To string together a smooth narrative requires careful editing. A film can't simply go from one image to a completely different one without a good reason. One way to achieve a captivating transition is to use a match cut. A match cut is what you see when the image or action in one frame 'matches' the image or action in the next to establish a relationship between the two subjects.
The bone-to-space station match cut in Stanley Kubrick’s '2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968).
The result of Anne V. Coates accidental match cut in 'Lawrence of Arabia' (1962).
In Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho' (1960) just after Marion Crane is murdered in the "shower scene", the camera shows blood flowing down the drain of the tub, then cuts to a shot of Marion's eye. Okay, maybe it's a dissolve but still it's pretty awesome.
This technique was frowned upon in editing, until Jean-Luc Godard made extensive use of it in his masterpiece 'Breathless' (1960).
Read moreMastering this quite simple technique allowed cinematographers to put their stars in previously unimaginable situations.
Read moreMade famous by 'Jaws' (1975), the 'Dolly Zoom' was first used in Alfred Hitchcok's 'Vertigo' (1958).
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