Segueing between scenes

Rent a bunch of well respected films and watch what they do. In a lot of cases it will just be a straight, L or J cut. I just saw a film a few days ago and I don't recall seeing more then 4 dissolves during the whole movie. Hope this helps.





Stephen Smith
Lone Peak Productions

Check out my DVD Money Making Graphics & Effects for Final Cut Studio 2

The cut is the most powerful transition. If you really know how to use it.

What you can do with the story is often limited by how it was shot. If they didn't give you anything to work with, that's when you have to synthesize something, either from what you have, or from new stock elements or original stuff you create. I am guessing this problem is really what you are talking about.

As a suggestion, don't underestimate the power of audio. It is powerful punctuation, it also sets a mood and even suggests a lot of scenery. Music and sound effects can take your footage thru an extra dimension when you transition, and it can be subtle and totally transparent and natural, or it can be very over the top dramatic or comic, whatever you need it to be. As a creative exercise, take ten minutes some time when nothing's going on, and just listen to the cuts on a sound effects collection. Think about what kinds of scenes and situations they inspire.

I remember the first time I saw "The SIlence Of The Lambs". The scene where they take Clarice Starling to meet Doctor Lecter for the first time is very powerful, and a lot of it comes just from the sound design, effects and music that subconsciously crank you up to a fever pitch, so any little thing the actors do snaps the trigger and makes you jump out of your seat. The sound design in that scene is like the big hill climb on a roller coaster and the view you get just as you slowly come over the top and see the long fall ahead.