editing technique that uses a close-up picture to end one scene or start another scene from a close-up picture. The former refers to the last shot of a scene ending on a certain part of a character (such as the head or eyes) or a close-up of an object. The latter refers to starting from a close-up and gradually expanding the field of view to show another aspect. How to deal with the environment, characters and storyline of the scene. Using close-up images to end a scene or use close-up images to start a scene is to emphasize the inner activities or emotions of the characters, sometimes to represent a certain object or prop (such as a clock, a flashing red light, a cross) etc.) to create a complete sense of paragraph. One of the main purposes of close-up transitions is to unknowingly change the scene and narrative content when the audience's attention is focused on a character's expression or an object, without causing a sudden and uncomfortable feeling.

3 Music transition editing

Music transition editing is a technique that uses music to achieve a natural transition of scenes. Breaking the traditional pattern of completely synchronizing the start and end of the music with the corresponding pictures, the music is extended to a certain length from the end of the previous scene or the beginning of the subsequent scene. If this technique is used well, it can go far beyond the scope of the transition function. The combination of music and pictures can make a specific scene have special appeal. Sometimes it can make people immersed in the aftertaste of beautiful things, and sometimes it can give people a premonition of upcoming disasters and misfortunes.

4 Scenery Transition Editing

Scenery transition editing uses scene shots as an interval between two scenes to express the transition of scenes. Scenery shots include two aspects. One is a scene-based shot with objects as a foil. Using this kind of shot for transition editing not only shows different geographical environments and scenery, but also expresses changes in time and seasons. A means of expressing emotions through scenery. The other is a shot that focuses on objects and uses scenery as a foil, such as tractors passing by in the fields, ships on the sea, cars and carriages passing by on city streets, etc. Many films use various vehicles to drive past the camera or use still objects (such as columns in front of buildings, statues, indoor furnishings) to block the camera as a means of transition.

5 Emotional transition editing

Emotional transition editing uses the continuity of emotional rendering for transition processing. When the emotional rendering of the characters reaches the saturation point and the audience is immersed in the passion, the scene can be transformed with the help of the continuity of emotions, which is compact and without leaving any trace, and plays the role of connecting the previous and the following in one go.

Judging from the history of film development in various countries, with the continuous improvement of technology, the use of scene transition techniques has become more and more colorful.

However, there are two extremes that should be avoided: one is the tendency of formalism. It does not use scene changes to create a real and touching movie image, and does not pay attention to in-depth portrayal of characters. Instead, it pursues the strange and grotesque effects of the lens. As a result, there are heavy artificial traces, making the audience lose the sense of being there. The other is the naturalistic tendency. It excludes careful artistic conception and artistic processing of scene transitions, and one-sided emphasis on the natural state. Although the result looks as real as real life, it appears rough and messy, and loses the artistic charm of the movie.