Article Review #3

I read the article “What Are Cutaway Shots and How Will They Help Your Edit?” by Jason Hellerman. The link to this article is https://nofilmschool.com/cutaway-shot-definition-examples. Hellerman talks about the uses and advantages for directors when they use Cutaway shots. He gives examples of Cutaway shots from Family Guy and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. He states that the Cutaway shots create a sense of comedic transition.

I learned that a cutaway shot is the interruption of a continuous shot by inserting a shot of something else. Usually, the person would then cut back to the first shot. These shots can be done within the same scene, cuts to other scenes, or even as one continuous shot as the camera pans across to something else. I learned that the use of Cutaway shots are used to adjust the pace of a scene. They can also be used to delete some unwanted parts of the main shot or join two takes of the same scene that do not seamlessly integrate. This method could be used to add to the tone or even shift into a voiceover. It expands the point of view and can be a “director and editor’s secret weapon”. I learned that Cutaway shots can also be used to stitch a scene together while changing shots in between.

This article taught me that Cutaway shots are used to adjust the pace of the main action. This could mean removing a shot, or adding another shot into the main shot. This technique could also help with character development in a story. Using a cutaway shot can give the audience a sense of what the character is feeling. I feel that the film industry would be more creative if they used Cutaway shots instead of shooting a continuous scene to tell a story. The continuous scene could make the audience bored. However, using too much cutaways could cause confusion within the audience.

After reading this article, I want to learn how to know when it is a good time to use a cutaway shot. I want to know when it is the right time to use the cutaway shot so it helps with the character’s feelings. I believe that this technique will create the “less-is-more” factor in creating a story with simple shots.