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'Cross-cutting' is an editing technique used in films to establish continuity. In a cross-cut, the camera will cut away from one action to another action. Because the shots occur one after another, cross-cutting is used to suggest simultaneity of action. However, it can also be used to link significant actions that do not occur simultaneously. For instance, in D.W. Griffith's ''A Corner in Wheat'', the film cross-cuts between the activities of rich businessmen and poor people waiting in line for bread. This creates a sharp dichotomy between the two actions, and encourages the viewer to compare the two shots. Often, this contrast is used for strong emotional effect, and frequently at the climax of a film. The rhythm of, or length of time between, cross-cuts can also set the tone of a scene. Increasing the rapidity between two different actions may add tension to a scene, much in the same manner of using short, declarative sentences in a work of literature.

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See also

See also

★ Buffer shot

★ Cutaway

★ Dissolve

★ Fast cutting

★ Jump cut

★ Match cut

★ Shot reverse shot

★ Slow cutting