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Film & Television vocabulary · Editing and Post-Production

Cut

Meaning in film & television, with examples

/kʌt/nounCore term

In film & television, cut means: An instant change from one shot to the next in editing. It also means a version of an edited film, such as the director's cut.

In Turkish: kesme, kurgu versiyonu, geçiş

How it is used

As a verb, editors cut a film, cut to a close-up or cut a scene (remove it). On set the director calls Cut! to stop the camera. Versions are named rough cut, fine cut, final cut and director's cut.

Example sentences

  1. The cut from the funeral to the wedding is the most surprising moment of the film.

  2. In the director's cut, the ending is completely different.

Common collocations

  • director's cut
  • hard cut
  • cut to
  • make a cut
  • first cut
  • editingThe work of choosing, ordering and joining shots so that they tell the story with the right rhythm, emotion and meaning.
  • rough cutAn early edited version of a film with the scenes in order but without final timing, effects, music or sound work.
  • final cutThe finished, approved version of an edited film. Final cut is also the contractual right to decide what that version will be.
  • jump cutA cut between two shots of the same subject from almost the same position, so that the image seems to jump forward in time.
  • transitionThe way one shot or scene changes into the next in editing, such as a straight cut, a fade or a dissolve.

More terms: Editing and Post-Production

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