Jump Cuts

·      Usually when recording in order to prepare for a cutting point between two consecutive shots such as cutting from a wide shot in a scene to closer coverage- we vary both the size and angle of the shot.

·      Some filmmakers deliberately choose not to vary the size and angle of the second shot which results in the cut having a jarring effect, literally jumping in what often feels like an awkward way from one shot to the next.

·         In the industry, in (film criticism, universally) this is known as a jump cut.

·         Filmmakers use jump cuts for several reasons:

-          Rebellion

-          French New Wave filmmakers used jump cuts in the 50s to break from the traditional dominance of continuity editing.

-          Pace

-          Jump cuts can be used to add a sense of speed to the sequence of events.

-          Psychological

-          Jump cuts can be used to suggest the non-linear way the human mind works.

-          (Example: Breathless Jump Cuts, A bout de soufflé Jean Luc Godard Car Scene. Rebellion.

This extract is from the movie The Battleship Potemkin (1925), the creativity of Sergei Eisenstein; the director of the movie, portrayed it in a whole new level. Using the method of jump cuts Eisenstein turned a complete classic into a significant political use. The disjointed cuts allowed us to be aware of reality and not the unreality of the film experience in order for the audience to get the political message that Sir Eisenstein clearly wanted to show. This is very different from the other classical movies as this is not focused on the drama or emotion of the narrative. The first scene is a canon firing then a series of jump cuts of the statue of the angles, then we get a shot of a building exploding then the jump cuts of the lion statue which was first ‘sleeping’ then it ‘stands up’ clearly giving the hint on the political message.