Add cross-cutting film to your video editing toolkit.
Learn what cross-cutting film means and how to use this editing technique for weaving together action in two or more different scenes.
Cut between scenes
You can’t be in two places at once, at least if you’re not at the movies. Cross-cutting transports the viewer quickly or more methodically from scene to scene, creating a sense of urgency and anticipation and keeping viewers on the edge of their seats.
What is cross-cutting in film?
In film editing, cross-cutting is one of the types of cuts in film that describes the editing video technique of switching back and forth between scenes, often giving the impression that the action occurring in different locations is unfolding at the same moment.
The distance for the simultaneously occurring events could be close by or far apart. The point is to show the audience views from across different locations.
History and cross-cut examples in film.
This technique dates back to director Edwin S. Porter’s 1903 film, The Great Train Robbery. In the film, Porter uses cross-cutting multiple times, one instance being to demonstrate that the bandits on the train and the telegraph operator being tied up are happening simultaneously.
The film builds tension by showing multiple events happening at once. Another example is D.W. Griffith’s A Corner in Wheat, where the film cross-cuts between three different narratives — the farmer, the baker, and the Wheat King’s perspective. The film opens with the course of events throughout the day, and then once the Wheat King uses his monopoly power to raise the price of flour, the cross-cutting between the three perspectives begins. This technique builds tension and allows the audience to see how the actions of the Wheat King affect all three individuals.
In the final scene of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story cross-cuts between Cassian and Jyn on the beach, the villain Krennic on the tower, and the Empire engineers in the Death Star. This idea allows the audience to see the huge impact the event has outside of the individual characters while also showing what becomes of each individual.
When and why should you cross-cut in film?
The cross-cut enhances suspense, tension, and emotional impact, making scenes more engaging by seamlessly transitioning between simultaneous actions in different locations. It can create urgency or excitement and shows where multiple storylines converge.
As you’re working through the post-production process, consider which scenes could benefit from multiple perspectives within the same scene. Using cross-cuts in film can impact your story in the following ways:
- Capture phone or video conversations. Filmmakers often use the cross-cut to show two characters talking on the phone. The camera cuts back and forth as the conversation progresses, and there’s room to play with dialogue and its relation to the action in the frame. For example, in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Ferris pretends to be bedridden while talking to his father on the phone, but really, he’s sitting at his computer, pressuring his buddy Cameron to come over.
- Build suspense. Cross-cutting can bring viewers to the edges of their seats. Think of an action hero racing to defuse a time bomb, the hero’s actions interwoven with cutaways of the ticking clock. In The Silence of the Lambs, director Jonathan Demme uses the cross-cut to build suspense but also to misdirect the audience. By cutting from a scene of the villain Buffalo Bill at home to shots of FBI agents surrounding a house, Demme suggests that justice is about to be served. But the FBI agents break through the doors and windows only to discover that the house is empty. Buffalo Bill is in a different house, opening the door to Clarice, the protagonist, who must now face him all alone.
- Make a point. Cross-cutting can also establish deeper meaning, as in the climax of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather. Michael Corleone is in church, becoming godfather to his sister Connie’s daughter. Meanwhile, Corleone’s men are eliminating his rivals. The scene begins with a match cut (a juxtaposition of two frames that are thematically or compositionally similar). The first shot is a close-up of the baby in Connie’s hands. The next, a pistol in a man’s hands. Then the camera cuts back and forth from the church, where Michael renounces Satan, to the brutal murders, establishing his baptism as mafia boss.
- Play with time and space. Christopher Nolan, a master of cross cutting, uses this technique in Inception to show simultaneous action on different planes of reality. In one famous scene, Arthur the protagonist is asleep in a speeding van chased by men on motorcycles. Meanwhile, in his dream, Arthur fights men in a hotel hallway. When the van swerves and rolls over, gravity in the dream world swerves and rolls over. The result is one of the most suspenseful and memorable fight scenes on film.
Is cross-cutting film the same as parallel editing?
Cross-cutting is a broader term that encompasses parallel editing, but the two are not the same. Parallel editing is a type of cross-cutting that shows two or more scenes happening simultaneously. It’s frequently used to connect scenes that share a theme. Cross cutting refers to when a film cuts back and forth between scenes regardless of whether they are happening simultaneously. Examples include dream sequences, montages, or flashbacks.
How to edit cross-cutting in Premiere Pro.
Adobe Premiere Pro can help you cross-cut your video in a snap. Follow these steps in Premiere Pro when editing video using cross-cuts:
1. Select the frames you want to cross-cut between. Add the frames in the order they should be viewed. If you need to rearrange the frames, click and drag each one to its new location.
2. If you need to trim a scene, move your cursor to the end of the video and look for a red line. Click and drag the clip until it’s at your desired timeframe.
3. If you need to cut a portion from the middle of the clip, click the Razor tool from the toolbar and select the portion of the video you want to cut.
4. Save your work.
Cuts are one of the most basic video transitions, but when used in a particular way, can create a suspenseful or exciting scene.
Tips for cross-cut editing.
Here are some basic tips for putting a good cross cut together in your video.
1. Get the right footage.
Set yourself up for success by getting footage you’ll be able to cross-cut. Consider the following elements before you make your shot list.
- Point of view. Whose perspective does the camera represent? Does that change dramatically between scenes you want to interweave? If so, how much information does the viewer need to understand the action?
- Framing. Make sure you have establishing shots for each scene so your viewer has a sense of each location before you start using closer shots and switching from scene to scene. You may also want to line up visual elements for a match cut.
- Lighting. Consider lighting the scenes differently to make the contrast clear and avoid confusing the viewer. In the example from Inception above, the chase scene is in blue while the fight scene is in orange, so we always know where we are, if not exactly what we’re doing there. You can use color correction tools in Adobe Premiere Pro to create contrasting tones.
- Coverage. Camera coverage describes the footage you need in order to tell a coherent story. Give yourself options with different types of shots by shooting the scenes from a couple of different angles. Having options will make it a lot easier to edit the video.
2. Color code each scene in your timeline.
As you begin post-production in Premiere Pro, use label colors to mark your scenes and help you easily distinguish one from another. “That way,” says colorist and editor Gerry Holtz, “especially if you’re cutting between three or four scenes, you can just look at the timeline and immediately see where you might be too heavy on one side and too light on another.”
3. Edit each scene separately.
Before you try to interweave two different scenes, establish the beats (or moments) of each individual scene. Then, consider where you might enter and exit that scene and how you might break it up. Note potential In and Out points with markers. “Once you have all those little beats, you can shuffle those together with the other scenes,” says Holtz. “But first, you want to make sure that each scene on its own is making sense. Later, you might figure out you don’t need all those pieces, but that’s a good place to start.”
4. Play with music.
Music and other sound effects can work to unify your different scenes. In a music video, for example, the song ties narrative and performance scenes together. This strategy can work in a film or advertisement as well. “The risk you run in doing this parallel editing is that the piece can feel disjointed. But you can tie those scenes together with music and overlapping sound effects,” says filmmaker Taylor Kavanaugh.
You can also use music or sound effects as you do lighting to help distinguish one scene from another. If one half of a phone conversation takes place on a busy Manhattan street corner and the other in a library, the contrast will be clear.
Carry motion over from scene to scene. Try tying your characters together by echoing movement throughout both clips. If a character in the first clip walks across the frame from left to right, cut to the character in the next clip doing the same. “We as viewers want to see things carry over from one clip to the next,” says Kavanaugh. “Continuing that motion allows us to make that connection, whether we even recognize that or not.”
5. Avoid confusing your audience.
Don’t mistake confusion for suspense. If you’re shooting a battle scene, for example, avoid cutting together too many tight shots so quickly that the viewer can’t figure out who’s doing what. “You can have your audience questioning something, but you want them to know what they’re looking at,” Holtz says.
6. Get feedback.
One way to know if you’re confusing your audience is to share your work. With filmmaking, as with any creative pursuit, it’s easy to become so deeply involved that you lose perspective. When you can’t trust your judgment anymore, show your cross cut scenes to a friend, embrace the collaborative video editing process with trusted peers, and get their opinions. Can they follow the action? Have you maintained continuity? Can they pick up the scene where it left off or understand what happened while they were away?
You should also pay close attention to the movies, TV shows, and other content you love. Study what works and think about why it works. There are no shortcuts to learning the craft of filmmaking. “You have to educate yourself and read tutorials, but then go out and try it for yourself,” Kavanaugh says.
Do the work, and accept that you’ll make mistakes. Be patient with yourself — and your critics.
Go beyond cross-cutting film with Premiere Pro.
Great films are mindful of the footage they shoot and the way the footage fits together and transitions from scene to scene. Keeping your audience on the edge of their seats requires a skillful cut between clips to build anticipation and suspense.
If you’re looking for professional-grade video editing software, Adobe Premiere Pro has all the tools in place to captivate your audience and keep your post production process organized and efficient.