Figure 2-4.
The cutaway
4.
Requirements and limitations of cut-in and cutaway scenes.
a. In order for scenes to be considered suitable for use as cut-ins or
cutaways, they must meet certain requirements. These limitations are three-fold:
(1) The scenes must change audience attention from what otherwise would be
a loss of continuity in order to prevent audience distraction.
Losses of
continuity can be prevented by footage which includes jumps in action, changes of
screen direction, or allowance for time passage.
(2) The scenes must be part of the immediate action (a cut-in) or pertain
to the story (a cutaway).
Footage which does not contribute to the story is not
suitable for use.
Rather than aid in keeping the audience oriented to what is
occurring, such footage would only serve to confuse the viewers and contribute to
the loss of continuity.
(a) If the cut-in or cutaway is to be useful in maintaining audience
orientation, it must be clearly established in the audience's mind.
The two
methods by which this may be accomplished are by either visual awareness on the
part of the audience or by suggestion resulting from reasoning or expectation of
the audience. For example, a long shot of the grounds where a training film fire
sequence was taking place, would show some spectators who would normally be
expected at the site of a catastrophe. Later, close-up scenes of one or more of
these bystanders could be used as cutaways.
(b) The audience had previously been made aware of onlookers by actually
seeing them (visual awareness).
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