Why Are Cut-On-Action Transitions So Impactful?

If you’ve watched a lot of social media videos, like TikTok and Instagram Reels, you’ll find a lot of videos include transitions that use both camerawork and carefully curated editing, to make a transition look smooth. Think about it this way; have you seen those videos where the person in the video quickly pans up, like they’re flipping the camera, and when it “lands”, the person is somewhere new, or you see a completely different person? That’s the kind of transition, we’re talking about. These transitions are what we like to call Cut-On-Action Transitions.

What Are Cut-On-Action Transitions?

Essentially, they’re a combination of camerawork, transition editing, and animation. They come in many different styles and forms, from heavily animated, to simple camerawork and effective cuts. It is the use these different techniques that these transitions are called cut-on-action transition, as creators and video editors use different styles of video editing and camerawork. If you’ve seen a TikTok video, you’ll find these cut-on-action transitions everywhere, from dance videos to beauty videos or even on TikTok trends. The simplest kinds are those where a particular camera movement or action is combined with a cleverly cut clip, so that it looks like one seamless movement.

How Are They Used?

For the most part, a cut-on-action transition is mostly used in social media videos, and they can happen quickly, as they are cut in time to the beat of a music piece. Other times, it can be used slowly, which you can find in many averts and feature films, like in the 2009 TV series by the BBC, Sherlock. During a scene in the episode His Last Vow, as Sherlock is dying, he enters his mind palace. Throughout that sequence, you’ll see many match cuts and cut-on-action transitions. They intensify the scene and add a sense of urgency, because it’s not only following the actions and reactions that Sherlock is experiencing, but it can also be disorienting, since the camera moves with Sherlock, like when he falls over, or when he is slapped on the cheek, or turns his head.

Essentially, these transitions are used to match the action in the scene, to either emphasise the action itself, or to highlight the emotions in the scene. Take the sequence from Sherlock, the transitions in the scene are meant to emphasise how high the stakes are for the character, and how disorienting the whole experience is. These transitions are useful because they increase the pace of the scene. So, by cutting from one action in one location and finishing that action in another, the audience can feel disoriented and confused, just like Sherlock.

Why Are They So Impactful?

Cut-on-action transitions are so impactful because they not only enhance the action in the scene, but they also create a sense of urgency. The fact that they can be used to cut from one location to another is what brings that sense of urgency and confusion. Not only that, but they can also be used as part of a montage, to bombard the senses, so that the audience can see a pattern or be confused enough to want to know more.

You can find this, albeit subtly, in the Morrison’s Farmer Christmas (2021) advert. They cut on action, so it is fairly seamless. Throughout the advert, the children, who’re the main characters, fall through several sudden holes in the ground, or step from one space to another. It is because these actions are cut and arranged together to make the action seamless that makes the transitions work. Otherwise, the advert would be much longer, since they’d have to walk all the way from the farmer’s field, back to their house, and it’ll no longer be an advert. It is the use of cut-on-action transitions that make the advert work, because it’s as if the children teleport around, along with “Farmer Christmas”.

What About In Music Videos?

These cut-on-action transitions are heavily used in music videos, especially when the music calls for it. For example, in the music video for Ava Max’s Kings & Queens (2020), the use of cut-on-action transitions highlight either certain dance moves or the dancers and highlight the beat of the music too. This match in beat not only enhances the visuals of the music video, but also the emotions in the song, as it highlights the beats and sections of music that the artist and director want the audience to focus on.

It’s a common technique as it ensures that those who are watching the video remain focused. If a music video doesn’t match the music that’s playing, then audiences can get confused, and it’ll be difficult to remain focused on both. If the music is too slow for the transitions, then the video can be confusing. If the transitions are too slow, it may seem out of sync with the music. So, there needs to be a balance between the two.

How Can You Create Cut-On-Action Transitions In Your Videos?

It is very important that you pay attention to your camerawork, if you want to create seamless cut-on-action transitions. The angles of your shots need to be just right, in order for the transition to work. If an actor is turning around in one shot, then they need to match that action in the other. So, if they start turning right, they need to also turn right in the next one. Otherwise, the scene won’t make sense.

You will also need to use precise markers on your footage, when you edit the shots together. This ensures that the action is smooth. If you cut halfway through an action, don’t cut the next clip too close to the end of the action; it’ll look too stunted, and the action won’t be seamless. On the other hand, don’t cut the too close to the beginning of the action either, otherwise it’ll repeat itself, and will confuse audiences. If you want those smooth and seamless transitions, you’ll need to have a very good eye for detail.